Begum Ra'ana Liaquat Ali Khan

Begum Ra'ana Liaquat Ali Khan

Begum Ra'ana Liaquat Ali Khan was born at Almora in the United Provinces and was educated at Lucknow. She obtained a first class Masters degree with honors in economics from the University of Lucknow in 1929.

Begum Ra'ana began her practical life as a teacher in the Gokhale Memorial School after completing the Teachers Diploma Course from the Diocesan College, Calcutta. She was later appointed as Professor of Economics in the Indraprstha Girls College, Delhi.

In April 1933, she was married to Nawabzada Liaquat Ali Khan.

After the reorganization of Muslim League, Begum Ra'ana devoted herself to the task of creating political consciousness amongst the Muslim women. Her struggle for emancipation continued till independence of Muslims of India in 1947.

The wife of the first Prime Minister of Pakistan, Begum Ra'ana took the lead in starting the women's voluntary service in 1948. Women were encouraged to take up responsibilities in administering first aid, organizing food distribution, dealing with health problems, epidemics and clothing, and above all, in providing moral and emotional support. Ra'ana Liaquat Ali also took the initiative of introducing defense training for women. This step was not well received. On her own initiative, she formed the Pakistan Women's National Guard (P. W. N. G.) and the Pakistan Women Naval Reserve (P. W. N. R.) in 1949. Begum Ra'ana was the Chief Controller of both, with the rank of a Brigadier. Viewed in the perspective of the partition massacres, where helpless women had been brutally treated, the idea was not entirely unrealistic. The P. W. N. G. and P. W. N. R. could not survive for long and were disbanded soon after Ra'ana Liaquat Ali went abroad as Pakistan's Ambassador.

In 1949, Begum Ra'ana arranged a conference of over 100 active women from all over the country. The conference announced the formation of a voluntary and non-political organization for the social, educational and cultural uplift of the women, named as All Pakistan Women Association (A. P. W. A.). She was nominated as its first President.

Liaquat Ali Khan was assassinated in 1951. Begum Ra'ana continued her services for the social and economic uplift of women of Pakistan till her death.

Lady Ghulam Hussain Hidayatullah

Lady Ghulam Hussain Hidayatullah

Real name Sughra Begum, Lady Ghulam Hussain Hidayatullah was born in 1904 in a feudal family of Shikarpur. Though brought up in strict purdah, Begum Sughra was given a liberal education, especially in religion, Urdu, Sindhi and elementary English. In 1919, she married Sir Ghulam Hussain Hidayatullah, a prominent political leader of Sindh.

Lady Ghulam Hussain Hidayatullah aimed her life towards helping her husband in his social and political activities. She began her political life in 1938 as a worker of the All India Muslim League. The same year she was taken on by the Women's Central Subcommittee. It was due to her efforts that various branches of the Provincial Subcommittee were formed in different districts of Sindh such as Hyderabad, Nawabshah and Dadu. In December 1943, on the occasion of the annual session of the All India Muslim League held at Karachi, she was elected President of the Women's Reception Committee.

In February 1947, Sughra Begum came to Lahore and took part in political processions, urging the Government to accept the League's demands. She led a grand procession that marched towards the Civil Secretariat at the end of February 1947. This was the same day that Sughra Begum hoisted the Muslim League flag on the secretariat building. During the Partition riots, she actively worked with the refugees to relieve their sufferings. Her services in the Women's Refugee Relief Committee were commendable.

Begum Shah Nawaz

Begum Shah Nawaz

Begum Jehan Ara Shah Nawaz was the daughter of the famous Muslim League leader, Sir Muhammad Shafi. Born in April 1896, she was educated at the Queen Mary College, Lahore. She was married to Mian Shah Nawaz.

With the emergence of the All India Muslim Women's Conference, Begum Shah Nawaz devoted all her efforts towards its cause. She was successful in moving the organization to pass a resolution against polygamy in its session held at Lahore in 1918. She was also associated with the education and orphanage committees of the Anjuman Himayat-i-Islam, Lahore. She was an active member of the All India Muslim Women's Conference and remained president of its provincial branch for seven years. She was vice-president of the Central Committee of the All India Muslim Women's Conference.

Besides being a member of the Lahore Municipal Committee, she was also associated with several hospitals, and maternity and child welfare committees. She was the first woman to be elected as vice-president of the Provincial Executive and was a member of the All Indian General Committee of the Red Cross Society. She was a woman delegate to the Round Table Conference. In 1935, she founded the Punjab Provincial Women's Muslim League. In 1937, she was elected as a member of the Punjab Legislative Assembly and was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Education, Medical Relief and Public Health. In 1938, she joined the Women's Central Subcommittee of the All India Muslim League. In 1942, the Government of India appointed her as a member of the National Defense Council. Meanwhile, the Muslim League called upon the League members to resign from the Defense Council. Upon refusing to abide by its decision, she was dismissed from the Muslim League.

