Ra'ana Liaquat Ali Khan

With her husband, Ra'ana strongly opposed the Simon Commission.[3] While a Professor of Economics, Ra'ana intensely mobilised students from her college and went to the Legislative Assembly to hear her husband's debate carrying placards of "Simon Go Home".[3] With Liaquat Ali Khan winning the debate, she became an instant hero with her friends.[3] She later sold him a ticket to a stage show to raise funds for flood relief in Bihar.[3] Ra'ana proved to be Liaquat Ali Khan's constant partner and companion.[3] She became politically involved with her husband and played a major role in the Pakistan Movement.[3] She became a defining moment in Pakistan's history when she accompanied her husband to London, United Kingdom in May 1933.[3] There, she and Khan met with Jinnah at Hamstead Heath residence, and successfully convinced Jinnah to return to the British Indian Empire to resume the leadership of the All India Muslim League.[3] Jinnah returned to India, and Ra'ana was appointed as an executive member of the Muslim League and the Chairperson of the Economic Division of the Party.[3]

In 1942, when it became apparent that Imperial Japan was near attacking India, Jinnah summoned Ra'ana said to her "Be prepared to train the women. Islam doesn't want women to be shut up and never see fresh air".[9] To undertake this task, Ra'ana organised Muslim women in the same year, when she formed a small volunteer medical corps for nursing and first aid in Delhi.[3] Begum Ra'ana played an important role in creating political awareness among women. Ra'ana was among the aspiring women in South Asia and encouraged hundreds of women to fight for Pakistan shoulder-to-shoulder with men.[3]

Begum Liaquat Ali Meets President of MIT in 1950, her husband on the far left

Ra'ana was the first First Lady of Pakistan.[3] As First Lady, she initiated reforms for woman and child development and social progress of women, and played a major role for women's part in Pakistan's politics.[3] After the assassination of her husband Liaquat Ali Khan in 1951, Begum Ra'ana continued her services for the social and economic benefit of women of Pakistan till her death in 1990.[3] One of the daunting challenges for her was to organise health services for women and children migrating from India to Pakistan.[3]

In 1947, as the refugees poured in from across the border, amidst the most pitiable of conditions with cholera, diarrhoea and smallpox being common sights everywhere, she called upon women to come forward and collect food and medical supplies from government offices.[3] The women came forward despite the resistance they faced from certain sections of society, including certain newspapers where they were attacked in the most vicious manner by elements that did not want women to come out from their "four walls".[3] She firmly believed that for a society to do justice to itself, it was pertinent that women played their due role in reforming society alongside the men.[3]

During this point in Pakistan's history there weren't many nurses in Karachi, so Begum Liaquat asked the army to train women to give injections and first aid. Women were thus trained in three to six-month courses and as such the para-military forces for women were formed.[3] The Pakistan Army quickly established Army Medical Corps and recruited a large number of women nurses as army nurses.[3] During this period, girls were also personally encouraged by Begum Liaquat to take up nursing as a profession. They were also taught the rifle drill, to decode ciphers, typing and a host of other duties so they could be useful in times of national crisis like the refugee crisis of 1947.[3]

Begum Liaquat Ali Khan touring New York's Children's Centre

After her husband's death, Ra'ana went on to start her career as a stateswoman that lasted more than 2 decades.[3] In 1952, Ra'ana was the first Muslim woman delegate to the United Nations.[3] In 1954, the Government of Pakistan had appointed her as Pakistan's Ambassador to the Netherlands, and also was the first woman ambassador of Pakistan.[3] She represented Pakistan in the Netherlands until 1961 and was also the doyen of the Diplomatic Corps.[3] In June 1966, she was appointed as Pakistan's Ambassador to Italy and stayed there until 1965.[3] Later, she was directed to Tunisia as Pakistan's Ambassador to Tunisia and held this position until March 1966.[3] Following her return to Pakistan, Ra'ana joined Rana Liaquat Ali Khan Government College of Home Economics as Professor of Economics and stayed there until 1973.[3] The Government College University awarded her an honorary doctorate in economics and conferred her with a Doctor of Philosophy in Economics in 1967.[3]

Begum Liaquat died on 13 June 1990 and was buried next to her husband in the precincts of the Quaid-e-Azam's Mausoleum.[3] With her has ended a historic period for the women and youth of Pakistan who, in future generations, will no doubt seek inspiration from Begum Liaquat's life and contributions to the emancipation of women.[3]

Ra'ana is considered one of the greatest female leaders Pakistan has produced. In Pakistan, she is given the title of "Mother of Pakistan", received in 1950.[1] Ra'ana continues to be seen as a symbol of selfless service to the cause of humanity and uplift of women.[1] In recognition of her lifelong struggle for women's rights, she was awarded the United Nations Human Rights Award in 1978.[3] Her many other awards and medals include the Jane Adam's Medal in 1950, Woman of Achievement Medal 1950, Mother of Pakistan in 1950, Nishan-i-Imtiaz in 1959, Grand Cross of Orange Nassau in 1961 (the Netherlands), International Gimbel Award 1962, Woman of the World in 1965 chosen by the Turkish Women's Association, Ankara, and Vavaliera di Gran Croce in 1966 (Italy).

• United Nation's Human Rights Award (1978)
• honorary doctorate in Economics (1967)
• Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (1 March 1966)[11]
• Woman of the World, Turkish Women's Association (1965)
• Grand Cross of Orange Nassau (1961)
• Nishan-i-Imtiaz (1951)
• Mother of Pakistan in 1950
• Jane Addams Medal in 1950
• Woman of Achievement Medal 1950

• Government of Pakistan honoured her with the highest military honour Nishan-e-Imtiaz.
• Queen Juliana of the Netherlands conferred on her the Grand Cross of Orange–Nassau.
• Recipient of the International Gimbel Award for service to humanity (1962).
• United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights for her outstanding contribution to the promotion and protection of the human rights embodied in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in other United Nations human rights instruments (1978).

• Pictures of Begum Ra'ana Liaquat Ali Khan's Visit to the USA Archived 6 July 2007 at the Wayback Machine
• A Short Biography
• Profile of Begum Ra'na Liaquat Ali Khan