Abida Sultan

Princess Suraya Jah, Nawab Gowhar-i-Taj (born Abida Sultan Begum Sahiba; 28 August 1913 – 11 May 2002), also known as Abida Sultaan, was the eldest daughter of Hamidullah Khan, the last Nawab of the Bhopal state, and his wife Begum Maimoona Sultan.

Early life and royal family Bhopal royal family. L to R: Nawab Hamidullah Khan, his wife Maimoona Sultan, their daughters – Rabia Sultan, Abida Sultan, Sajida Sultan, in London, 1932 Abida Sultan Begum Sahiba (begum being a Muslim woman of high rank the daughter of Hamidullah Khan, the Nawab of Bhopal and Begum Maimoona Sultan. She was the eldest of three children; she had two younger sisters Sajida Sultan and Rabia Sultan.

In Pakistan, she joined the foreign service; the government of India responded by excluding her from the line of succession. Her younger sister Sajida succeeded her instead upon her father's death in 1960, despite Abida Sultan contesting the succession in court.