Begum Jahanara Shahnawaz
Encyclopedia
Begum Jahanara Shahnawaz (1896–1979) was a politician in British India and in Pakistan
. She was the first woman to preside over an Asian legislature.
, British India to well known Arain
Mian family
, Jahanara Shafi was the daughter of Sir Muhammad Shafi and married to Mian Sir Muhammad Shah Nawaz
. Educated at Queen Mary College Lahore, she was involved in public life. Her sister Geti Ara Begum and brother-in-law Mian Basheer Ahmed were prominent Muslim League leaders.
Her eldest daughter Mumtaz Shahnawaz
was also a Pakistani diplomat and writer. Her younger daughter Begum Nasim, was married to Major General Akbar Khan
. They were both arrested in the Rawalpindi Conspiracy Case.
through the All India Muslim Women's Conference, and was an office bearer of the organization for many years. She was nominated to be a member of Lahore Municipal Committee in the 1920s. She also became involved in the All India Women's Conference which had been set up in 1927 by Margaret Cousins.
In 1932, she was nominated by the Viceroy as one of two representatives of Indian women at the Round Table Conference. Along with Radhabai Subbaroyan, she campaigned for increasing women's suffrage and providing reserved seats for women in the legislature. On her return to India she joined active politics and was elected as a member of the Punjab Legislative Assembly.
Begum Shahnawaz closely worked with women across party lines to work for social reform. She was a part of a committee headed by Sarojini Naidu
and Mridula Sarabhai
that investigated the conditions of women in India and stated steps that the government required to take. The Report was submitted to the National Planning Board of the Congress Party.
and was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Education, Medical Relief and Public Health. In 1938, she formally joined All India Muslim League and was inducted in the Woman's Central Sub-committee.
In 1942, the Government of India appointed her as a member of the National Defense Council. She refused to abide by Jinnah's call to resign from the league and was expelled from the party. In 1946, she was again elected a Member of the Punjab Legislative Assembly
. Along with Mirza Ahmad Ispahani
, she were sent on a goodwill tour to the United States of America to campaign for Pakistan
.
In 1947, she played an important role in the Muslim League’s civil disobedience movement against the Punjab government, getting arrested along with other leaders of the Punjab league. Under the terms of the Cabinet Mission Plan, she was elected a member of the Constituent Assembly of India
. However, like most Muslim League members she did not take her seat and left for Pakistan
.
Post independence, she remained active in public life in Pakistan. She was one of the founders of the All Pakistan Women's Association
which was active in women's rights. She, along with Begum Rana Liaquat Ali Khan, were instrumental in pushing for reforms in family law. She was one of three women appointed to the Commission on Marriage and Family Law Reform, 1954. The Commission submitted its report in 1958 by suggesting various reforms to the existing laws governing marriage, divorce and provision of inheritance to the orphaned grandchildren. The recommendations were duly incorporated through the adoption of the Muslim Family Law Ordinance 1961. This helped in restricting polygamy, and ensuring that women were guaranteed their rights as was promised in the Koran.
Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
even considered appointing her President of Pakistan
.
and her memoirs titled Father and Daughter in English
.
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. She was the first woman to preside over an Asian legislature.
Family
Born April 7, 1896 in LahoreLahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
, British India to well known Arain
Arain
The Arain , are a Muslim agricultural caste settled mainly in the Punjab, with significant numbers also in Sindh. They are chiefly associated with farming, traditionally being landlords or zamindars.- Origin :...
Mian family
Mian Family Baghbanpura
Mian family of Baghbanpura is a Pakistani noble family. It has enjoyed a prominent role in Punjabi and Pakistani politics since the days of the Mughal Empire...
, Jahanara Shafi was the daughter of Sir Muhammad Shafi and married to Mian Sir Muhammad Shah Nawaz
Mian Sir Muhammad Shah Nawaz
Mian Sir Muhammad Shah Nawaz born in the famous, affluent Arain Mian family of baghbanpura Lahore. He was a prominent and influential politician of Punjab in the 1920s....
. Educated at Queen Mary College Lahore, she was involved in public life. Her sister Geti Ara Begum and brother-in-law Mian Basheer Ahmed were prominent Muslim League leaders.
Her eldest daughter Mumtaz Shahnawaz
Mumtaz Shahnawaz
Mumtaz Shahnawaz was a Pakistani diplomat and writer.-Family:Belonging to the most powerful and rich Arain family of Lahore, she was born to Mian Shahnawaz and his politically active wife, Begum Jahanara Shahnawaz...
was also a Pakistani diplomat and writer. Her younger daughter Begum Nasim, was married to Major General Akbar Khan
Akbar Khan
Amir Akbar Khan Amir Akbar Khan Amir Akbar Khan (1816 – 1846;, born as Mohammad Akbar Khan and famously known as Wazir Akbar Khan, was an Afghan Prince, a general, a tribal leader and Emir. He was active in the First Anglo-Afghan War, which lasted from 1839 to 1842...
. They were both arrested in the Rawalpindi Conspiracy Case.
