The Woman Who Refused to Walk Away

Saleh Safeer Abbasi

Islamabad: The brave Dilshad Bibi from Abbottabad, who fought against her home and society to build her own world.

It was the year 1995. In the village of Namli Mera in the Abbottabad district, 20-year-old Dilshad Bibi’s life was about to fill with new hopes and dreams. Her family was in the midst of wedding preparations.

Her marriage was arranged with a handsome, good-natured, and financially stable young man, Sardar Gulzar, who worked in Dubai and had returned to his homeland with dreams of a better future. The arrival of 25-year-old Sardar Gulzar brought joy to his parents and the villagers. Dilshad Bibi’s fate seemed to be taking a turn for the better.

Wedding preparations were all set. The guest list was ready, and villagers were talking about how Dilshad Bibi had hit the jackpot. But fate suddenly took a drastic turn, plunging the entire village into mourning. Just three days before the wedding, Sardar Gulzar went to the nearby forest to collect firewood.

In that era, it was unimaginable to have a village wedding without firewood. While collecting firewood, Gulzar’s foot slipped, and he fell into a deep ravine. The accident was so severe that his body was completely paralyzed, and he suffered a brain injury that put him into a coma.

As Gulzar lay in a hospital bed, a struggle between life and death began. He remained in a coma for six months, and Dilshad Bibi’s life came to a standstill. The family members, who just a few days ago were busy with wedding preparations, were now advising their daughter that it would be better to end the relationship. Everyone said that Gulzar could no longer walk, earn a living, or keep up with the pace of life.

But Dilshad Bibi’s heart refused to accept the harsh reality. She stood firm by her decision, saying, “If I accepted Gulzar as my husband before the accident, how can I leave him now when he’s lost everything?” These were the words that Dilshad Bibi spoke to her family, leaving everyone stunned. Sardar Gulzar’s savings had been spent on his treatment.

His body was weak, but Dilshad Bibi’s spirit was strong. Despite her family’s disapproval, societal pressure, and concerns about the future, she married Sardar Gulzar with the help of her older sister.

But Dilshad Bibi’s test didn’t end there. The real challenge began when her husband was unable to earn a living and wasn’t mentally fully healthy. In such circumstances, the responsibility of earning a living fell on Dilshad Bibi’s shoulders. She didn’t lose courage and decided to work hard to support her family.

Initially, Dilshad Bibi started working in various households. But when her father saw her working so hard one day, he was heartbroken. Seeing his daughter’s struggles, he decided to help her and bought her a buffalo.

This buffalo proved to be a new ray of hope for Dilshad Bibi. She started selling milk in the village, and this small business helped keep the home fires burning. But fate tested them once again. A few months later, her buffalo died, and they fell back into hardship.

This time, the villagers stood by her. Everyone collectively helped Dilshad Bibi financially, and she was able to buy another buffalo.

As life moved forward, Dilshad Bibi’s series of hardships continued. She and Sardar Gulzar had three children — a son, followed by twins, a daughter and a son. But fate tested them again. Their twin son was born with a disability, while their daughter was perfectly healthy.

The son’s disability presented Dilshad Bibi with a new challenge. For ten years, her son couldn’t walk, and taking care of him, arranging treatment, and meeting his needs became a separate struggle for her.

But she didn’t give up. She worked day and night, showed patience, and spared no effort in her son’s treatment. Finally, after ten years of struggle, her son showed significant improvement and became able to participate in everyday activities.

Despite facing challenges from an early age, Musadaq Gulzar didn’t lose courage and began his education at the Kingston School for the Disabled in Abbottabad’s Khyber area. During this time, his teacher and cousin, Muhammad Irfan, introduced him to skiing.

Muhammad Irfan told Urdu News that Musadaq Gulzar’s hard work and dedication were inherited from his family, but it wasn’t an easy journey. After 15 years of relentless effort — falling, getting back up, and learning — he has become one of Pakistan’s prominent skiers. Muhammad Irfan said that Musadaq Gulzar had also made a strong effort to qualify for the Paralympic Games and was almost selected, but some qualifications couldn’t be completed at the last moment.

Dilshad Bibi’s husband, Sardar Gulzar, told Urdu News that it’s been 30 years since their relationship began, but it’s still as strong and pure as it was in the beginning. Remembering the past, Sardar Gulzar said, “Thirty years ago, my life was completely different.

I had money, I could walk, I was healthy. But time changed everything. Today, the circumstances are very different — my body doesn’t cooperate, my financial situation isn’t the same — but one thing that hasn’t changed is the people around me, especially Dilshad Bibi’s support, which was the same 30 years ago and still is today.”

On the other hand, Dilshad Bibi, while remembering the days she spent with her husband, says, “Life wasn’t easy. I’ve lost my temper and spoken to him in a raised voice many times, complained, but Sardar Gulzar never raised his voice at me. He would get worried, sometimes go to the mosque in silence, cry in front of Allah, but never expressed his worries in front of me.”

Today, Dilshad Bibi still raises goats in the village, does household chores, and runs the house through sheer hard work. She says, “Everyone has desires in life, thinking they’ll live a certain way, have certain facilities, but in reality, what fate has written is what we get. A person should learn to be happy through patience and hard work.”

The profile feature has been published on the Urdu News website. It is a translated version of the original story.