Review Article* Liaquat Ali Khan: His Life and Work

Abstract

For almost thirty years Liaquat Ali Khan was at the centre of IndoPakistan’s chequered and often volatile political scene. Joining the Muslim League in 1923, he was its honorary secretary from 1936 to 1947, and chairman of the central parliamentary board in 1945. He was also a member of the UP legislative council from 1926 to 1940 (deputy president, 1931-8) and of the Indian legislative assembly from 1940 to 1947 (deputy leader of the League parliamentary party, 1943-47). He served as member finance in the interim government of India from 1946 to 1947 and, finally, was the prime minister of Pakistan from 1947 to 1951. This period was particularly crucial for the Muslims of the subcontinent for they were involved in a complex political competition with their adversaries that entailed decisions of far-reaching consequences. And yet, in spite of this central position that Liaquat Ali Khan occupied, it is surprising that he never got a well-researched fulllength biography in English written on him. The few earlier works that exist are in the nature of hagiographies or collections of speeches compiled by admirers in addition to some research articles. However, references about him abound in the official and non-official documents and printed material in the archives and libraries of India, Pakistan and Britain. Someone had only to put them together in the shape of a coherent full-length story.