Mrs. Farida Kingravi is the wife of the Pakistani Ambassador to Nigeria, Major General (rtd) Waqar Ahmad Kingravi. They have been married for 38 years. In this interview, she talks about the type of husband and father he is, among other things.
Daily Trust: How would you describe your husband?
Mrs. Farida Kingravi: He is a very upright man. He doesn’t take any nonsense, being an army officer. He’s also caring, loving because a man has to be that. I’m so glad that he understands that he has to look after his family because many men don’t understand that. He also loves his country very much and this goes for me and our children too.
DT: What trait of your husband would you say you find the most endearing?
Farida: He is very honest. He always tells the truth. He is also a very kindhearted person and he is forever forgiving. I find these attributes in very few people.
DT: What kind of father is your husband – how is he like with the kids?
Farida: This is not to my liking, but he is very lenient. He’s not as strict as I want him to be with them. I have to be the strict one and I have to be the one telling them all they need to hear. But we’ve raised wonderful children. My husband thinks that they will realize what they’re doing and that we’ve given them a good education for them to make informed decisions. I am the outspoken one. I talk it out with the children. He doesn’t. He’s a loving father and he provides for them, but he’s extremely lenient, especially with our daughter which I don’t want him to be. We have two sons and a daughter, and to him, the daughter can never do anything wrong.
DT: What’s does he enjoy watching on TV?
Farida: Sports. He loves watching cricket. Cricket is very popular in Pakistan.
DT: What’s his favourite food?
Farida: He’s a very simple man. He’s very fond of a good breakfast. But he really likes Karahi chicken. It’s a Pakistani dish.
DT: Apart from being a diplomat and an army officer, what other profession do you think your husband would have excelled at?
Farida: He was actually a pilot. He has a passion for flying. He would have loved to be flying for his whole career.
DT: How does he unwind?
Farida: We actually both like reading books. But on weekends he usually just sits on the sofa while checking his WhatsApp and reading the newspaper.
DT: What fond memories do you cherish that’s related to your husband?
Farida: Playing with the children when they were younger. I also cherish our late night drives. We do that everyday and I still cherish that.
DT: What aspect of his personality would you say people don’t know?
Farida: He has a good sense of humour. He also has a lot of principles and he’s very strict on them. Same goes for my father and his father. I see a lot of similarities between my father and my husband.
