LAHORE: Former Chairman Pakistan Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC) Azhar Jaffery passed away in Lahore on August 10, 2022, due to cardiac arrest.
Jaffery held the office as the Chairman PIDC from 1994 till 2004. As the chairman of Pakistan’s first Statutory/Public Sector Corporation chartered to be path Finder vis-Ã -vis establishment of industry; particularly in the remote areas of the country, Azhar turned around sick units, re-commissioned /revived closed down ones, established new ones through JV arrangements (with foreign entrepreneurs).
Jaffery received his Masters degree in history of western civilization with a roll of honor from Government College, Lahore. During his academic tenure, he also held the post of Secretary, Government College Dramatic Club (GCDC), Secretary Garret Historical Society, and Secretary College French Society. Adding to that, he was also one of the nine members of the College Seniors’ club with wide ranging proctorial powers.
Jaffery was the son of late Magistrate Fazal Ellahi Jaffery, brother of Senior Advocate Mazhar Jaffery and Director Development, Marketing and Sales Ziaraat and Umrah at Six Sigma Travels Qaiser Ellahi Jaffery. He left behind three daughters and a son.
Apart from his professional career, Jaffery was extremely eloquent and a brilliant writer. He has published an Urdu book called ‘Dhuwan’
An excerpt from his book ‘Dhuwan’
People who were close to Jaffery knew that he had a dynamic, graceful persona that could make him stand out from the crowd.
Those who knew him could relate that he never looked at the camera while taking a picture, which was one of his ‘stylish’ ways of standing out from the crowd. As he quoted himself, he was ‘someone who felt crowded when alone, and joined a crowd when he wanted to be alone!’
He lived a full life on his own terms and his loss will be insurmountable.
