The 68th death anniversary of first prime minister of Pakistan Nawabzada Liaquat Ali Khan was observed on Wednesday.

Liaquat Ali Khan was companion of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah in the struggle to get a separate homeland for Muslims of the sub-continent.

In 1946, when independence for India was being negotiated with the British, Liaquat was appointed finance minister in the interim government.

Liaquat Ali Khan was assassinated in Rawalpindi on October 16, 1951.

Also Read: Simple but elegant lifestyle of Liaquat Ali Khan

Liaquat Ali Khan was born on October 1, 1895 in a noble aristocratic Muslim family in Karnal, Punjab. His family had good relations with the British government, which gave Liaquat Khan’s father, Nawab Rustam Ali Khan, titles of Rukun-al-Daulah, Shamsher Jang and Nawab Bahadur. Their family was one of the few landlords of Punjab with such big properties. They had more than 350 villages.

Liaquat Ali Khan started learning Quran and Ahadith at home before getting admitted to a school. He got early education at the Aligarh Muslim University in India, and then went to Oxford University in the United Kingdom for higher studies. He was a highly qualified politician and lawyer. He joined Muslim League to eradicate injustices and ill-treatment against Indian Muslims. He married his cousin Jehangira Begum in 1918 and then Ra’ana Liaquat Ali Khan in 1945. After independence, he was appointed as the first prime minister on August 15, 1947.

A hitman Said Babrak assassinated him at a political rally in Rawalpindi on October 16 in 1951. After his death, it was revealed that he was wearing a torn tank top and a holed sock.