KARACHI, April 7: Chancellor of the Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology (SSUET) Z.A. Nizami passed away on Sunday.

He leaves behind five sons and a daughter besides grandsons and granddaughters. His wife, a reputed short story writer, died last year in the US.

Mr Nizami was also the president of the Aligarh Muslim University Old Boys Association (AMUOBA) and a former director general of now defunct Karachi Development Authority (KDA).

His funeral prayers were offered at the Masjid Umer near his residence in Clifton while the burial took place at the Karachi Milk Plant graveyard, Gulshan-i-Iqbal.The funeral and burial was largely attended by hundreds of people, including former elected representatives, bureaucrats, educationists, members of the civil society, members of the AMUOBA and officials and staff of the Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology.

Described as a man who gave a new development concept to sprawling city of Karachi, Mr Nizami was born on May 31, 1931 in Meerut.

As the director general of the KDA, he steered the city of Karachi to new concepts of modernisation and introduced about 45 schemes.

Besides being a town planner of repute, the most outstanding achievement of Mr Nizami was the establishment of the university in 1994 with four engineering disciplines in the initial stage and with a total enrolment of 200 students.

He promoted both academic and extra-curricular activities at the SSUET which were appreciated nationally and internationally.

He remained the president of the AMUOBA for seven consecutive terms and held the office of the SSUET chancellor by virtue of this office ever since the university came into being.

The soyem for the departed soul will be held on Tuesday (April 9) between Asr and Maghrib prayers at his Clifton residence.

The Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology has announced a mourning session to pay homage to their late chancellor on Monday at 10am.

Meanwhile, the executive committee of Aligarh Muslim University Old Boys Association in an emergency meeting unanimously passed a resolution whereby Engineer Adil Usman, senior vice president, will take over the charge as the association’s president and also as chancellor of the university by virtue of this office.—APP