Transitions: Seasoned bureaucrat Abdul Karim Lodhi passes away

The Oxford gradua­te held the post of Sindh chief secret­ary among others.

KARACHI: Abdul Karim Lodhi, a former civil servant, who died here on Tuesday, was laid to rest at Mewashah graveyard on Wednesday evening. His funeral prayers were offered at Tayyaba Masjid, Bath Island, Clifton.

A former establishment secretary, who also served as the chief secretary of Sindh and Punjab, Abdul Karim Lodhi was from a vanishing breed of those seasoned bureaucrats who were respected for their integrity, never allowing themselves to fall prey to political manipulations. “Lodhi was a very respected civil servant, known for his integrity and courage,” remarked Javed Hasan Aly, also a former establishment secretary.

Born on January 6, 1935, in Karachi, Lodhi’s early education took place at St. Patrick’s School Karachi, and he went on to graduate from Oxford. He joined the Civil Services of Pakistan in 1957 and began his career as the Assistant Commissioner of Peshawar. He went on to serve at different positions in a number of cities of Pakistan, including Lahore, Quetta and Kohat.

In the late 1960s, he was posted as the Deputy Commissioner of Hyderabad and in 1971 he became the Economic Counsellor at the Pakistan Embassy in London. He also served as the secretary of food and finance in Sindh and in 1982 he took over as the Commissioner of Hyderabad. In 1984 he became the managing director of the National Development Finance Corporation and later served as the managing director of Bankers Equity Limited. He also held the post of the chairman of State Life Insurance Corporation for some time and also represented Sindh as a member of the National Finance Commission.

After his retirement from civil service in 1995, Lodhi represented Pakistan as an executive director at the World Bank as well.

Syed Sardar Ahmed, a former chief secretary of Sindh himself, who was one of Lodhi’s close friends, told The Express Tribune that, “Lodhi was a very strict man and never ever compromised on his principles”.

His son Omer Lodhi recalled that his father was a healthy man and despite his old age used to swim and went regularly to hunt. “My father was a very strict man and did whatever he thought was right,” he told The Express Tribune. “I wanted to join the Civil Service but he never encouraged me because he was not satisfied with the situation in Pakistan and the role of the establishment.” Lodhi is survived by his three sons -- Shahryar, Nadeem and Omer -- and his wife, Feroza Lodhi. The Sindh police presented a guard of honour at his burial.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 10^th,  2011.