OUR FOUNDERS
The founder of the Vicky Noon Educational Foundation was Lady Viqarunnisa Noon, widow of the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Malik Sir Firoz Khan Noon.
Lady Viqarunnissa was devoted to helping young people achieve their ambitions and conserving the links between Britain and Pakistan – two countries she fell in love with while working and living there.
In 1945, Noon resigned his government post to contest elections in Punjab on behalf of the Muslim League, a turbulent period that saw him briefly jailed. Lady Noon herself was detained after joining political demonstrations.
At the time of Partition in 1947, Lady Noon was staying at the family property in East Punjab when the house was burned down. She found refuge with the local Hindu ruler of Mandi State (the family of V. P. Singh, later Prime Minister of India) before being repatriated across the new border to Pakistan to rejoin her husband.
After a period in Opposition, Noon was appointed the first Pakistani Governor of East Pakistan in 1950. During this time, Lady Noon began her extensive social work, including founding the Viqarunnisa Girls School in Dacca, which continues to flourish in what is now Bangladesh. She was also one of the founding members of the All Pakistan Women’s Association (APWA).
Vicky accompanied her husband as his political career advanced: he became Chief Minister of the Punjab in 1953, Foreign Minister of Pakistan in 1956, and Prime Minister in 1957. His tenure ended with President Iskander Mirza’s declaration of martial law in 1958. Sir Firoz Khan Noon passed away in 1970.
Lady Noon remained an influential public figure, serving with the Pakistan Red Crescent from 1953 to 1972, including many years as its chair. She also founded and chaired the Viqarunnissa Girls Secondary Institute in Rawalpindi and served as President of the Social Welfare Council of West Pakistan. In recognition of her service, she received Pakistan’s highest civilian honour, the Nishan-e-Imtiaz, in 1959.
Lady Noon maintained a wide circle of friends and acquaintances in Pakistan, India and Britain. She loved music and poetry and became a talented artist, producing bold oil and gouache landscapes which she occasionally exhibited.
In 1978, President Zia-ul-Haq appointed her head of the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation, where she served until 1987, modernising facilities and elevating Pakistan’s international profile. She later served as Pakistan’s Ambassador to Portugal from 1987 to 1989.
In her later years, Lady Noon was known for her warmth, hospitality, and ability to bring together people from diverse backgrounds. Having inherited funds from her late step-sister and brother-in-law in England, she used the bequest – along with additional contributions left in her will – to establish a foundation dedicated to helping talented Pakistani students study at the universities she admired most: Oxford and Cambridge.
Her scholarships were intended for students who could not otherwise afford to study abroad, on the condition that they planned to return to Pakistan and contribute to national life. The success of the Noon Scholars programme brought her great joy.
Although she had no children of her own, Vicky enjoyed close relationships with her Noon step-sons and their families. She converted to Islam upon her marriage, performed Umra, and requested a Muslim burial. Lady Noon passed away on 16 January 2000, and her funeral in Pakistan was attended by people from all walks of life.
Today, the Trustees of the Vicky Noon Educational Foundation remain committed to continuing her legacy of educational opportunity, public service, and cross-cultural connection.
The Noon Educational Foundation would like to hear from anyone who wishes to share their memories of the organisation’s founders.