Who is Mrs. Ali from Major Pettigrew's Last Stand: A Novel and what is their importance?

Mrs. Jasmina Ali is a 58 year old widow and the proprietress of the SuperSaver SuperMart. Mrs. Ali is a small, attractive woman of Pakistani heritage. Many people in the story refer to Mrs. Ali as the Pakistani woman and act as if she is completely foreign to England even though she was born in Cambridge. Despite the ill treatment thrust upon Mrs. Ali by the villagers, she remains pleasant and cordial to all, perhaps in part because of her need for their return business at the shop.