Fakir Syed Aijazuddin is a Pakistani historian, academic and business executive. From November 2007 to April 2008, he served as
Punjab
Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...
's interim Minister for Culture, Tourism and Environment.
Early life
Aijazuddin was born in 1942. He received his education from the
Aitchison College
Aitchison College is an elite private, boarding school, boarding Junior School, Secondary School for boys in Lahore, Pakistan. It has educated Prime Minister of Pakistan, prime ministers, including Imran Khan, Feroz Khan Noon, president of Pakist ...
in Lahore and
Berkhamsted School
Berkhamsted School is a private day school (known in the UK as a public school), in the market town of Berkhamsted, in Hertfordshire, England. The present school was formed in 1997 by the amalgamation of the original Berkhamsted School, founded ...
During the 1970s, Aijazuddin worked in various public sector projects across Pakistan, including as a director at the
National Fertilizer Corporation
The National Fertilizer Corporation (NFC) is a state-owned enterprise headquartered in Lahore. It operates under the administrative oversight of the Ministry of Industries and Production, Government of Pakistan.Abu Dhabi National Oil Company
The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (), known by its acronym ADNOC, is the state-owned Petroleum industry, oil company of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
It is the world's 12th largest oil company by production. As of 2021, the company has an oi ...
in an executive role. In 1989, he returned to Pakistan and served as CEO of International General Insurance and the First International Investment Bank. Aijazuddin was also a board member of the
Lahore Stock Exchange
LSE Group, formerly known as Lahore Stock Exchange is a Pakistani investment company based in Lahore, Pakistan. LSE Group consists of three companies: LSE Capital, LSE Financial Services, and LSE Ventures, all of them are listed on the Pakistan ...
PTCL
Pakistan Telecommunication Company Ltd., commonly known as PTCL, is the national telecommunication company in Pakistan.National Transmission & Despatch Company and Bata Pakistan.
Aijazuddin has taught accounting and management at the
Lahore University of Management Sciences
Lahore University of Management Sciences, also known by its acronym LUMS, is a Private university, private research university in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan. Founded in 1985, it is ranked as one of the most prestigious modern Li ...
and
Forman Christian College University
Forman Christian College is a private nonprofit Liberal arts college, liberal arts Universities in Pakistan, university in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. It was founded in 1864 and is administered by the Presbyterian Church (USA), Presbyterian Church ...
. From 2006 to 2008, he was a faculty member at the
National School of Public Policy
The National School of Public Policy (NSPP) is Pakistan's leading institution for training and capacity building of senior ranking civil servants in the country. Civil servants being considered for promotion to BPS-21 complete and pass courses ...
where he taught international relations. From 2008 and 2012, he served as the principal of Aitchison College.
Additionally, he has also been the chairman of the
Lahore Museum
The Lahore Museum (; ) is a museum located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Founded in 1865 at a smaller location and opened in 1894 at its current location on The Mall in Lahore during the British colonial period, Lahore Museum is Pakistan's larg ...
and a fellow of the
National College of Arts
The National College of Arts (colloquially known as NCA) is a public university located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.
Overview
The National College of Arts – Federally Chartered Institute, is the oldest art school in Pakistan and the second ...
.
Political career
Between November 2007 and April 2008, Aijazuddin was a member of the interim Punjab cabinet. He served as Punjab's Minister for Culture, Tourism and Environment.
Since 1994, he has been the UK government's
honorary consul
A consul is an official representative of a government who resides in a foreign country to assist and protect citizens of the consul's country, and to promote and facilitate commercial and diplomatic relations between the two countries.
A consu ...
in Lahore, for which he received an
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
in 1997. He retired from the post in June 2022.
Family
He is married to Shahnaz (herself a writer of note). They have three children - Momina, Mubarika, and Komail - and also two grandchildren Raeya and Ramiz.
Bibliography
Pahari Paintings & Sikh Portraits in the Lahore Museum (1977).
Sikh Portraits by European Artists (1979).
Aitchison College - The First Hundred Years 1886 - 1986 (1986).
Lahore - Illustrated Views of the Nineteenth Century (1993).
Historical Images of Pakistan (1994).
The Armless Queen and Other Essays (1994).
Rare Maps of Pakistan (2000).
From a Head, Through a Head, To a Head: The Secret Channel between the US and China through Pakistan (2000).
The Bark of a Pen. A Miscellany of Articles and Speeches (2001).
The White House & Pakistan: Secret Declassified Documents, 1969-74 (2002).
Lahore Recollected: An Album (2003).
When Bush Comes to Shove & Other Writings (2006).
The Counterfoils of My Years: 1942-1971 (2007).
Commanding Success: Aitchison College, 1886-2011 (2011).
From a Minister’s Journal (2013).
The Resourceful Fakirs: Three Muslim brothers at the Sikh Court of Lahore (2014).
The Morning After: Writings and Speeches, 2006-2014 (Lahore, 2015).
The Fickle Years: Memoirs 1972-79 (2016).
Sketches from a Howdah: Charlotte, Lady Canning’s Tours, 1858-61 (2019).
Shooting Words: Writings, 2014-18 (2020).
Imperial Curiosity: Early Views of Pakistan, 1845-1906 (2021).
Studies in Majesty: Paintings by August Schoefft and related portraits (2021).