Sardar Amir Azam (October 1912 - 1976) was a Pakistani politician and entrepreneur. Azam was a cabinet minister during the 1950s and was the pioneer of low cost housing in Pakistan. He initially emerged in 1951 as an M.C.A. (Member of Constitutional Assembly of Pakistan) in the very first Pakistani Government headed by Mr. Liaquat Ali Khan, and later re-emerged as the Minister of State and the Central Minister, several times in the succeeding Pakistani Governments. He held multiple portfolios simultaneously. He is buried at Garhi Afghanan,near Taxila, his ancestral graveyard.
Biography
Early life and background
Sardar Amir Azam was born in Gujrat in Punjab Province during British rule in 1912 and was the eldest son of Sardar Muhammad Akram, a Superintendent of Police] who had been born in the North-Western Provinces (now Uttar Pradesh Province, India) and a former student of Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College, now known as Aligarh Muslim University. His ancestors were [yousafzai (akozai)] people belonging to the tribal Afghan border state of Bajour, presently located in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan (FATA). They spread from North-West Frontier Province to Uttar Pradesh and Punjab more than 100 years ago before the creation of Pakistan. His grandfather, Sardar Muhammad Afzal khan, was a Tehsildar of Haripur. His great grandfather, Sardar Amir Muhammad khan was Tehsildar of Attock for Campbellpur. His maternal grandfather Khan Bahadur Muhammad Zaman was an Engineer and Landlord from Gujrat in Punjab.
Education
Sardar Amir Azam received his early education from Campbellpur High School in Attock District (previously known as Campbellpur). He did his Matric from Kahota High School along with his cousin Sardar Mohammed Umar khan, their names are engraved at the entrance of their residence, just next to the main gate of the school. After secondary school, he attended Government Intermediate College in Punjab. He lived in Punjab until 1930. He then moved to Muzaffarnagar where his father Sardar Muhammad Akram worked for Nawabzada Liaquat Ali Khan as his manager. Mr. Khan entrusted his father to manage his properties and farms in Uttar Pradesh.
Amir Azam attended the Meerut College and graduated with a Law Degree. He studied further to complete his Masters in Political Science from Allahabad University. He also remained a student of Sir Dr. Allama Muhammad Iqbal for a time.
During his studies, Sardar Amir Azam became associated with Liaquat Ali Khan and his political abilities were discovered. He took part in Political activities during his college years. He became known as a good speaker in college debates.
Political career
In 1936, Sardar Amir Azam started his political career when he joined the Muslim League as the Secretary for Muzaffarnagar. And soon he was elected a member of the U.P. Muslim League Council. He remained the Secretary of District Muslim League for some time and thus gained experience in administrative organizing functions. He supported Mr. Liaquat Ali Khan and the Muslim League in the 1945-46 Central Legislature Elections from the Meerut Constituency of Uttar Pradesh. During the Pakistan Movement he had the opportunity to work with prominent leaders of the Muslim League.
Soon the independence of Pakistan in 1947, Amir Azam and his family moved to Punjab, Pakistan and resided in Rawalpindi. He moved to the prominence within the city due to his work in trying to solve issues related to services and rehabilitation of Refugees from India. He worked devotedly for their relief and rehabilitation in his district and soon attained became the president of the city Municipal Committee and also the President of Rawalpindi City Muslim League.
After Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah formed the very first Pakistani government headed by Liaquat Ali Khan, Sardar Amir Azam supported the Muslim League from Punjab in 1951 and was nominated MCA by Liaquat Ali Khan to serve in the first Central Government. He further held offices in the Planning Commission, and as Chairman of the Pakistan Standard, a newspaper that was a part of Muslim League.