In 1946, she rejoined the League and was elected as a member of the Punjab Assembly. The same year, she was sent along with M. A. H. Isphahani on a goodwill mission to the United States of America. Their mission was to explain the Muslim League's point of view. She played an important role during the Civil Disobedience Movement in Punjab in 1947, and was arrested along with other Muslim League leaders.

She passed away on November 27, 1979, at the age of 83.

Begum Viqar-un-Nisa

Begum Viqar-un-Nisa Noon

Begum Viqar-un-Nisa Noon, an Austrian by birth, was married to Sir Feroz Khan Noon in 1945. She and her husband left Delhi for Lahore the same year after Sir Noon resigned from the Viceroy's cabinet. Because of her husband's leading role in Indian politics, Begum Noon had the opportunity of studying the prevailing political situation and public opinion very closely. She organized election campaigns and became a member of the Punjab Provincial Women's Subcommittee. She organized a band of girl students and other women volunteers and toured other districts of the province for promotion of the cause of the Muslim League.

During the Civil Disobedience Movement in Punjab, Begum Noon was one of the leading women leaders responsible for successfully organizing the processions and demonstrations against the Khizar Ministry backed by the British, and courted arrest on three occasions.

During the period of mass transfer of population after the Partition, she rendered invaluable assistance to various refugee committees and camps. She had been closely associated with Red Cross and represented Pakistan on various occasions. She also opened a school and a college for girls at Rawalpindi.

After a protracted illness, she passed away on January 16, 2000, in Islamabad.

Lady Abdullah Haroon

Lady Abdullah Haroon

Real name Nusrat Khanum, Lady Abdullah Haroon was born in 1886, in Iran. Her parents migrated to India and later settled in Karachi where in 1914 she married Sir Abdullah Haroon. She took keen interest in female education and started a school at her home. She also founded a female organization known as Anjuman-i-Khawateen to improve the social and economic condition of the women of Sindh.

In 1919, she entered the political arena and worked as an ardent supporter of the Khilafat Movement in her province.

In 1938, she was nominated to the Women's Central Subcommittee of the All India Muslim League and was also elected President of the Sindh Provincial Women's Subcommittee. Actually, this organization owes its existence to Lady Haroon, who through her untiring efforts was able to bring the Muslim women under the banner of the Muslim League. She also made commendable contributions during the 1946 elections for the Muslim League.

Lady Haroon was a successful housewife. Her husband once stated that Nusrat had completed his life and that he was the happiest, luckiest and most content man on earth.

Begum Tasadduque Hussain

Begum Tasadduque Hussain

Real name Salma Mahmuda, daughter of Mian Fazal Ilahi Bedil, was born in August 1908 at Gujranwala. Brought up and educated in a scholarly atmosphere, Begum Tasadduque began to understand the value of art and literature early in life. In 1922, she was married to Dr. Tasadduque Hussain, Bar-at-Law. She continued her studies even after her marriage and completed her graduation from the University of Punjab. With the formation of the Punjab Provincial Women's Subcommittee, she became its most active member and in 1940 she was elected as one of its Secretaries. She helped in opening up primary schools and industrial homes for girls at Lahore.

In 1941, she was nominated to the Council of the All India Muslim League. In April 1943, she was taken on by the Central Subcommittee of the All India Muslim League. She played a leading part in the Bengal Relief Fund Committee. In 1944, she was nominated as a member of the working committee of the Punjab Provincial Muslim League.

She rendered valuable services during the elections of 1946. She successfully contested on the Muslim League ticket for the Punjab Provincial Assembly seat from the inner Lahore constituency, winning by an overwhelming majority. The same year she was again taken on by the working committee of the Punjab Provincial Muslim League.

She worked very hard during the Bihar riots, helping the Bihar refugees in their camps, and staying for nearly two months in the affected areas. She brought refugees from Bihar and provided accommodation to many of them at her residence.

In 1947, as Secretary of the Women's Subcommittee, she was heavily occupied with the organization and management of women's possessions. She participated in some processions and was eventually arrested along with other Muslim League members of the Punjab Assembly. Her activities did not remain confined to Punjab; she also took personal interest in the affairs of other provinces. When the Civil Disobedience Movement spread to the N. W. F. P., she went there with her colleagues and assisted in the organization of processions.

