Shahid Aziz Siddiqi Totally Explained

Everything about Shahid Aziz Siddiqi totally explained

Nawabzada Shahid Aziz Siddiqi (born January 26, 1945, Lucknow, India) is a former senior Government official in Pakistan and the current Vice Chancellor of the Ziauddin Medical University. He is married with four children and lives in Karachi, Pakistan.

Biography

Early life

Siddiqi was born in Lucknow, United India two years before the Partition of the sub-continent, to a landed aristocratic family of Rohilla origin. His grandfather was Nawab Chaudhry Ismail Siddiqi of Badaun and his father is a landowner and emininent author, Nawabzada Chaudhry Aziz Ismail Siddiqi. His mother was Begum Rabia Siddiqi a prominent social worker and former Joint Secretary of the All Pakistan Women's Association with Begum Ra'ana Liaquat Ali Khan (the wife of the first Prime Minister of Pakistan). A major road in Bahadurabad, Karachi is named after Begum Rabia Siddiqi. The legendary Urdu author Qurat-ul-Ain Haider was his aunt. The former Indian test cricketer Nawab Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi is his cousin and he's also related to former Pakistan foreign minister Sahabzada Yaqub Khan.

Education

Shahid Siddiqi was educated at the Pakistan Air Force Military Academy in Sargodha, Saint Patrick's High School, Karachi and the Karachi Grammar School. He received a Bachelors degree from F.C College Lahore, a Masters from the University of Karachi and further at Wolfson College, Cambridge University. He was a record breaking athlete for Karachi Grammar School where his 100 meter record stood for over 10 years. His all round excellence in academics and athletics resulted in his being named "Victor Ludorum". Siddiqi also played opening batsman for the Pakistan "Eagles" and received his Cambridge Blue in Cricket In 1968, after a stint as a recon pilot in the Pakistan Air Force and a year as a Management Trainee for the Pakistan Tobacco Company, Siddiqi sat his Central Superior Services of Pakistan (C.S.S) examinations for the elite Pakistan Civil Services and topped the examination in West as well East Pakistan (what is now Bangladesh)joining the exclusive "District Management Group" He was thus earmarked as a young man to watch by his superiors, especially by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.

Career

Siddiqi's government career was highly successful and in 1987, after serving 5 years as Minister Hajj in Saudi Arabia, he was appointed the youngest Commissioner of Karachi at the age of 42. He served subsequently as the Managing Director of the Rice Export Committee of Pakistan, Director General Ports and Shipping (where he initiated the concept of a new port at the city of Gwadar in Balochistan) and ultimately Federal Secretary Communications and Chairman National Highway Authority in 1997.

Disagreement with Nawaz Sharif

Siddiqi's promising career was derailed by a dispute with two-time Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif over a stretch of Highway which Sharif had planned in his previous administration. The road, called "Baara Kahu" went up a deserted mountain to the shrine of an obscure Saint where Sharif liked to pray. The planned stretch of Highway was scuppered by the successive Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto who directed Siddiqi to funnel the funds earmarked for said Highway, to the ongoing Lahore-Islamabad Motorway which was the brainchild of Siddiqi.
Many articles in the Pakistani media called for the reinstatement of Siddiqi however Sharif saw fit to relegate Siddiqi to obscurity. It has been said that Siddiqi's reputation as an honest and upright officer who didn't allow corruption in his departments, was the actual reason for hsi being out of favor. With him in control, no-one was safe to launder public funds. His relegation was lamented by many observers including Ardeshir Cowasjee (Dawn, January 18th 1998) and Kunwar Idrees (The News, October 7th 2000) in hard hitting articles.

Post-Government Career

Given his intellect and experience in administration, Siddiqi was snapped up by the Academic sector and was invited to join the board for the Indus Valley Institute of Art and Architecture in Karachi. He was instrumental in making that institution the bastion of learning it's today. In 2003 he was invited to join Ziauddin Medical University as it's Vice Chancellor, a position he serves to date. He was successful in having the University's Charter approved by the Government of Pakistan as a degree awarding institution in 2004.

Personal Life

Siddiqi lives in Karachi, the city where he's spent most of his life. He is married with 4 children. His wife is the prominent educationist, social worker and writer Shabana Siddiqi and his son Nawabzada Chaudhry Hammad Siddiqi is a banker with Citigroup in the United States. His daughter Sahibzadi Beenish Mahmood is a jewellery designer in Toronto and is married to Saad Mahmood, son of international banker Arif Mahmood Allahrakha. He has four grandchildren, Sahibzada Chaudhry Sherbaz Khan Siddiqi, Sahibzada Pasha Saad Mahmood, Sahibzadi Noor Siddiqi and Sahibzadi Parisa Rabia Siddiqi.
Siddiqi has refused a pension from the Government of Pakistan in protest of the treatment he received. Many admirers and well-wishers urge him to run for public office, however so far he hasn't shown any inclination despite many offers from various political parties, looking to cash in on his clean image.

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