ISLAMABAD – Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif awarded Rs. 2 million to country’s tallest woman Zainab Bibi on Wednesday fulfilling his earlier promise.
Zainab with a staggering height of 7′ 2″ who is a former holder of ‘World’s Tallest Woman’ title in Guinness Book of World Record 2003 got a cheque worth Rs2 million by the premier via the area’s deputy commissioner in her hometown in Toba Tek Singh district.
The 45-year-old Zainab said in an interview that she was suffering from diabetes and osteoporosis. She recalled her meeting with the premier when he was living in exile, claiming that he had promised her a monthly stipend once he assumes office.
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 shot to fame 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, Dawn News reported.
Unfortunately, she uses insulin and says she cannot even use a bus or a rickshaw to visit a hospital due to her height which makes it difficult to travel. 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.
