Death of Begum Mohammad Ali Jouhar

Begum Mohammad Ali Jouhar, the prominent female leader of the struggle for independence, passed away on March 28, 1947. Begum Mohammad Ali Jouhar’s real name was Amjadi Banu. She was born in 1885 in the state of Rampur. On February 5, 1902, she entered into marriage with Maulana Mohammad Ali Jouhar, who was dear to her. In 1919, when Maulana Mohammad Ali Jouhar was sent to jail as part of the Khilafat Movement, Begum Mohammad Ali Jouhar became involved in practical politics. That same year, she also had to endure the hardships of imprisonment herself. After her release, she became actively involved in practical politics, and after Maulana Mohammad Ali Jouhar’s death in 1931, she began to represent him in the political arena. On March 23, 1940, at the annual session of the All-India Muslim League, she delivered a speech in support of the Lahore Resolution on behalf of the Muslim women of India. She was the first leader of the All-India Muslim League to give the name “Pakistan” to this resolution. The Indian press, in a mocking manner, popularized this name so much that the word “Pakistan” became common parlance, and on August 14, 1947, when the Muslims of India achieved their long struggle and obtained their homeland, its name became Pakistan.