The legacy of Sartaj Aziz

Lahore’s renowned educational institutions produced many luminaries, including Allama Iqbal, Patras Bukhari, Abdus Salam, and Faiz Ahmad Faiz. Another name can be added to the list – Sartaj Aziz who lived up to 95 years and devoted his life to the service of Pakistan and the world at large.

A man of great intellect and integrity, a visionary economist, a high calibre statesman, and a role model of public service and yet a modest and affectionate man – these are some of the expressions used to describe Sartaj Aziz.

I still remember meeting Sartaj Sahib in the 1980s when he spent some weeks in Paris in connection with the marriage of one of his daughters. The fact is that meeting this extremely knowledgeable yet unassuming, smiling man was an unforgettable experience for most. He returned to serve Pakistan after years of a brilliant career at the Food and Agriculture Organisation in Rome.

Reading and listening to tributes paid to Sartaj Aziz since his passing on January 2, one gets the impression that he was an indefatigable public figure with a missionary zeal and boundless energy. It is worth recounting his achievements so that the younger generation knows about the services rendered by him to the motherland and the world at large.

Our knowledge about the work of Sartaj Aziz has been updated by well-deserved tributes in the press, particularly in these pages in The News. A befitting finale came with a memorial reference to honour the legacy of Sartaj Aziz – hosted by the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics on January 12.

Vice Chancellor PIDE Dr Nadeem ul Haque paid homage to the former finance and foreign minister and the founder of the International Fund for Agricultural Development in Rome. Rich tributes from several speakers including Sartaj Sahib’s family members followed, giving a vivid idea of his life and times.

Former ambassador Ashraf Jahangir Qazi recounted the contributions made by Sartaj Aziz to governance in Pakistan, notably the far-reaching Fata reforms and integration with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Sadly, some key recommendations were not followed through. Sartaj Aziz also piloted the Gilgit-Baltistan reforms, bringing a measure of autonomy to these regions.

Minister of Planning Sami Saeed credited Sartaj Aziz for path-breaking investment protection laws, privatization, and liberalization of Pakistan’s economy in the early 1990s, preceding Manmohan Singh’s economic reforms in India. He spearheaded the water accord between the provinces and had a leading role in conceiving NADRA.

Overall, Aziz will be remembered for his passion for national service, starting as a student leader in the Pakistan movement. He never looked back, aiming higher and higher with remarkable results. Once in politics, he remained steadfast in his allegiance to the PML-N which consistently relied on his talent and acumen. A party loyal, he nonetheless expressed differences at some critical moments.

Some poignant details of Sartaj Sahib’s deep understanding of national and international challenges were highlighted at the memorial reference. Back in 1998, Sartaj Aziz warned the government of the potential consequences for the country’s economy if the nuclear explosions were carried out. In the event, the economy did nosedive and has not recovered since then. Aziz was one of the two cabinet members who felt that, while the Kargil operation of 1999 was being mooted as a tactical move, it would be a strategic failure.

Former ambassador as well as a family member Shafqat Kakakhel spoke about Sartaj Aziz’s exceptional work to enhance international cooperation in the fields of food and agriculture. He had come up with the concept that the World Bank’s development aid to poor countries would be unsatisfactory without focusing on the agriculture sector. Major works like the World Food Conference followed leading to the establishment of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in Rome as a major source of assistance to the developing countries worth $90 billion.

Barbara Ward of the Rome process acknowledged that, without Sartaj Aziz, there would have been no IFAD. As time passed, he came to be known as a crusader against hunger and poverty.

There was more to the multidimensional mind of Sartaj Aziz. He had a natural quality of connecting with everyone. His commitment to democracy and constitutional order remained unwavering as much as his adherence to honesty and integrity.

Haroon Sharif, former minister of state and Chairman Board of Investment termed Sartaj Aziz as a great public policy thinker and a strategist who repeatedly applied out-of-the-box solutions to resolving complex issues.

In conclusion, homage must be paid to Sartaj Aziz’s unwavering belief in democracy and constitutional order as asserted in the recommendations that are part of his autobiography, ‘Between Dreams and Realities: Some Milestones in Pakistan’s History’.

“Pakistan can survive as a dynamic and viable political entity only through a genuine democratic framework…that can only be built on strong institutions and the rule of law, under civilian supremacy. Military rule with a civilian facade can never become a substitute for genuine democracy”.

May Allah almighty bless the departed soul. The writer can be reached at: saeed.saeedk@gmail.com