These were originally remarks at a recent memorial meeting: a galaxy of Pakistani luminaries have paid truly exceptional tributes to the late Sartaj Aziz Sahib (former finance and foreign minister of Pakistan) which he thoroughly deserves.
To quote some of them without naming them, Quaid-e-Azam’s Pakistan “finally died with the late Sartaj Aziz Sahib.” Although Quaid’s Pakistan died in Dhaka more than 50 years ago, Sartaj Sahib was “one of the last surviving soldiers of the Pakistan Movement who dedicated 70 years of his life to nationally and internationally serving Pakistan.”
During this extended period, Sartaj Sahib distinguished himself as “a civil servant par excellence, an international diplomat who commanded huge international respect and influence, a politician of unimpeachable integrity” which we all know is a rare commodity in our beloved country. He was also “a respected academic and educationist, and an economic expert” who played a key role in devising the current international architecture for food and agricultural expertise, advice and development.
He was indeed a polymath, a person whose excellence spans a whole spectrum of fields.
At home, Sartaj Sahib served as finance minister, foreign minister, and adviser on foreign policy to the prime........