Early social and political work
An active social worker, she pushed for reform of Muslim law, campaigning against polygamyPolygamy
Polygamy is a marriage which includes more than two partners...
through the All India Muslim Women's Conference, and was an office bearer of the organization for many years. She was nominated to be a member of Lahore Municipal Committee in the 1920s. She also became involved in the All India Women's Conference which had been set up in 1927 by Margaret Cousins.
In 1932, she was nominated by the Viceroy as one of two representatives of Indian women at the Round Table Conference. Along with Radhabai Subbaroyan, she campaigned for increasing women's suffrage and providing reserved seats for women in the legislature. On her return to India she joined active politics and was elected as a member of the Punjab Legislative Assembly.
Begum Shahnawaz closely worked with women across party lines to work for social reform. She was a part of a committee headed by Sarojini Naidu
Sarojini Naidu
Sarojini Naidu , also known by the sobriquet The Nightingale of India, was a child prodigy, Indian independence activist and poet...
and Mridula Sarabhai
Mridula Sarabhai
Mridula Sarabhai was a Gandhian freedom fighter and activist. She was a member of the famous Sarabhai family of Ahmedabad.-Early life:...
that investigated the conditions of women in India and stated steps that the government required to take. The Report was submitted to the National Planning Board of the Congress Party.
Muslim League and Partition
In 1935, she formed the Punjab Provincial Muslim Women's League. In 1937, she was elected a Member of the Punjab Legislative AssemblyPunjab Legislative Assembly
The Punjab Legislative Assembly or the Punjab Vidhan Sabha is the unicameral legislature of the state of Punjab in northern India. At present, it consists of 117 members, directly elected from 117 single-seat constituencies. The tenure of the legislative assembly is five years, unless sooner...
and was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Education, Medical Relief and Public Health. In 1938, she formally joined All India Muslim League and was inducted in the Woman's Central Sub-committee.
In 1942, the Government of India appointed her as a member of the National Defense Council. She refused to abide by Jinnah's call to resign from the league and was expelled from the party. In 1946, she was again elected a Member of the Punjab Legislative Assembly
Punjab Legislative Assembly
The Punjab Legislative Assembly or the Punjab Vidhan Sabha is the unicameral legislature of the state of Punjab in northern India. At present, it consists of 117 members, directly elected from 117 single-seat constituencies. The tenure of the legislative assembly is five years, unless sooner...
. Along with Mirza Ahmad Ispahani
Mirza Ahmad Ispahani
Mirza Ahmad Ispahani or M A Ispahani was the first and longest serving chairman of Pakistan International Airlines from its inception until 1962. In the days when Pakistan was still in the offing Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, requested Mr. M.A...
, she were sent on a goodwill tour to the United States of America to campaign for Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
.
In 1947, she played an important role in the Muslim League’s civil disobedience movement against the Punjab government, getting arrested along with other leaders of the Punjab league. Under the terms of the Cabinet Mission Plan, she was elected a member of the Constituent Assembly of India
Constituent Assembly of India
The Constituent Assembly of India was elected to write the Constitution of India, and following independence served as the nation's first Parliament.-Nature of the Assembly:...
. However, like most Muslim League members she did not take her seat and left for Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
.
Pakistan
She and Shaista Ikramullah were the only two women in the Pakistan Constituent Assembly and Central Legislature. She was noted for her opposition to Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar's proposition that Pakistan be an Islamic country, arguing that Jinnah envisaged it as a secular state.Post independence, she remained active in public life in Pakistan. She was one of the founders of the All Pakistan Women's Association
All Pakistan Women's Association
The All Pakistan Women's Association, or APWA, as it is commonly known, is a non-profit and non-political Pakistani organization whose fundamental aim is the furtherance of the moral, social and economic welfare of the women of Pakistan....
which was active in women's rights. She, along with Begum Rana Liaquat Ali Khan, were instrumental in pushing for reforms in family law. She was one of three women appointed to the Commission on Marriage and Family Law Reform, 1954. The Commission submitted its report in 1958 by suggesting various reforms to the existing laws governing marriage, divorce and provision of inheritance to the orphaned grandchildren. The recommendations were duly incorporated through the adoption of the Muslim Family Law Ordinance 1961. This helped in restricting polygamy, and ensuring that women were guaranteed their rights as was promised in the Koran.
Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was 9th Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1973 to 1977, and prior to that, 4th President of Pakistan from 1971 to 1973. Bhutto was the founder of the Pakistan Peoples Party — the largest and most influential political party in Pakistan— and served as its chairman until his...
even considered appointing her President of Pakistan
President of Pakistan
The President of Pakistan is the head of state, as well as figurehead, of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Recently passed an XVIII Amendment , Pakistan has a parliamentary democratic system of government. According to the Constitution, the President is chosen by the Electoral College to serve a...
.
Literary Work
Begum Jahanara Shah Nawaz wrote several pamphlets on educational and social matters. She wrote a book titled Husn Ara Begum in UrduUrdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
and her memoirs titled Father and Daughter in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
.