Jennifer Musa facts for kids

Jennifer Musa, whose birth name was Bridget Jennifer Wren (born November 11, 1917 – died January 12, 2008), was a special woman from Ireland. She was a nurse who later became a politician and social worker in Pakistan. People often called her the "Queen of Balochistan" or "Mummy Jennifer."

Early Life and Moving to Pakistan

Jennifer Musa was born Bridget Wren in a place called Tarmons, in County Kerry, Ireland, in 1917. She left Ireland to train as a nurse. In 1939, she met a well-known politician named Qazi Muhammad Musa. This happened while she was studying at Oxford University. Qazi Musa was the eldest son of the Prime Minister to the leader of Kalat District at that time.

Jennifer married Qazi Musa the next year. She took the name Jehan Zeba. Her husband's family, who were Pashtun, did not agree with the marriage at first. In 1948, the couple moved to Pakistan.

Jennifer Musa once shared how she met her husband. She said, "We met at his college, at a party." She also explained that she was Catholic and he was Muslim. She felt she became Islamic around that time. Jennifer added that she married into a family that was open-minded. She never wore a veil, and they never asked her to. She simply came to Pakistan with her husband because it was his home. While living in Balochistan, she often wore traditional Pakistani clothes called shalwar kameez and wrapped a shawl around herself.

Becoming a Politician

In 1956, Qazi Musa sadly died in a car accident. Jennifer Musa decided to stay in her husband's hometown of Pishin. She joined a political group called the National Awami Party. In 1970, she was chosen to be a member of Pakistan's first Parliament. This happened after the 1970 Pakistani general election.

During her time in Parliament, she often disagreed with the Prime Minister, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. Jennifer Musa thought Bhutto was "a clever fellow and a strange chap." She found it hard to get along with him.

Helping Her Community

Jennifer Musa had one child, a son named Ashraf Jehangir Qazi. He grew up to become a very important Pakistani diplomat.

Jennifer Musa, also known as "Mummy Jennifer," started doing social work. She saw how difficult life was for young girls in her poor region. To help them, she created the 'Pishin Women's Association' in her local area.

She used to say that she worked with everyone, even though her Urdu language skills were not perfect. She felt very much at home in Pakistan. She said the people always treated her like one of their own. She felt she could not have gone back to Ireland. She knew more about Pakistan than she did about her home country.

In one of her last interviews, she said, "Mummy has had her innings." This means she felt she had lived a full and active life. Jennifer Musa lived for 60 years in Pakistan. She passed away on January 12, 2008, in Balochistan.