Circumstances of Liaqat Ali Khan’s assassination are still shrouded in mystery:NPT

Lahore: A special sitting was held at the Aiwan-i-Karkunaan-i-Tehreek-i-Pakistan on the 63^rd death anniversary of the first Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawabzada Liaqat Ali Khan. The sitting was jointly organized by the Nazaria-i-Pakistan Trust and the Pakistan Movement Workers Trust. The former President of Pakistan and incumbent Nazaria-i-Pakistan Trust Chairman Muhammad Rafique Tarar presided over it.

Those who spoke on the occasion included Nazaria-i-Pakistan Trust Vice Chairman Dr. Rafique Ahmad, analysts and researcher Qayyum Nizami, intellectual and analyst Mujeeb-ur-Rehman Shami, Walid Iqbal (Allama Muhammad Iqbal’s grandson), Mehfooz-un-Nabi Khan, and Dr. Parveen. The attendees included Dr. M.A. Sufi, Kh. Zia-ud-Din, Rana Arshad and a large number of people from different walks of life. Nazaria-i-Pakistan Trust Secretary Shahid Rasheed conducted the proceedings of the sitting.

Delivering his presidential address, Muhammad Rafique Tarar observed that the nations that are really alive and well never forget their heroes. The embellish their future by deriving valuable lessons from their past. Khan Liaqat Ali Khan was an epitome of simplicity, honesty and selfless service to the motherland. He believed in giving to, not taking from the nation. He left a huge mansion in Delhi. His estate in two states of India, East Punjab and U.P. comprised 300 villages, but he filed no claim in Pakistan saying he couldn’t even imagine doing such a thing until the last refugee had been provided with shelter in Pakistan. Muhammad Rafique Tarar termed the passing of the Objectives Resolution as the greatest achievement of Nawabzada Liaqat Ali Khan, saying that it constitutes the very foundation of the Constitution. No –ism could ever replace Islam, he remarked. He prayed for the unity and harmony amongst our ranks, especially in the perspective of the precarious situation on our borders.

Professor Dr. Rafique Ahmad drew an analogy between the characters of Khan Liaqat Ali Khan and that of the Punjab Chief Minister Ghulam Haider Wyne, as far as the virtue of simplicity, honesty, selflessness and commitment to their cause was concerned. Wayne’s wife still lived with her sister without building her own house. Similarly Begum Ra’ana forgot all about her luxurious life in Holland and stood beside her husband through thick and thin. As treasury minister in the 1946 interim government, he presented a budget levying heavy taxes on moneyed classes to the benefit of the poor.

Mujeeb-ur-Rehman Shami observed an increase in the tax rate from 9 per cent to 18 per cent of the GDP could do away with our need to borrow from the IMF. By increasing its tax receipts, the Government could initiate projects for the welfare and well-being of the masses, he said.

Walid Iqbal remarked that the book “The Heart of Asia” is the collection of Liaqat Ali Khan’s speeches he made during his tour of the USA. Some people say that Liaqat Ali Khan turned down the invitation extended by Joseph Stalin’s Russia, using it as a bargaining chip during his American tour. The fact is that the Russian invitation came after the American one and Russia was adamant to reschedule Liaqat Ali Khan’s tour of Russia.

Mehfooz-un-Nabi Khan, Secretary-General of the Quaid-i-Millat Memorial Committee said that the government of the state comprises federal legislature and government, provincial legislature and government and local government and authority. These factors combine to complete the state and the constitution. The sign of an ideal society is the happiness and contentment of the masses, he observed.

Professor Dr. Parveen Khan observed that the blood of a martyr infuses a new lease of life into the nation. The leaders such as Liaquat Ali Khan uphold the dignity and prestige of the country at all costs. He was a truly patriotic leader with sagacity and deep insight. The BRB canal is also a gift from him. The closed fist shown by him caused India to recall its troops from the Pakistan borders. The circumstances in which his assassination took place, are still shrouded in mystery, she add.