Viqar-un-Nisa Noon
Begum Viqar-un-Nisa Noon (born Victoria Rekha; July 1920 – 16 January 2000) was an Austrian-born Pakistani social worker and a key figure in the early history of Pakistan. She was the wife of Prime Minister Feroz Khan Noon, serving as Spouse of the Prime Minister from December 16, 1957, to October 7, 1958.
Born in July 1920 in the First Austrian Republic, she married Sir Feroz Khan Noon in 1945. After marriage she converted to Islam and changed her name to Viqar-un-Nisa. The Noons moved from Delhi to Lahore after his resignation from the Indian Viceroy’s cabinet.
She got involved in politics and social work, joining the Punjab Provincial Women’s Subcommittee, organizing rallies for the Muslim League, and taking part in protests during the Civil Disobedience movement, for which she was arrested three times.
Viqar-un-Nisa Noon played a major role in Pakistan’s claim to Gwadar. She lobbied in London in 1956 to win Gwadar for Pakistan, meeting leaders including Winston Churchill. Her efforts helped Pakistan’s Parliament approve Gwadar’s transfer.
After independence in 1947, she helped refugees, worked with the Red Cross, and supported refugee camps. She helped found Viqar-un-Nisa College for Women in Rawalpindi and the Viqarunnisa Noon School and College in Dhaka.
Her husband later became the first Governor of East Pakistan and then Prime Minister in 1957. After his death, she continued social work with organizations like the Family Planning Association of Pakistan and the Red Crescent, and she briefly served as Federal Minister for Tourism and Culture under Zia-ul-Haq.
In later years she lived at Al-Feroz near Abbottabad and in Islamabad, where she enjoyed painting and writing. She received the Nishan-e-Imtiaz in 1959. Viqar-un-Nisa Noon died on 16 January 2000 in Islamabad at age 79.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 07:04 (CET).