60th death anniversary of Liaquat Ali Khan
Being the first Prime Minister of the country, Liaquat Ali Khan had to deal with a number of difficulties that Pakistan faced in its early days.
He helped Quaid-i-Azam in solving the riots and refugee problem and in setting up an effective administrative system for the country. He established the groundwork for Pakistan's foreign policy.
He also took steps towards the formulation of the constitution. He presented The Objectives Resolution, a prelude to future constitutions, in the Legislative Assembly. The house passed it on March 12, 1949.
Liaquat Ali Khan called it "the most important occasion in the life of this country, next in importance, only to the achievement of independence".
Under his leadership a team also drafted the first report of the Basic Principle Committee and work began on the second report.
During his tenure, India and Pakistan agreed to resolve the dispute of Kashmir in a peaceful manner through the efforts of the United Nations.
After the death of Quaid-i-Azam, he tried to fill the vacuum created by the departure of the Father of the Nation.
The problem of religious minorities flared during late 1949 and early 1950, and it seemed as if India and Pakistan were about to fight their second war in the first three years of their independence.
At this critical moment in the history of South Asia, Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan met Nehru to sign the Liaquat-Nehru Pact in 1950.
The Liaquat-Nehru Pact was an effort on his part to improve relations and reduce tension between India and Pakistan.
In May 1951, he visited the United States and set the course of Pakistan's foreign policy towards closer ties with the West. An important event during his premiership was the establishment of National Bank of Pakistan in November 1949, and the installation of a paper currency mill in Karachi.
Liaquat Ali Khan was born on 1st October 1896. He was graduated in 1918 from the Muhammedan Anglo- Oriental College (later Aligarh Muslim University), Aligarh, and married his cousin, Jehangira Begum, in 1918.
He went to England and was awarded a Master's degree from Oxford University's Exeter College in 1921.
While a student at Oxford, he was elected Honorary Treasurer of the Indian Majlis. Thereafter, he joined the Inner Temple, one of the Inns of Court in London. He was called to the Bar in 1922.
On his return from Britain in 1923, Khan entered politics. The Congress leaders asked him to join their party, but he refused and joined the Muslim League in 1923.
Under the leadership of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the Muslim League held its annual session in May 1924 in Lahore. The aim of this session was to revive the League. Khan was among those who attended this conference.
In the open session on 12 April 1936, Jinnah moved a resolution proposing Khan as the Honorary General Secretary. The resolution was unanimously adopted and he held the office till the establishment of Pakistan in 1947.
In 1940, Liaquat Khan was made the deputy leader of the Muslim League Parliamentary party. After independence, Pakistan faced a number of difficulties in its early days. He also took steps towards the formulation of the constitution.
On 16 October 1951, Liaquat Ali Khan was shot twice in the chest during a public meeting of the Muslim City League at Company Bagh (Company Gardens), Rawalpindi.
Copyright APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2011