(1905-1990)
Begum Raana Liaquat Ali, known as Gul-i-Rana, was the First Lady of Pakistan from 1947 to 1951. She was the wife of Liaquat Ali Khan who served as the 1st Prime Minister of Pakistan. She was also the first female and tenth governor of Sindh. She was one of the leading women figures in the Pakistan Movement, a career economist and prominent stateswoman. She served as the executive member of Pakistan Movement committee working under Muhammad Ali Jinnah. She also served as economic adviser to Jinnah’s Pakistan Movement Committee. As the First Lady of Pakistan, she launched programs for woman’s development in the newly founded country. In the 1970s, Begum Raana 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 in many key economical decisions taken by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto appointed Ra’ana as the Governor of Sindh Province in 1973. Begum Ra’ana was also the first woman Chancellor of University of Karachi. She was awarded Nishan-i-Imtiaz, Order of Merit of the Italian Republic and Order of Orange-Nassau. She dedicated her life for the social and economic benefit of women of Pakistan till her death in 1990.