Quaid-e-Millat (leader of the nation) Nawabzada Liaquat Ali Khan was among the founding fathers of Pakistan and close aide of Mohammed Ali Jinnah. He was the first prime minister of Pakistan. Prior to creation of Pakistan, he also served as the finance minister in the interim government of Governor General Mountbatten.
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.
Prior to inception of Pakistan, he never repeated a dress. When he went to England for further studies, he was accompanied by a driver, a chef and a servant. Whether somebody ate it or not, his servants would make dishes for 50 persons. This was his lifestyle before he became the PM of Pakistan. After Pakistan was created he spent all his savings on the country. He donated his mansion in Delhi for Pakistani embassy. He had very little left for himself after he took charge of the PM’s office. According to a report by Samaa TV, he would take sugar-free tea after the monthly sugar allotted by the government for his family would be finished.
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.
The leaders of the present need to learn dedication, devotion and simplicity from our forefathers and founders of the Islamic country, who not just talked about austerity but practically presented a model of modesty to be followed and be proud of.
