Nawabzada Liaquat Ali Khan

Nawabzada Liaquat Ali Khan was born at Karnal, Haryana on October 1, 1896. He was the second son of Rukunuddaulah Nawab Rustam Ali Khan, the Nawab of Karnal of 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 Exeter College, Oxford and was called to the Bar at Inner Temple in 1922.

On his return from United Kingdom in 1923, Nawabzada Liaquat Ali Khan decided to enter politics with the objective of liberating his homeland from the British rule. Right from the very beginning, he was determined to eradicate the injustices and ill treatment meted out to the Indian Muslims.

In his early life, Nawabzada Liaquat Ali Khan, like most of the Indian Muslim leaders at that time, believed in Indian Nationalism. But his views gradually changed. The Congress leaders invited him to join the Congress party, but he refused and joined the Muslim League.

He was Muslim League Delegate to All Parties Convention at Calcutta in December 1928. He was elected Secretary, All India Muslim League in 1936 and re-elected in 1938, 1940, 1941, 1942 and 1943. He was Member of the League Central Parliamentary Board in 1936. He moved a resolution regarding certain amendments in League Constitution in its historic 27th Session at Lahore in March 1940. He was Convener, Action Committee of the League and Member Parliamentary Board in 1943.

In 1937, he went to London as a Member of the Indo-British Trade Delegation. When Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad A1i Jinnah reorganised the All India Muslim League in 1936, Mr. Liaquat Ali Khan was elected its Honorary General Secretary. In 1940, he was elected to the Central Legislative Assembly and became the Deputy Leader of the Muslim League.

In 1946 he was appointed as a Member of the Governor General's Executive Council and the Leader of the Muslim League Party in the Indian Interim Government. He held the portfolio of Finance, being the first Indian Finance Minister. The Budget for 1947-48 which he presented was acclaimed throughout the Country as a 'Poor man's Budget'.

Liaquat Ali Khan attended the Simla conference on behalf of the Muslim League in 1945 and 1946. He was one of the most prominent of the All India Muslim League Leaders and one of the most trusted Lieutenants of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah.

On August 14, 1947, he became the first Prime Minister and the Minster of Defence of Pakistan. He provided dynamic leadership to Pakistan during the most crucial phase of its history. He signed the "LIAQUAT-NEHRU PACT” in 1950 in New Delhi on the problem of minorities.

He was assassinated on October 16, 1951 while addressing a public meeting in Rawalpindi and was buried in the courtyard of the Quaid-e-Azam's mausoleum.