During the Partition riots, she was appointed Refugee Relief Secretary in the provincial Muslim League office and her duties were to receive the refugees from other areas and make arrangements for their boarding and lodging in Walton and other camps.

In the field of literature, she has attained a remarkable position as a writer and poet. Her poems and short stories have appeared in the leading Urdu journals. The translation of 'Cleopatra' into Urdu is one of her achievements.

She died on August 7, 1995.

Begum Shaista Ikramullah

Begum Shaista Ikramullah was the first female representative of the first Constituent Assembly of Pakistan

Begum Shaista Ikramullah, the first female representative of the first Constituent Assembly of Pakistan (1947), Pakistan's former Ambassador to Morocco, mother-in-law of Jordan's Crown Prince, and niece of the great leader Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, was born on July 22, 1915, at Calcutta in the prominent Suhrawardy family of West Bengal. She was educated at Calcutta and London. During that period, strict purdah environment was prevalent in the Muslim society of India. Her mother was a traditionalist while her father, an eminent surgeon and politician, was a dynamic liberal who encouraged his daughter to study.

She got married at quite a young age. Her husband was a diplomat and served as Pakistan's first Foreign Secretary. He encouraged her pursuit of modern education. She was the first Muslim woman to obtain a doctorate from the University of London in 1940. Her doctorate thesis "Development of the Urdu Novel and Short Story" was a critical survey of Urdu novel and short stories.

In 1945, Begum Ikramullah was asked by the Government of India to attend the Pacific Relations Conference. Quaid-i-Azam convinced Begum Ikramullah not to accept the offer, as he wanted her to go as the representative of the Muslim League and to speak on its behalf. Six weeks after the establishment of Pakistan, the Quaid asked Begum Ikramullah to go as a delegate to the United Nations.

A. K. Fazl-ul-Haq

Sher-i-Bengal, A. K. Fazl-ul-Haq

Popularly known as Sher-i-Bengal, A. K. Fazl-ul-Haq was a leader who, for more than half a century, was in the forefront of all political activities pertaining to the Pakistan Movement. He made valuable contributions towards the political, social and educational uplift of the Muslims of the Sub-continent.

He was born on October 26, 1873, and received his elementary and religious education at home. He learnt the Holy Quran, Arabic and Persian from well-known scholars. Fazl-ul-Haq excelled in his studies. He passed his BA securing honors in physics, chemistry and mathematics, and his MA with distinction from the University of Calcutta.

In 1900, he was enrolled as an advocate in the Calcutta High Court. While practicing law in his hometown, Barisal, he realized that the main cause of the backwardness of Muslims of Bengal was lack of education. Educational uplift and political advancement of the Muslims became the goal of his life.

He slowly began to emerge as a young political leader. Fazl-ul-Haq was one of the four members of the committee that drafted the constitution of the All India Muslim League in 1906. In 1912, he started the Central National Muhammadan Educational Association to help the poor and deserving Muslims. In 1914, he became the leader of the Muslims of Bengal. He attended the Lucknow Pact as the representative of the province. In 1920, he became the Minister of Education for Bengal. He devotedly worked for the educational advancement of the Muslims. During the Non-cooperation Movement of 1919-1921, he very wisely advised the Muslim students to single-mindedly pursue their studies and not to get involved in politics at that stage.

Fazl-ul-Haq was essentially a man of the masses. As a lawyer he defended thousands of Muslims who were accused of the riot cases before the Partition. He also looked after the interests of the peasantry of Bengal. He was also a delegate of the Round Table Conferences and pleaded the cause of the Muslims to have their proper share in the administrative affairs of the country. In 1937, he was elected as Chief Minister of Bengal. During the All India Muslim League session of March 23, 1940, which was presided over by Quaid-i-Azam, Fazl-ul-Haq rose to move the historic Pakistan Resolution and spoke of protecting the rights of the Muslims of India.

Fazl-ul-Haq migrated to Pakistan and accepted the Advocate Generalship of East Pakistan. At the age of 80, he toured East Pakistan from one end to another. In 1962, his health started deteriorating. He passed away on April 27, 1962 after dominating the political stage of the Sub-continent for half a century.

Liaquat Ali Khan

Nawabzada Liaquat Ali Khan, the second son of Nawab Rustam Ali Khan, was born on October 1, 1896, in a Madal Pathan (Nausherwan) family. He graduated in 1918 from M. A. O. College, Aligarh. After his graduation, he was offered a job in the Indian Civil Services, but he rejected the offer on the plea that he wanted to serve his nation. He married his cousin, Jehangira Begum in 1918. After his marriage, he went to London for higher education. In 1921, he obtained a degree in Law from Oxford and was called to Bar at Inner Temple in 1922.

