Pakistani Legends: Liaqat Ali Khan

Liaqat Ali Khan Biography
Nawabzada Liaquat Ali Khan (accurate transliteration Liāqat Alī Khān) (Punjabi, Urdu: لیاقت علی خان) listen (help·info) (2 October 1896 – 16 October 1951) was a Pakistani politician who became the first Prime Minister of Pakistan and Defence Minister. He was also the first Finance Minister of India. Liaquat rose to political prominence as a member of the All India Muslim League. He played a vital role in the partition of India and the creation of Pakistan. In 1947, he became the prime minister of Pakistan, a position that he held until his assassination in October 1951. In Pakistan, he is regarded as the right-hand man of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the leader of the Muslim League and first governor-general of Pakistan. Liaquat was given the titles of Quaid-e-Millat (Leader of the Nation), and posthumously Shaheed-e-Millat (Martyr of the Nation). Liaquat was a graduate of Aligarh Muslim University, of Oxford University and Middle Temple, London. He rose into prominence within the Muslim League during the 1930s. Significantly, he is credited with persuading Jinnah to return to India, an event which marked the beginning of the Muslim League's ascendancy and paved the way for the Pakistan movement. Following the passage of the Pakistan Resolution in 1940, Liaquat assisted Jinnah in campaigning for the creation of a separate state for Indian Muslims. In 1947, British Raj was partitioned into the modern-day states of India and Pakistan. As Prime Minister of Pakistan, Liaquat was responsible for guiding the new nation through its early years. Following partition, India and Pakistan came into conflict over the fate of Kashmir. Liaquat negotiated extensively with India's then Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, and pushed for the referral of the problem to the United Nations. During his tenure, Pakistan pursued close ties with Britain and the United States of America. The aftermath of Pakistan's independence also saw internal political unrest and even a foiled military coup against his government. After Jinnah's death, Liaquat assumed a more influential role in the government and passed the Objectives Resolution, a precursor to the Constitution of Pakistan.

Liaqat Ali Khan