Bharat Ratna

Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (1890–1988), known as Badshah Khan and the Frontier Gandhi, was a Pashtun independence leader and apostle of non-violence who founded the Khudai Khidmatgar movement. A close ally of Gandhi, he opposed Partition and received the Bharat Ratna in 1987.

Aruna Asaf Ali (1909-1996), born Aruna Ganguly, hoisted the Indian flag at Gowalia Tank Maidan on 9 August 1942, marking the start of the Quit India Movement. She spent four years underground, became Delhi's first mayor in 1958, and was awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously in 1997.

Dr. Zakir Husain Khan (1897–1969) was an educationist, philosopher, and statesman of independent India. A founder and Vice-Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia, Vice-Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University, and the third President of India, he united Islamic humanism with modern democracy.