Begum Jahanara Shahnawaz

Begum Jahanara Shahnawaz (1896 - 1979) was a Pakistani politician who was the first female politician to preside over a session of the Parliament of Pakistan, and was the first woman to preside over an Asian legislature.

Family

She belonged to well known Arain Mian family, daughter of Sir Muhammad Shafi and married to Mian Sir Muhammad Shah Nawaz. Educated at Queen Mary's 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.

Early social and political work

An active social worker, she pushed for reform of Muslim law, campaigning against polygamy 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.

Muslim League and Partition

In 1938, she formally joined the Muslim League and 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 persuaded to rejoin the League and was reelected to the Punjab legislative assembly. She along with M.A. Ispahani were sent on a goodwill tour to the United States 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.

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 which was active in women's rights. She, along with Begum Ranaa 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 Ordinance1961. 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.

ee also

* [http://www.storyofpakistan.com/person.asp?perid=P031 Detailed biography]