The Formidable Force Of Sindh

Hailed as Sindh’s toughest woman, Nazo Dharejo is known as the lady who fought off 200 bandits to protect her family’s land and honour. Tina Thakrar learns more about the woman who knows no fear.

They call her the 'toughest woman in Sindh', and justifiably so. When we first heard about Nazo Dharejo, the woman who fought against 200 armed men in the dead of the night to claim her right over her family land, we realised that we had gained access to one of the most powerful tales of valour in recent times. It’s a saga that most of us have only seen, heard or read about in one form or another, but cannot imagine being part of. We did hope though, of hearing the story first-hand, and when we did, it turned out to be so much more than we expected.

Not many know of Nazo Dharejo, mainly because she was born and raised in the small Qazi Ahmed taluka in Sindh, Pakistan, and continues to live there even today. Her story however, stretches beyond geographical limits, to touch upon subjects like political clout, corruption, patriarchy, inequality and women’s rights. On the upside, it’s also a tale about love, respect, parenthood, and of course, heroism.

Now a mother of four, Nazo was raised by her parents, in the company of two sisters and one brother. She was no stranger to familial disputes, which often took place between her father and his brothers and stepbrothers over ancestral land. But as a young girl, she primarily harboured an interest in studying beyond the standard second grade knowledge that girls her age were permitted to receive. Nazo ultimately went on to receive her Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Sindh University.

From the get go, Nazo and her sisters were raised tough. Their mother, Waderi Jamzadi, was a woman of substance, who fought adversities alongside her husband and daughters. When her only son was murdered, Jamzadi broke societal norms by sending her daughters to oversee the burial. And when the time came to defend her home against outlaws, she led from the front.