Syed Wajid Ali () (20 December 1911 – 14 June 2008) was a leading industrialist of

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

who is also known for his services to the

Olympic Movement The International Olympic Committee (IOC; , CIO) is the international, non-governmental, sports governing body of the modern Olympic Games. Founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas, it is based in L ...

for 26 years. He became the President of Pakistan Olympic Association in 1978 and stayed on the post for 26 years until he retired in 2004 to become the longest serving president in the history of the association. He is also known for promoting arts and culture as well as

Red Crescent The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human ...

(Red Cross) in Pakistan. In addition, he served as Chairman, All Pakistan Music Conference in the 1960s.

Career

Wajid Ali, was born on 20 December 1911 in

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

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 ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

. He was the second son of Sir Syed Maratib Ali. Syed Wajid Ali was the younger brother of Syed Amjad Ali, former Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations. In the early 1940s, he quit the

British Indian Army The Indian Army was the force of British Raj, British India, until Indian Independence Act 1947, national independence in 1947. Formed in 1895 by uniting the three Presidency armies, it was responsible for the defence of both British India and ...

to look after the growing family business. In 1945, he established a textile plant in

Rahim Yar Khan Rahim Yar Khan (; ) is a city in the Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan. It is the List of most populous cities in Pakistan, 21st most populous city in Pakistan and is the capital of the Rahim Yar Khan District. The city's administration is div ...

, Punjab which was later wound up in 1997.

Pakistan movement activist

Syed Wajid Ali also became actively involved in the

Pakistan Movement The Pakistan Movement was a religiopolitical and social movement that emerged in the early 20th century as part of a campaign that advocated the creation of an Islamic state in parts of what was then British Raj. It was rooted in the two-nation the ...

and closely worked for the cause alongside

Muhammad Ali Jinnah Muhammad Ali Jinnah (born Mahomedali Jinnahbhai; 25 December 187611 September 1948) was a barrister, politician, and the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah served as the leader of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until the inception of Pa ...

and

Fatima Jinnah Fatima Jinnah (31 July 18939 July 1967) was a Pakistani politician, stateswoman, author, and Activism, activist. She was the younger sister of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the List of Pakistan Movement activists, founder and first governor-general of ...

. During the movement, he was nominated by the Muslim League on a three-member Committee to oversee the 'British government-arranged referendum' in the then North West Frontier Province.

Business career

In Pakistan, he set up and managed a number of industrial ventures. Among the major projects was a Ford car manufacturing plant, which was subsequently taken over by the

Government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

in 1973 as part of the nationalisation process of

Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (5 January 1928 – 4 April 1979) was a Pakistani barrister and politician who served as the fourth president of Pakistan from 1971 to 1973 and later as the ninth Prime Minister of Pakistan, prime minister of Pakistan from 19 ...

. In his other industrial activities, he remained the chairman of some of the largest enterprises in Pakistan, including Packages Limited, Treet Corporation, Zulfeqar Industries, Loads Limited, and Wazir Ali Industries.

Introduction of television in Pakistan

Syed Wajid Ali's contribution to Pakistan Television

Ali was the first person, who in 1961, signed a joint venture agreement with Nippon Electric Company of

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

to initiate a television project in Pakistan. Later, this proved to be a visionary first step in introducing television in Pakistan before it was introduced in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

and some other Asian countries.

Ubaidur Rahman Ubaidur Rahman (Urdu: عبيدالرحمان) was an electrical engineering, electrical engineer and Broadcasting, broadcaster professional credited as one of the founders of Pakistan Television Corporation, Pakistan Television (PTV), the state ...

, an electrical engineer who later became General Manager of

Pakistan Television Corporation Pakistan Television Corporation (; reporting name: PTV); also known as ''Pakistan Television'', is the Pakistani state-owned broadcaster founded by the Government of Pakistan, operating under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. I ...

Center, was appointed by him to lead this television project with the Japanese company. The project team conducted a series of pilot transmission tests. Then the control of this project was given to

President Ayub Khan Mohammad Ayub Khan (14 May 1907 – 19 April 1974) was a Pakistani military dictator who served as the second president of Pakistan from 1958 until his resignation on 1969. He was the first native Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army, comm ...

's government in 1962. A small studio within a tent in the

Radio Pakistan The Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (); also known as ''Radio Pakistan'', serves as the national public broadcaster for radio in Pakistan. Although some local stations predate its founding, it is the oldest existing broadcasting network in P ...

compound in Lahore was set up to begin the television project work. Here a transmission tower was also constructed. Finally the first TV black and white transmission from Lahore took place on 26 Nov 1964 and television was introduced in Pakistan.

Death

Syed Wajid Ali died after a protracted illness on 14 June 2008 at age 96. He had been a long-time diabetic patient and unwell for many years. He fought for his life, especially after both of his legs were amputated at Karachi's

Liaquat National Hospital The Liaquat National Hospital is located at Stadium Road, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. History Soon after Independence the Red Cross Fete Committee, which was chaired by Syed Wajid Ali, raised about PKR 800,000 through meena bazaars organized un ...

which was founded by him. He was buried at

Miani Sahib Graveyard The Miani Sahib Graveyard ( Punjabi, ) is the largest graveyard in the city of Lahore, Pakistan. It is in the centre of Lahore. Its origins date back to the Mughal era, making it one of the oldest graveyards in the region. Miani Sahib Graveyard ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ali, Syed Wajid 1911 births 2008 deaths Pakistani sports executives and administrators Pakistani industrialists Businesspeople from Lahore Government College University, Lahore alumni Pakistani social workers Pakistan Television Corporation executives Pakistan Movement activists from Punjab Burials at Miani Sahib Graveyard Syed Wajid 20th-century Pakistani philanthropists People from Punjab Province (British India)