Saba Hamid’s recollection of her feminist parents is what every Pakistani parent needs to hear

Responsible parenting everyone needs to take some good notes from!

Veteran actress Saba Hamid was a guest on Maliha Rehman’s Youtube channel where she opened up about her childhood, especially the impact her late father, journalist Hameed Akhtar, had on her.

“My father was a feminist,” described the actress, adding that “He was a big believer in equal rights till his last breath from day one.”

Speaking about her family, the ‘Jaisay Apki Marzi’ actress said she was one of four daughters and obe son but her parents never made them feel like there was inequality between them on the basis of gender. Hamid elaborated how chores around the house that are generally male-oriented like calling the plumber, or driving, were taught to all the siblings. Her parents also didn’t put any restrictions on their daughters while allowing their son to stay out late. “I was scolded just as much as he was if he stayed out late.”

These teachings, Saba observed, made her assume that the world would treat men and women equally the way her father had. But soon grew to realise that it was the opposite.

The ‘Laal Ishq’ actress further opened up about how liberated her mother was, not seeking permission from their father to go anywhere because he gave her liberation. She spoke about her mother announcing to their father that she was visiting her sister in Islamabad for a day, and his reaction being simply “okay”.

“We grew up thinking this is how it is, this is the way the world is. It was quite later I realised you had to seek permission from a partner to go somewhere.”

We are completely moved by Saba’s account of her father and his gentle parenting that made her into the fierce woman she is today- and also helped her raise two phenomenally powerful individuals like Meesha and Faris Shafi. We hope more parents, especially fathers to newborn daughters, watch this clip and take a lesson in how giving girls independence can help them later in life.

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