Aziz Ahmed

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Aziz Ahmed
Pakistan Ambassador to the United States, Chief Secretary East Pakistan
President	Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto - later Prime Minister
President	Foreign Secretary of Pakistan when Gen.(later Field Marshal) Ayub Khan was President of Pakistan
Born	1906
Spouse	Shereen Ahmed
Profession	Diplomat
Religion	Islam

Aziz Ahmed (Urdu: عزیز احمد) (b1906 - 1982),born into a Punjabi Arain agriculturist family of Ludhianahaving close lineage to Abdul Qadir Ludhianvi, the great freedom fighter, and educated Govt. College, Lahore and Cambridge, was a member of the Indian Civil Service (ICS) and later Civil Service of Pakistan (CSP). He served in East Bengal prior to partition (1947) and then became the first Chief Secretary of East Pakistan. In East Bengal which was still under the British in the mid 1930s, Aziz Ahmed, a young Muslim civil servant, was chiefly responsible for large-scale alleviation of debt on poor bengali muslim and Hindu farmers and labourers, who through un-ending usuary, remained under the yoke of tyranny of the rich Hundu Mahajans or land owners. On realizing the desperate situation of these poor farmers both muslims and Hindus, he subsequently saw to it that these debts in their thousands were settled quickly without further burden on the poor & destitute peasants. The British administrators on seeing the results of this initiative taken by this young civil servant realized its immense potential for Bengal, which was a largely poverty area with immense economic recession, and created it into an Act called the 'Debt Alleviation Act of 1935'. Aziz Ahmed subsequently held several senior positions in successive administrations in newly- independent Pakistan notably Commerce Secretary and Cabinet Secretary. When in 1957, Ayub Khan seized power and declared martial law, Aziz Ahmed was made the highest ranking civil servant in his government and appointed Deputy Martial Law Administrator.

Aziz Ahmed was sent to Pakistan's close ally the United States as Ambassador in 1959 and was instrumental in developing the strong ties between the two countries, that characterized the Eisenhower/Kennedy administrations of the early 60's. He returned in 1963 to take up the post of Foreign Secretary of Pakistan at a time when Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was the Foreign Minister.He gained further prominence at the national level in Pakistan, following the 1965 war with India. Along with Bhutto, he was opposed to the signing of the Tashkent Declaration, by Ayub Khan.

In 1971, after the fall of East Pakistan and Bhutto taking over as President of Pakistan, Aziz Ahmed was called out of retirement and appointed Secretary General at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During the ensuing 'Bhutto Era', Aziz Ahmed was regarded as one of Bhutto's closest advisers, becoming Minister of State for Defence and then Foreign Minister, before the government was toppled in the military coup of 1977. Aziz Ahmed negotiated the Simla Agreement between Pakistan and India in 1972. As Minister of Defence, he played a role in re-building Pakistan's defence capability after the 1971 war with India.

He remained a staunch opponent of the martial law regime of Zia-ul-Haq until he died in 1982. He was a recipient of Pakistan's highest civil award, Hilal-e-Pakistan. He was survived by his wife Shereen Ahmed and two sons and two daughters.

Diplomatic posts
Preceded by Muhammad Ali Bogra	Pakistan Ambassador to the United States March 1959 - July 1963	Succeeded by Ghulam Ahmed
Preceded by S.K. Dehlavi	Foreign Secretary of Pakistan 1963 - 1966	Succeeded by S.M. Yusuf
Preceded by Sultan Muhammad Khan	2nd term 1972 - 1973	Succeeded by Agha Shahi
Political offices
Preceded by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto	Foreign Minister of Pakistan 30 March 1977 - 5 July 1977	Succeeded by Agha Shahi