A courageous lady with great enthusiasm and spirit, Mehtab Akbar Rashidi came into the education scenario of our system with a will to do something for the young generation of our country. Mehtab also made her appearance on media from Radio Pakistan and then started her journey towards television. The viewers of PTV remember the days when she appeared on the PTV like a storm and made a respectful space in every heart of the Pakistani viewer by her confident and luminous hosting for the various shows she conducted.

Mehtab was born on 14 August, 1947 in a small village in district Larkana. Her father was a teacher, a very learned and caring person, who gave importance to education and made sure that Mehtab and her three sisters and brother were given proper education.

Mehtab did her MA in Political Science from the University of Sindh and then went to United States, where she completed Masters and specialized in the area of International Relations. She is a very cool tempered person, who likes reading and have her own collection. Her areas of interest are Urdu, English and Sindhi literature.

Mehtab was the youngest and first woman from her family to go abroad. She was surprised to realize her own potential. She says, In Pakistan, there were so many people to support me but when I went abroad I had to do things by myself. I had to compete with the people who belonged to different backgrounds. I had to prove that I am the best among them. When I came back from such an environment, I am confident enough not to accept any nonsense.

In Pakistan, Mehtab, also used to do radio programmes while teaching at the University. Females were very welcome because there were only a few of them. The attitude of men was very supportive. But when she went abroad all alone, that was the time when she discovered herself. There she had to handle everything all by herself since nobody was there to assist her, whereas back home everything was given and arranged by her parents. She realized it then that she do have the potential and she can do it.

Mehtab Rashidi’s first job was as a teacher in Submarine school in Hyderabad. She believes children are just like a clean sheet where you can write anything, you can shape their personalities, can mould them the way you want to. Later on Mehtab started teaching at Sindh University.

Mehtab started doing programmes on the radio Pakistan but a family friend, Abdul Karim Balouch, who was a producer at Pakistan Television (PTV) approached Mehtab and asked her to perform in any of these three areas – hosting, acting and news casting. Since Mehtab wasn’t interested much in acting, she opted for the other two.

According to Mehtab Akbar we need to improve the standard of education in Pakistan, the physical environment needs to be improved as well, since education enlightens your personality. In schools our children should be given good environment along with quality education. Furthermore, teachers should be selected on merit.

Mehtab Akbar supported president Musharraf’s government in spite of the fact that she disapprove military rule. But says one has to admit that democratic leaders also disappointed the people of Pakistan. She also supported Benazir Bhutto because she was a woman of great will and confidence but president Musharraf was very straightforward, who always spoke his mind and also admitted his mistakes.

Mehtab Akbar Rashidi believes that one has to show confidence to get ahead in life and make use of the opportunities whenever they come across. Mehtab had a love marriage and believes that it was one of the best things that have ever happened to her. Mehtab says death is a reality and one has to face it. She is not scared of it because she believes in life after death.