Grand old lady of the Frontier has lost none of her lively spirit

Lal Sanam, whose national identity card says she was born in 1896 could be older than her official age – 107. In fact, her relatives say she could be anywhere from 110 to 120.

Now, the Village Razakar Corp, a community based organisation in Mian Khan has taken up cudgels on behalf of this mother of eleven, who lives with her son and barely ekes out a living. The corp has written to President General Pervez Musharraf and NWFP Governor Lt Gen (Retd) Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah to provide financial support to Lal Sanam, who could be Pakistan's oldest woman.

"Two of her young sons were soldiers and both – named Qadeem Shah- died in wars. One died fighting for Pakistan. The government should help her in her old age," said the letters.

Lal, unbowed by age and failing health is unfazed by all the attention. A resident of Mian Khan, a remote village near Katlang in Mardan district in the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) bordering Afghanistan, she is a Pashtun and now lives with her youngest son, Sher Dad Shah after her husband Khazan Shah died years ago.

Lal remembers five wars including the First and Second World Wars. "I feel as if Pakistan was created yesterday. Prior to that, there were the "Angrez" (British) in our country," she recalled. "Life was simple, our needs were few."