Ahmed Hussain A. Kazi

“Don't grieve for me,
for now I am free
I am following the path
God laid for me”


Ahmed Hussain A. Kazi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Birth and student days

Born at Hyderabad in Sindh, Bombay Presidency in British India on 15 August 1920, Ahmed Hussain A. Kazi graduated with honours in Mathematics and Law from the University of Bombay. He belonged to village Paat in Dadu district and was the only surviving child of Dr Ali Ahmed S Kazi, one of the few Muslim physicians from Sindh at the time, who founded the Liaquat Medical School Hyderabad, was the first Medical Superintendent of Civil Hospital Karachi and subsequently Director Health Services Sindh. He was also the grand nephew of Allama I. I. Kazi the renowned Muslim scholar and philosopher, and his talented German wife Elsa Kazi. He was the brother in law of A G N Kazi who guided Pakistan's economic policy for over three decades. Mr A H A Kazi had an excellent academic career, received several scholarships and awards, and ultimately emerged as one of the leading civil servants of Pakistan.

Career

After securing his law degree and enrolment as an Advocate of the Chief Court (mow High Court) of Sindh, he joined government service after competing in the Indian Audits and Accounts Service examination of 1944 in British India. After his initial posting as Income Tax Officer Bombay in 1945, he opted to serve in Pakistan after independence in 1947 and held senior position such as Commissioner of Income Tax in Karachi, Lahore, Sindh and Balochistan, Member Central Board of Revenue, and Finance Director Pakistan Steel Mills Corporation. He was promoted as Secretary to Government of Pakistan and served as Chairman Pakistan Industrial Development Corporation from 1974-1978. During this period he was also Chairman of all the gas companies of Pakistan including Sui Gas Transmission company, Indus Gas Company, Karachi Gas Company and Sui Northern Gas Pipelines. He was also the first Managing Director of the National Fertilizers Corporation and Pakistan-Iran Textiles.

Mr Kazi was well known for his integrity and efficiency. At the time of his death, he was living in a house built by his father and he never even acquired a single plot of land throughout his life, despite the fact that people who had remained in the positions he held emerged as major industrialists of Pakistan.

Post retirement activity

After his retirement in 1979, he practiced as an advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan until his appointment as Chairman adhoc Public Accounts Committee Sindh. He held the latter position until the induction of the provincial assembly of Sindh in 1985. Thereafter he refused an offer to contest the Senate elections on a technocrat seat and refused to take up any political office, as he was averse to politics by nature. He was awarded the Tamgha-i-Pakistan at an early point in his career. An avid student of comparative religion, he knew the Holy Quran by heart and was equally well-versed in earlier Scriptures.

Passing away

Mr Kazi died on 7 January 2007 at the age of 86 years, survived by a widow Mrs Ayesha Kazi, daughter Dr Nilofer Qureshi, and two sons Mr Safdar Kazi and Dr Ghulam Nabi Kazi. His grand children include Arif Qureshi, Sonya Kazi, Ali Ahmed Kazi, Asad Kazi and Elsa Kazi, while he has left behind two great grand children Ari and Zoe Qureshi.