Mehtab Akbar Rashdi: The Courageous Voice of Sindh

"This year too the same situation has risen, so much so the Chief Minister of Sindh has shown his grieve concern over the issue while chairing a meeting on this issue yesterday, this calls for discussion and thus finding the solutions for future." 

These were the words uttered by Madam Mehtab Akbar Rashdi, on Sindh Assembly floor regarding the cheating culture and cheating mafia in education system of Sindh, in an important session of Sindh Assembly in 2017.

Renowned Sindhi writer, educationist, thinker and politician Madam Mehtab Akbar Rashdi is known as the courageous voice of Sindh, she has struggled for whole her life for promotion of Sindhi language, culture and education in Sindh, whenever Sindh needs; its one of the bravest daughters Ms. Rashdi comes out and leads from the front.

 She has been member of Standing Committee on Primary Health (BHU, HRC and Vertical Programmes) and Secondary Health (Rest of Health), Committee on Government Assurances, Standing Committee on Katchi Abadies, Standing Committee on Energy.

Ms. Mehtab was born on 03 March 1947, in the house of Mohammad Essa Chana at District Larkano, her father was an employee in Sindh Education Department in Hyderabad, and he  too shifted his family to Hyderabad. Ms. Mehtab's family name was Badrun-Nisa.

In 1963, she passed SSC-II, while in 1967 she got her B.A degree, and in 1969 she got M.A degree in Political Science from University of Sindh. While in 1971, she got B.Ed degree. In 1971, she was appointed as teacher at St. Marry's Covenant School, Hyderabad, in 1973, she was appointed as lecturer in International Relations at University of Sindh. Later on she got masters' degree from University of Massachusetts, USA. 

In 1983, Ms. Rashdi was appointed as Director Institute of Sindhology and worked on this post till 1985, after that she became Director of Liaquat National Library, Karachi and also became Secretary to Sindh Culture and Tourism Department, she was also Director General Sindh Environment Protection Agency for some time. While in 1997-1999, she was appointed as Secretary to Sindh Social Welfare Department.

Ms. Mehtab has always remained associated with literature and arts, from 1965-1967, she worked as radio drama artist with her family name Badr Chana, while from 1974-1978, she remained announcer on Pakistan Radio. From 1974-1980, she hosted Sindhi and Urdu programmes on Pakistan Television (PTV). When the then dictator Zia-ul-Haq announced that all female anchors, hosts and news-casters should cover their heads with dupatta, Ms. Rashdi refused to do so.

Madam Mehtab has penned down an important book on Pakistan and India relations, Indo-Pak Relations: Unknown Binding (1988). 

She was elected to the Provincial Assembly of Sindh as a candidate of Pakistan Muslim League (F) on a reserved seat for women in 2013 Pakistani general election.