Distinguished bureaucrat AGN Kazi passes away

Dies at the age of 96 after protracted illness

ISLAMABAD: One of Pakistan’s most distinguished civil servants Aftab Ghulam Nabi Kazi, better known as AGN Kazi, passed away in Islamabad on Tuesday morning after protracted illness, family sources told The Express Tribune. He was 96 years old.

Kazi had been ill for the past six months and was admitted in Kulsoom Hospital.

He is survived by daughter Dr Shahnaz Kazi, who has worked for the World Bank, and son Sohail Kazi who is a banker and lives in Luxemburg. His wife, Zakia Kazi, had passed away in 2009. His funeral prayers were offered at a local mosque before being laid to rest at the H-11 graveyard.

Born on November 6, 1919, Kazi belonged to a well-known family of educationists from Sindh. He received his early education in Jamshoro before attending the Cathedral and John Connon School in 1930. He completed his higher studies at the University of Bombay studying statistics, physics and mathematics.

After Partition, Kazi migrated to Pakistan and joined the Sindh government. In a career spanning over 50 years, perhaps the longest for a civil servant in the history of Pakistan, he held various important positions including chairman of WAPDA, FBR and Privatisation Commission. He also served as State Bank governor from 1978 to 1986.  He was also responsible for the completion of Mangla dam. He was awarded the Sitara-e-Pakistan and Sitara-e-Khidmat for his services to the country.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 10^th, 2016.