Ra'ana Liaquat Ali Khan

Māder-e-Pakistan Begum Ra'ana Liaquat Ali Khan NI OMRI
بیگم رعنا لياقت على خان
Ra'ana in 1961
10th Governor of Sindh
In office 15 February 1973 – 28 February 1976
President	Fazal Ilahi Chaudhry
Preceded by	Mir Rasool Bux Talpur
Succeeded by	Muhammad Dilawar Khanji
Spouse of the Prime Minister of Pakistan
In office 14 August 1947 – 16 October 1951
Prime Minister	Liaquat Ali Khan
Preceded by	Order established
Succeeded by	Shahbano Ashraf
President of All Pakistan Women's Association
In office 14 August 1949 – 29 October 1951
Pakistan Ambassador to the Netherlands
In office 1954–1961
Pakistan Ambassador to Italy and Tunisia
In office 1965–1966
Personal details
Born	Sheila Irene Pant (1905-02-13)13 February 1905 Almora, Agra and Oudh, British India
Died	13 June 1990(1990-06-13) (aged 85) Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
Citizenship	British subject (1905–1947) Pakistani (1947–1990)
Nationality	Pakistani
Political party	Muslim League
Spouse	Liaquat Ali Khan (m. 1932; d. 1951)
Education	Master in Science (MSc)
Alma mater	University of Lucknow
Occupation	Stateswoman
Awards	Nishan-e-Imtiaz Order of Merit of the Italian Republic Order of Orange-Nassau
Military service
Allegiance	Pakistan
Branch/service	Pakistan Army
Years of service	1947–1951
Rank	Brigadier (honorary rank)[1]
Unit	Pakistan Army Medical Corps
Commands	Naval Women's Reserve Corps Women's National Guard Pakistan Army Medical Corps
Battles/wars	Indo-Pakistani War of 1947

Begum Ra'ana Liaqat Ali Khan (Urdu: رعنا لياقت على خان, known as Gul-i-Rana; 13 February 1905 – 13 June 1990)^[2] was the First Lady of Pakistan from 1947 to 1951 as the wife of Liaquat Ali Khan who served as the 1st Prime Minister of Pakistan. She was also the first female governor in Pakistan, serving Sindh. She was one of the leading woman figures in the Pakistan Movement, and a career economist, and prominent stateswoman from the start of the cold war till the fall and the end of the Cold War.^[3]

She was one of the leading women politicians and nationwide respected female personalities witnessed key major events in Pakistan.^[3] She was one of the leading and pioneering women figures in the Pakistan Movement and served as the executive member of Pakistan Movement committee working under Muhammad Ali Jinnah.^[3] 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.^[1] Rana Liaqat Ali khan 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.^[1]

In the 1970s, she joined hands with Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's political movement and joined the socialist government 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.^[4] 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.^[4] 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.^[4] 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.^[1] 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.^[1] 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).^[1]