Mother of Pakistan Ra'ana Liaquat Ali Khan |
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رعنا لياقت على خان | |
Begum Ra'ana Liaquat Ali Khan in 1961
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10th Governor of Sindh | |
In office 15 February 1973 – 28 February 1976 |
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President | Fzal Ilahi Chaudhry |
Prime Minister | Zulfikar Ali Bhutto |
Preceded by | Mir Bux Talpur |
Succeeded by | Muhammad Dilvar |
Constituency | Karachi-X |
First Lady of Pakistan | |
In office 14 August 1947 – 16 October 1951 |
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President of All Pakistan Women's Association | |
In office 14 August 1949 – 29 October 1951 |
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Personal details | |
Born |
Sheila Irene Pant 13 February 1905 Almora, United Provinces of Agra and Oudh |
Died | 13 June 1990 Karachi, Sindh Province |
(aged 85)
Citizenship |
British Indian Empire (1912–1947) Pakistan (1947–1990) |
Nationality | Indian-Pakistani |
Political party |
Muslim League Independent |
Spouse(s) | Liaquat Ali Khan |
Alma mater | University of Lucknow (BSc and MSc) |
Occupation | Stateswoman |
Religion | Islam |
Awards | Nishan-e-Imtiaz (military) |
Military service | |
Nickname(s) | Mother of Pakistan |
Allegiance | Pakistan |
Service/branch | Pakistan Army |
Years of service | 1947–1951 |
Rank | Brigadier-General (honorary rank) |
Unit | Pakistan Army Medical Corps |
Commands |
Naval Woman Reserves Corps Pakistan Woman National Guard Pakistan Army Medical Corps |
Battles/wars | Indo-Pakistani War of 1947 |
Begum Ra'ana Liaqat Ali Khan (Urdu: رعنا لياقت على خان, born Sheila Irene Pant; February 1905 – 13 June 1990), DPhil, NI, was one of the leading woman figures in the Pakistan Movement along with her husband Liaquat Ali Khan, and a career economist, and prominent stateswoman from the start of the cold war till the fall and the end of the cold war. Ra'anna was one of the leading woman politicians and nationwide respected woman personalities who started her career in the 1940s and witnessed key major events in Pakistan. She was one of the leading and pioneering woman figures in the Pakistan Movement and served as the executive member of Pakistan Movement committee working under Muhammad Ali Jinnah. She also served as economic adviser to Jinnah's Pakistan Movement Committee and later became First Lady of Pakistan when her husband Liaqat Khan Ali became Pakistan's first prime minister. As First Lady of Pakistan, she launched programs for woman's development in the newly founded country. Later, she would start her career as a stateswoman that would last a decade.
In the 1970s, she joined hands with Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's political movement and joined the of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, elected prime minister at that time. She was one of the most trusted and close government and economical advisers to Bhutto and his government, and had played influential role and involved with many key economical decisions taken by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto led the appointment of Ra'ana as the Governor of Sindh Province, and she took the oath on 15 February 1973. Ra'ana was the first woman Governor of Sindh as well as first Chancellor of University of Karachi. In 1977, Ra'ana along with Bhutto and his party, and won the parliamentary elections of 1977, but did not take the gubernatorial office due to martial law imposed by General Zia-ul-Haq, Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan Army. Ra'ana went on to work and dedicated her life for the social and economic benefit of women of Pakistan till her death in 1990. She died in 1990 due to cardiac arrest and was buried in Karachi, with full state and military honours given to her in her funeral. Because of her services and efforts for medical and woman development and woman empowerment, Ra'ana is commonly known as "Māder-e-Pakistan" (English translation: Mother of Pakistan).