Imangaliyeva Gulnar Akkubashkyzy was born on October 29, 1967, in the village of Ushtobe, formerly known as Boldyrev, in the former Pervomai village council. Her parents were simple rural people. Her father, Akkubash, worked as a teacher in the post-war years and later, due to the shortage of men in the village, worked in livestock and farming until the end of his life. Her mother took care of the children at home and also worked on seasonal tasks in the village, such as sheep shearing, harvesting grain, and haymaking. Gulnar was the youngest of seven children in the family, with four older brothers and two older sisters. All her siblings have since formed their own families and have children.

Gulnar graduated from the Jambyl Secondary School in Chapayev district. She participated in the December 1986 protests in support of the Kazakh youth's struggle against colonialism and the authoritarian system. As a third-year student at the Abai Kazakh Pedagogical Institute, she joined the protests on December 17-18, 1986. Along with her fellow female students, she protested against the Soviet system, shouting for the right of Kazakh people to rule their own country. The students, inspired by the freedom of speech guaranteed in the Constitution, were determined even when faced with rubber batons, shields, and military vehicles. The government labeled the protesters as drug addicts and hooligans, but this only strengthened the resolve of the youth.

In 2016, Gulnar was awarded a commemorative medal for the 30th anniversary of the December Uprising. She currently works as a teacher with 35 years of experience in education.