Fakir Syed Aijazuddin

Born in 1942, Fakir Syed Aijazuddin was educated at famous Aitchison College Lahore, and at Berkhamsted School (http://www.berkhamstedschool.org/), UK and qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1965. He has had a distinguished professional career as a Chartered Accountant at a senior level in the private and public sectors, both in Pakistan and abroad.

His professional assignments in Pakistan have included the planning and establishing the engine manufacturing facility at Bela (Balochistan) in 1971-3, the progressive manufacturing programme for Massey Ferguson tractors in 1973-4, and the establishment of the National Fertiliser Corporation of Pakistan (NFC), following the reorganisation of the public sector in 1974.

As its Director Finance & Planning, he was responsible for the financial management of three fertilizer units at Daudkhel, Faisalabad and at Jaranwala, and the execution of three major fertilizer complexes at Multan, Mirpur Mathelo and Haripur Hazara. As Head of Personnel, he rationalized the orderly transfer of PIDC employees to the successor corporation / units and developed the pay-scales applicable to all public sector corporations under the control of the then Ministry of Production.

During the nine years (1980-89) that he spent as Group Controller of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company in Abu Dhabi, he developed the corporate and financial management policy applicable to all its ten constituent Directorates including the Business Lines of Oil / Gas Exploration & Production, Hydrocarbon Processing and Marketing. He represented ADNOC on the Boards of most of its 22 subsidiary companies.

Since returning to Pakistan in 1989, he has been Chairman and CEO of International General Insurance (IGI) and CEO of First International Investment Bank Limited both companies in the Packages Group. He has also served on the Boards of the Lahore Stock Exchange, Oil & Gas Development Company Ltd., and Pakistan Telecommunications Corporation Limited (PTCL), of National transmission & Distribution Company Limited (a WAPDA company), Bata Pakistan Limited, and STEDEC.

He has taught in Financial Accounting and Management Communications at Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), and Financial Accounting at FCC University, Lahore. Between 2006 and 2008, he was a member of the Academic Council at the National School of Public Policy, Lahore, and as Directing Staff Faculty responsible for teaching International Relations.

He served as Minister for Culture, Tourism and Environment in the interim Punjab Cabinet from November 2007 to April 2008. Currently he is Principal, Aitchison College Lahore (https://www.aitchison.edu.pk/).

Since 1994, he has been the Honorary British Consul for the United Kingdom at Lahore, in recognition of which he was awarded the OBE in 1997.

He was also the Chairman, Executive Committee of the Lahore Museum, an International Councillor of the Asia Society (New York) and the Country Representative for Asia House, London, and a Fellow of the National College of Arts, Lahore.

In addition, Fakir Syed Aijazuddin is an internationally recognised art-historian and author of more than a dozen books. Their subjects include a catalogue of miniature painting from the Punjab Hills, the work of 19th century British and European artists who visited the Punjab and other areas that are now Pakistan, a definitive monograph on antique maps of the region, two books on the history of Lahore, one on Dr Henry Kissinger's secret visit to China in July 1971, another on President Richard Nixon's policy towards Pakistan during 1969-1974, and a recently published volume of memoirs.

He is a feature writer for Pakistan's leading daily English language newspaper daily Dawn (http://www.dawn.com).

His wife Shahnaz is a well-known author, and they have three children – Momina, Mubarika and Komail.