On his return from England in 1923, Liaquat Ali Khan decided to enter politics with the objective of liberating his homeland from the foreign yoke. Right from the very beginning, he was determined to eradicate the injustices and ill treatment meted out to the Indian Muslims by the British. In his early life, Liaquat Ali, like most of the Muslim leaders of his time, believed in Indian Nationalism. But his views gradually changed. The Congress leaders invited him to join their party, but he refused and joined the Muslim League in 1923. Under the leadership of Quaid-i-Azam, the Muslim League held its annual session in May 1924 in Lahore. The aim of this session was to revive the League. Liaquat Ali Khan attended this conference along many other young Muslims.

Liaquat Ali Khan signs the register as the first Prime Minister of Pakistan

Liaquat Ali started his parliamentary career from the U. P. Legislative Assembly in 1926 as an independent candidate. Later he formed his own party, The Democratic Party, within the Legislative Assembly and was elected as its leader. He remained the member of the U. P. Legislative Council till 1940 when he was elected to the Central Legislative Assembly.

In his parliamentary career, Liaquat Ali Khan established his reputation as an eloquent, principled and honest spokesman who never compromised on his principles even in the face of severe odds. He used his influence and good offices for the liquidation of communal tension and bitterness. He took active part in legislative affairs. He was one of the members of the Muslim League delegation that attended the National Convention held at Calcutta to discuss the Nehru Report in December 1928.

Liaquat Ali Khan with his family

Liaquat Ali's second marriage took place in 1933. His wife Begum Ra'ana was a distinguished economist and an educationist who stood by her husband during the ups and downs of his political career. She proved to be a valuable asset to his political career as well as his private life. Quaid-i-Azam in those days was in England in self-exile. The newly wed couple had a number of meetings with the Quaid and convinced him to come back to India to take up the leadership of the Muslims of the region.

When Quaid-i-Azam returned to India, he started reorganizing the Muslim League. Liaquat was elected as the Honorary Sectary of the party on April 26, 1936. He held the office till the establishment of Pakistan in 1947. In 1940, he was made the deputy leader of the Muslim League Parliamentary party. Quaid-i-Azam was not able to take active part in the proceedings of the Assembly on account of his heavy political work; thus the whole burden of protecting Muslim interests in the Assembly fell on Liaquat Ali's shoulders. Liaquat Ali was also the member of Muslim Masses Civil Defense Committee, which was formed to keep the Muslims safe from Congress activities and to strengthen the League's mission.

Liaquat Ali Khan won the Central Legislature election in 1945-46 from the Meerut Constituency in U. P. He was also elected Chairman of the League's Central Parliamentary Board. He assisted Quaid-i-Azam in his negotiations with the members of the Cabinet Mission and the leaders of the Congress during the final phases of the Freedom Movement. When the Government asked the Muslim League to send their nominees for representation in the interim government, Liaquat was asked to lead the League group in the cabinet. He was given the portfolio of finance, which he handled brilliantly. He influenced the working of all the departments of the Government and presented a poor man's budget. His policies as Finance Minister helped in convincing the Congress to accept the Muslim demand of a separate homeland.

After independence, Quaid-i-Azam and Muslim League appointed Liaquat to be the head of the Pakistan Government. Being the first Prime Minister of the country, He had to deal with a number of difficulties facing Pakistan in its early days. Liaquat Ali Khan helped Quaid-i-Azam in solving the riot and refugee problem and setting up an effective administrative system for the country. After the death of Quaid-i-Azam, Liaquat tried to fill the vacuum created by the departure of the Father of the Nation. Under his premiership, Pakistan took its first steps in the field of constitution making, as well as foreign policy. He presented the Objectives Resolution in the Legislative Assembly. The house passed this on March 12, 1949. Under his leadership a team also drafted the first report of the Basic Principle Committee. His efforts in signing the Liaquat-Nehru pact pertaining to the minority issue in 1950 reduced tensions between India and Pakistan. In May 1951, he visited the United States and set the course of Pakistan's foreign policy towards closer ties with the West.

On October 16, 1951, Liaquat Ali Khan was assassinated. He had been scheduled to make an important announcement in a public meeting at Municipal Park, Rawalpindi. The security forces immediately shot the assassin, who was later identified as Saad Akbar. Killing the assassin erased all clues to the identity of the real culprit behind the murder. Liaquat Ali Khan was officially given the title of Shaheed-i-Millat, but the question of who was behind his murder is yet to be answered.