‘Zindagi Gulzar Hai’ has been one of the most groundbreaking shows in the history of Pakistani television. A show that showed women in a position of power. It showed the khudaar side of women. And it showed that women don’t necessarily have to be dependent on men to make it big in life. And Kashaf, herself, was everything a strong independent woman should be.

She was incredibly educated

Kashaf’s mother ensured that none of her daughters were all educated. Kashaf, herself, took that to a whole other level. Her top priority was her education, throughout and that’s a lesson every parent and child should take from ‘Zindagi Gulzar Hai’

She didn’t let anything come in the way of her career

Once Kashaf had cleared her CSS exams, she was appointed as a government officer. While her life changed, and the quality of life of her family improved significantly, Kashaf only had her sights set on moving forward in life and higher up in her career.

She constantly defied societal norms, single-handedly

Kashaf was a strong-willed woman. She stood up for her family. She proved time and time again that she didn’t need a man in her life to depend on for absolutely anything. She made a name for herself in not just her university, by repeatedly getting amazing grades, but also in her career.

She made sure she pursued her career and supported her family

Even after she was married, and her husband hailed from quite a wealthy family, she still continued with her job. That meant living in a different city as her husband, it didn’t hold her back. She refused to take any monetary help from Zaroon when her family was in financial trouble. She was a matter of pride for not only her sisters and her mother, but also her father who had disregarded and ignored his family for so long.

Unlike the prevalent mindset in our society, shaadi was not the ultimate life goal for Kashaf

Kashaf primarily only married Zaroon under pressure from her mother to accept his proposal, because of the age-old log kya kahenge. Kashaf, on the other hand, had been so bogged down by every single male figure in her life that she didn’t have it in her to trust a man.

Kashaf demanded equality even after she got married

Time and time again, Kashaf wanted to be put on the same level as her husband. That trickled into the arguments and conflicts that broke out between the couple. Zaroon had a meltdown when he discovered that his best friend, Osama, had proposed to Kashaf before him. But when Zaroon was actually meeting his ex-fiance, Asmara, and hid it from Kashaf, he made a big deal out of why she was angry at him. And even then, Kashaf only had one thing to say: that she demanded to be at an equal level and had every right to be angry over Zaroon meeting Asmara.

She proved to be a great wife as she balanced her family and her career

Whether she was getting married, whether she was pregnant, Kashaf was still at work. She went to work, but also looked after Zaroon. She was a full-time wife and had a full-time job. And, honestly, that’s something not a lot of people can pull off.

Standing up for herself and her family did not even require a second guess

Every single time Kashaf’s father tried putting her mother down, Kashaf was her cushion. She didn’t think twice before stepping in and speaking on her mother’s behalf. When her mother needed money to buy out the house she was renting, she stepped up. When her father came in and started jitaoing how great a man he is and how he’s always been helping the family, she told him otherwise and gave him a piece of her mind.

As a woman of the 21st century, Kashaf should be everyone’s role model. She never put a man down to put herself up. Instead, she became strong enough and proved her worth, in a society where women aren’t considered much. So, thank you Kashaf.