Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday fulfilled a promise he had made to Zainab Bibi ─ country's tallest woman at 7' 2" and a former holder of 'World's Tallest Woman' title in Guinness Book of World Record 2003 ─ and got a cheque worth Rs2 million delivered to her in her hometown in Toba Tek Singh district.
In a previous interview with Dawn, the 45-year-old Zainab said that she was suffering from diabetes and osteoporosis. She recalled her meeting with the premier back when he was living in exile in Saudi Arabia, claiming that he had promised her a monthly stipend as well as devise measures to facilitate her once he came to power.
Following up, the premier got a cheque worth Rs2 million delivered via the area's deputy commissioner to an ailing Zainab.
The seven-feet-two-inches-tall woman has five sisters and belongs to a poor family. She remains single, as, according to her, her height had been a hurdle in finding a suitor for marriage.
Zainab became a known figure in 1998 when she appeared in PTV's Neelam Ghar programme. In 2003, she was declared world's tallest woman by Guinness Book of World Record. She has visited 15 countries, including the UK, France, Germany and Saudi Arabia. Through public appearances in the country and abroad, she was able to earn a living.
She uses insulin to get by and says she cannot even visit a hospital as her height makes it increasingly difficult to travel by bus or a rickshaw. During emergencies, she calls ambulances to travel.
Narrating her plight, Zainab said one of her sisters sells pakoras outside their house and cares for all of Zainab’s needs, which was an added burden on the poverty-stricken family.
