Pakistan (Commonwealth Union)_ Begum Ra’ana Liaquat Ali Khan, who was born in 1905 and passed away in 1990, lived a distinguished, dignified, and honorable life. This year commemorates her 118th birth anniversary, and for Pakistani women, she remains an enduring symbol of courage and vision. At the age of 46, Begum Ra’ana’s life took an unexpected turn when her husband, Liaquat Ali Khan, the first prime minister of Pakistan was assassinated.
Ra’ana had two young children to raise on her own, and her family had severed ties with her after she converted to Islam, leaving her with no property or support to rely on. She faced a daunting challenge to survive, as her husband had not filed a claim against the rural or urban properties the couple had left behind as a result of the partition. Despite this, she persevered and became a driving force behind the All-Pakistan Women’s Association (APWA), establishing projects like the Pakistan Women’s National Guard and the Pakistan Women’s Naval Reserve, which aimed at empowering women practically.
Following her husband’s death, she struggled for a while before joining the foreign service. She represented Pakistan at the 7th session of the United Nations General Assembly in 1952, where she made history as the first Muslim woman delegate. Until 1961, she represented Pakistan in the Netherlands and was the head of the diplomatic corps there. She then served as Pakistan’s ambassador to the Netherlands in 1954, becoming the first woman ambassador of the nation, and subsequently served in Italy and Tunisia, successfully promoting bilateral relations despite her husband’s previous ban on Dutch flights using Pakistan’s airspace in support of Indonesia’s decolonization.
During her tenure, Begum Ra’ana was able to establish warm relations with the Netherlands, and the Queen of the Netherlands counted her as a personal friend. After over a decade-long successful diplomatic career, Begum Ra’ana returned to Pakistan and was appointed as the governor of Sindh in 1973, becoming the first Pakistani woman to assume a gubernatorial position in the nation. She remained a trailblazer in many diverse ways and was truly ahead of her time.
