| Sartaj Aziz | |
|---|---|
| Pakistan Senator from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province | |
| In office March 31, 2008 – Incumbant |
|
| President | Pervez Musharraf Asif Ali Zardari |
| Prime Minister | Yousaf Raza Gillani |
| Constituency | 7-H, Mardan |
| 21st Foreign Minister of Pakistan | |
| In office August 7, 1998 – October 12, 1999 |
|
| President | Rafiq Tarar |
| Prime Minister | Nawaz Sharif |
| Preceded by | Gohar Ayub Khan |
| Succeeded by | Abdul Sattar |
| 21st Finance Minister of Pakistan | |
| In office February 25, 1997 – August 6, 1998 |
|
| President | Rafiq Tarar |
| Prime Minister | Nawaz Sharif |
| Preceded by | Shahid Javed Burki |
| Succeeded by | Ishaq Dar |
| In office 6 November 1990 – July 18, 1993 |
|
| President | Ghulam Ishaq Khan |
| Prime Minister | Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi Nawaz Sharif |
| Preceded by | Benazir Bhutto |
| Succeeded by | Syed Babar Ali |
| Vice-Chancellor of the Beaconhouse National University | |
| In office September 5, 2009 – Incumbant |
|
| Chancellor | Salmaan Taseer Latif Khosa |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Sartaj Aziz February 7, 1929 Mardan, Northwest Frontier Province, British Indian Empire |
| Nationality | Pakistan |
| Political party | Pakistan Muslim League (N) |
| Alma mater | Punjab University (B.A.) Harvard University (MPA) |
| Cabinet | Navaz Government |
| Religion | Islam |
| National Awards | Muiahid-e-Pakistan (1947) Tamgha-e-Pakistan (1959) Sitara-e-Khidmat (1967) |
Sartaj Aziz (Urdu: سرتاج عزيز; born February 7, 1929), PhD, is a world recognized Pakistani economist, peace and Pakistan Movement activist currently serving as a Senator from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province to Senate Secretariat. A member of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), Aziz served as the Treasure Minister in two non-consecutive terms from 1990 to 1993 and from 1997 until 1998 and Foreign Minister of Pakistan from 1998to 1999 in the government of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. He is currently serving as the Vice-Chancellor of the Beaconhouse National University as well as the professor of economics and management sciences.
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Sartaj Aziz was born in the Kakahel family in the Northwest Frontier Province (now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) in British India.[1] In the 1940s, Aziz was a young activist in the Muslim League-led Pakistan movement.[1] Aziz was educated at Islamia College, Lahore and then obtained a Bachelor degree in commerce and economics from the Punjab University in 1949. Aziz proceeded to join the civil service of the state of Pakistan in 1950. Later, he traveled to the United States and earned a master's degree in public administration from Harvard University by 1962, and a doctorate in Economic development in 1964.[1] Returning to work in the government, he attained the position of joint secretary in the Planning Commission of Pakistan in 1967. Aziz later worked in the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization from 1971 to 1975, and the International Fund for Agricultural Development from 1978 to 1984.[1]
Sartaj Aziz joined the Military Government of President and Chief of Army Staff General Zia-ul-Haq in 1984 as Minister of state for Food, Agriculture and Cooperatives. He was elected to the Senate of Pakistan from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 1985 elections and again in 1993 parliamentary elections.[1] From 1988 to 1994, he served as senator from the capital territory of Islamabad in 1988. Having joined the Pakistan Muslim League (N), Aziz was appointed the minister of finance, planning and economic affairs in the first Nawaz Sharif ministry from 1990 to 1993. In 1993, he was appointed the secretary general of the party.[1] Aziz was the proponent of privatization of the major government-owned state corporations of Pakistan, and as Treasure minister, Aziz played a pivotal role in privatizing the economy of Pakistan.
After the PML (N)'s landslide victory in the 1997 parliamentary election, Aziz was re-appointed Treasure Minister, to lead the Ministry of Treasury, by Prime minister Nawaz Sharif where he continued his privatization policies. Following India's Pokhran-II — codename of series of nuclear tests in May 1998, Sartaj Aziz was the only senior minister in Pakistan's government who counseled against Pakistan carrying out its own nuclear tests — codename Chagai-I and Chagai-II, on grounds of the possible devastating impact of any subsequent international sanctions on Pakistan owing to the prevailing economic recession and low foreign exchange reserves.[2][3] However, Aziz later publicly supported the government's stance on conducting the tests, calling it a "right decision" at that time. Following a cabinet reshuffle in 1998, Aziz was appointed foreign minister but his term was cut short. During the 1999 Kargil War with India, Aziz travelled to the People's Republic of China to solicit support for Pakistan.[4] He also travelled to India to hold talks with his counterpart, the Minister of External Affairs Jaswant Singh, but the talks were regarded as a failure and unsuccessful in stemming the conflict.[5] Aziz claimed India had "overreacted", while India demanded that Pakistan stop the incursion into Indian-administered Kashmir.[6] Aziz also represented Pakistan at the Organisation of the Islamic Conference in Burkina Faso, held during the Kargil conflict.[7] Aziz later claimed in the media that Pakistan had achieved its aims in the Kargil conflict by "forcing the Kashmir dispute to the top of the global agenda."[8] His term ended abruptly after the Nawaz Sharif government was overthrown in a military coup by Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee and Chief of Army Staff General Pervez Musharraf.
Aziz associated himself with the academic institutions and universities of Pakistan, lecturing on the issues of economics, public development, and global finance. During his term as Treasure minister, Aziz made an effort with neighboring India to promote peace and harmony between two country, and during his lecture on economics reforms and development in South Asia at the Delhi University, Aziz stressed the importance of normalization of relations between both countries. His leading peace activism efforts led India to declare Pakistan as Most favoured nation (MFN) in 1996, and won praise by Inder Kuman Gujral, Indian counter part of his at that time. Since 1998, Aziz remained associated with Quaid-e-Azam University where he occasionally lectured on Economics and philosophy where he also lectured on Pakistan's Foreign policy. Since 1990, Aziz authored four international books on economics and philosophy. In which, the most publicly known is the "Between dreams and realities: some milestones in Pakistan's history", which was published in 2009 by the University press.
Sartaj Aziz was forcefully quiet by his peers during the wave of 1999 military coup d'état which started and ended the massive arrests of his colleagues and government ministers of Nawaz Sharif. Since then, Aziz remained quiet and dedicated his life to work on economical issues. In 2001, Aziz joined the Department of Social Sciences of the Beaconhouse National University and served there as a professor of Economics. In 2009, Aziz was appointed and is currently tenuring as the Vice-Chancellor of the Beaconhouse National University in Lahore.
For his participation in the Pakistan movement, Aziz is the holder of the Sanad, Mujahid-e-Pakistan.[1] In 1959, he was awarded the Tamgha-e-Pakistan and the Sitara-e-Khidmat in 1967 for his work in central planning and economic development.[1]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Benazir Bhutto |
Finance Minister of Pakistan 1990 – 1993 |
Succeeded by Syed Babar Ali |
| Preceded by Shahid Javed Burki |
Finance Minister of Pakistan 1998 – 1999 |
Succeeded by Ishaq Dar |
| Preceded by Gohar Ayub Khan |
Foreign Minister of Pakistan 1998 – 1999 |
Succeeded by Abdul Sattar |