LAHORE, Nov 17: Fakir Syed Aijazuddin, who is director studies (international relations) at the National Management College, Lahore, has been appointed principal of Aitchison College for a period of three years on a contract basis.

This decision was taken at a meeting of Aitchison College’s board of governors (BoG) chaired by Governor Salmaan Taseer at Governor’s House on Monday.

Aijazuddin was selected by Governor’s search committee after former principal Shamim Saifullah Khan decided to resign from his office after serving the institution for 14 years.

Members of the BoG paid tribute to Saifullah Khan for his outstanding services for the college. The governor called him as `Gavasker’ of the Aitchison College. The BoG also decided nominating one of its members, Nauman Ahmad Khan, on Aitchison College’s managing committee.

The BoG also approved an increase of 25 per cent in tuition fee of the college. It also decided re-structuring the salary package of teachers serving on a contract basis.

The BoG meeting was attended by Syed Babar Ali, Chaudhry Moeen Afzal, Abu Bakr Chundrigar, Raza Quli Khan Khatak, Nauman Ahmad Khan, Farooq Subhan, Ali Aziz Sethi, Syed Jarar Ali, Dr Mateen Malik, Punjab Finance Secretary Tariq Mahmood Pasha, Higher Education Secretary Azhar Husain Shamim, former principal Shamim Saifullah Khan and vice-principal Iftikhar Ahmad Malik.

PROFILE: Aijazuddin, himself an Aitchisonian, is also on the academic council of the National School of Public Policy, which is imparting training to civil servants from induction to final promotion.

Born in 1942 and educated at Aitchison College’s Pangbourne School and later Berkhamsted Public School in the United Kingdom, Aijazuddin did chartered accountancy from the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales in 1965.

He has served in senior managerial positions in both private and public sectors in Pakistan and in Abu Dhabi as chief executive officer of First International Investment Bank Limited (1994-99); CEO/chairman International General Insurance Company of Pakistan Limited (1990-99); finance manager, Pakistan Petroleum Limited (1990) and group controller, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (1980-89).

Aijazuddin also served as minister for culture, tourism and environment in the caretaker provincial cabinet from Nov 2007 to April 2008.

Since 1994, he has been the honorary British consul at Lahore in recognition of which he had also been awarded the OBE in 1997.

He also served on the boards of Oil and Gas Development Company Limited, Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited and the Lahore Stock Exchange.

He has been a visiting professor at the Lahore University of Management Sciences and FC College University, Lahore. He was the chairman of Lahore Museum’s executive committee, international councillor of the Asia Society (New York) and the country representative for Asia House, London.

Aijazuddin has 13 books to his credit and is a senior columnist for Dawn as well as for COVERT magazine published from New Delhi.