London, Oct 17: A seven-feet-two-inches tall Pakistani woman, who was in 2003 adjudged the tallest woman of the world, has claimed asylum in the UK, alleging that she faced constant persecution and ridicule in her own country over her height. Zainab Bibi (33) has reportedly lodged an asylum claim with the Home Office and has already been granted a two-year visa to remain in the UK. She plans to live off benefits and take advantage of free NHS healthcare, reported the Daily Mail.

After flying in from Pakistan, she claimed asylum in June and was given a council flat in Stockport, Greater Manchester, where she pays no rent or council tax and receives 40-pounds-a-week in benefits. Bibi lodged her application for asylum claiming she was repeatedly attacked in her hometown near Faisalabad. She said that youths in her hometown of Toba Tek Singh threw stones and rocked at her and often pulled at her clothing.

She added that one man once hit her with a stick breaking her wrist, and that now she was too afraid to return to her home country for fear of further attacks. Speaking through an interpreter, she said that she was more comfortable in Britain than in her home country: "I like it very much in Britain. You are kind here.

People smile at me and I have no problem. At home people pick on me because I am so tall. I am afraid there.

I have diabetes and I can get treatment for free here, unlike Pakistan where it is more expensive," the paper quoted her saying.