Izhar Haider (

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

: اظہار حیدر) was an Urdu poet, social worker and broadcaster who helped to transform

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

from a small fishing village to a major city.

Education and early career

Born in Junagadh, India to Professor Zainul Abidin Naqvi in a family of high-profile educationists and professors from Indian Sub-Continent studied in

St Patrick's High School, Karachi St Patrick's High School is a Catholic primary and secondary school located in Saddar Town, Sindh, Karachi, Pakistan. Founded by the Jesuits in 1861, the school is the second-oldest school in Karachi.Ali, G. and Ali, M. St. Patrick’s: A journ ...

and graduated from

NED University of Engineering and Technology The NED University of Engineering & Technology is a public university located in the urban area of Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. It is one of the oldest engineering universities in Pakistan, acknowledged for its best teaching practices and graduat ...

in Karachi. Later, he joined as

chief engineer A chief engineer, commonly referred to as "Chief" or "ChEng", is the most senior licensed mariner (engine officer) of an engine department on a ship, typically a merchant ship, and holds overall leadership and the responsibility of that departmen ...

(

structural engineering Structural engineering is a sub-discipline of civil engineering in which structural engineers are trained to design the 'bones and joints' that create the form and shape of human-made Structure#Load-bearing, structures. Structural engineers also ...

) in 1971 in Abu Dhabi Municipality, shortly before the independence of the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

. Izhar Haider was part of the team of engineers who built Abu Dhabi. He arrived in Abu Dhabi, when the late president Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyyan was uniting the emirates into the UAE to infuse a new vision in his people and lead them to become one of the world’s most developed and rich nations. He retired in 2004 from Abu Dhabi Municipality. He was involved in 200 government and private building projects in Buteen. In addition to being the president of the capital's Pakistani Cultural Centre, he also raised funds for schools and hospitals in Pakistan and helped build a community welfare school in Musaffah for 2,000 underprivileged students.

Death

Izhar Haider died December 23, 2009. He was survived by a daughter, Sadiqa Bano, who lives in Pakistan, and a son Zulfiqar Haider, who resides in Chicago, USA.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Haider, Izhar 2009 deaths 1944 births St. Patrick's High School, Karachi alumni Pakistani civil engineers Pakistani expatriates in the United Arab Emirates People from Abu Dhabi Urdu-language poets from Pakistan NED University of Engineering & Technology alumni Writers from Karachi Engineers from Karachi 20th-century Pakistani poets

Education and early career

Death

See also

References