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Abstract Creation of Pakistan has generally been attributed to some prominent political leaders. While building historiography of the great movement; efforts, works and sacrifices of some provincial and local leaders or workers had been neglected or overlooked. Fatima Begum was one of such unsung heroes without whose efforts ML could not become strong-rooted organization among women of Punjab and NWFP. This study reveals that she was central figure to motivate the women of the Punjab and NWFP to be active in politics. Besides it, this study proves that she was a great humanitarian who had worked a lot to settle victims of Bihar riots 1946 and of migrant women victims of partition of the Punjab's episode.
This paper has been produced on the basis of primary and secondary sources including some interviews of the students of Islamia College and of some followers of Fatima Begum. Archives of Pakistan Movement Workers Trust, Quaid-i-Azam Papers, magazines edited by Fatima Begum, newspapers and books are other important source material.
Key Words: Narrative, unsung hero, Pakistan movement, Fatima Begum, women activism.
Introduction This paper focuses on the questions how had Fatima Begum created awareness among women of Punjab on her individual level, through her writings and through her college; the Jinnah Islamia College (the only Muslim Girls College) in Punjab, how on later stage that college played the same role among womenfolk of the Punjab, which had been played by MAO college, Aligarh. Ms. Fatima Begum's efforts had created activism among women of both the provinces of the Punjab and NWFP and their activism had made it smooth for Muslim leadership to create Pakistan. She had also rendered great services for the Muslim women of the other provinces especially NWFP and Bihar. Her services for the rehabilitation of Muslim migrant women are also praiseworthy.
The central theme of the paper is to highlight the role of Fatima Begum in organizing the women of the Punjab and NWFP, her efforts to make the ML successful in 1946 elections in the Punjab and in the civil disobedience movement. She was also in the forefront of the Punjab Provincial Women Muslim League (PPWML) leadership in settlement process of the Muslim refugee generally and of Muslim women specifically.
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