Tracing the roots of first lady of Pakistan - Ra'ana Liaquat Ali Khan

The Begum: A Portrait of Ra’ana Liaquat Ali Khan, Pakistan’s Pioneering First Lady is told by two women, one from India (Deepa Agarwal) and another from Pakistan (Tahmina Aziz Ayub). Begum Ra’ana Liaquat Ali Khan was the wife of Pakistan’s first prime minister. She was born Irene Margaret Pant in Kumaon in the early twentieth century. 

Always intelligent, outgoing and independent, she was teaching economics at a Delhi college when she met the dashing Nawabzada Liaquat Ali Khan, a rising politician in the Muslim League and an ardent champion of the cause for Pakistan. They married in 1933 and Irene Pant became Ra’ana Liaquat Ali Khan.

“The main reason was to share the unusual life story of Ra’ana Liaquat Ali Khan. Very few people know who she was and what she achieved, especially after Pakistan came into existence. Also, the wife of Pakistan’s first Prime Minister was a highly educated woman, a trailblazer who took on many challenges and did not hesitate to express her views fearlessly.

“Her quest to give women a voice in a strongly traditional society, and help them to become economically independent and live with dignity, is totally unknown. The book had to be co-authored because both halves of her life needed to be documented in the most complete form possible. Working in our own countries smoothed the research process for both of us considerably. 

We were able to gain access to material that is not recorded in books but emerges from personal relationships and has been preserved in people’s memories. It also lent credibility to both halves of the biography. I’d also like to add that since her family was close to mine I had a personal interest in writing about her,” says Deepa.

Most of the information about Begum’s early life was collected by Deepa from a variety of sources. “The story of her life was already divided into two different phases. The first being her carefree youth, college life and some years spent teaching Economics in Delhi.

After her marriage to one of the leading figures of Indian politics, Nawabzada Liaquat Ali Khan, she too became involved in the freedom movement which later catapulted her into the movement to secure equal rights of the Muslim minority community in a free India. This eventually culminated in the creation of two separate nations and it was thus in her stars to join her husband and accept Pakistan as her future country. This leads us directly to the next question.

“The second part of this book looks closely at her life in Pakistan. She becomes the First Lady of the country and starts a hectic phase of life, steeped in philanthropy and social welfare. I tried to follow her life both in its professional and personal aspects as faithfully as I could,” Tahmina pitches in.

Since there are two clearly defined periods of her life, the two authors were working more or less independently, though they shared information and sources. Deepa prefers to call her a worthy role model for other women to emulate. Not only was she courageous and outspoken but also a deeply compassionate person. 

“She had a strongly developed social conscience and her tireless efforts to provide aid to riot victims during and after partition demonstrates this clearly. Begum Ra’ana was never content to stick to the traditional role assigned to women. She believed it was important for them to step out of their homes and take an active role in public affairs.

In one of her later interviews, she mentions that every girl should be trained for a career. She spoke out against repressive practises like purdah and constantly fought for women’s rights.

“At the same time, she was a loving mother and devoted wife. As many incidents show, she was without pretensions and could adapt gracefully to all kinds of circumstances. Apart from all this she could enjoy a game of bridge and loved music, both performing and listening. She was truly ‘a woman for all seasons’,” observes Deepa.

The book is an undiscovered narrative of the Indian freedom movement — that of an extraordinary woman who had associations with three religions. We know that the freedom movement played a significant role in the emancipation of women. But most of us do not know Begum Ra’ana’s story. The truth is that she was already emancipated, a rare kind of female for her generation. She embraced a cause with all her heart and gave everything to it.