Ghulam Ahmad
Encyclopedia
Shaikh Ghulam Ahmad (23 May 1923 – 20 September 2003) was a Pakistan Air Force
engineer officer
, fighter pilot
and military engineer
who formed Resources Company Limited, a holding company that promotes resource development in Pakistan
. He was Managing Director and former chairman of Pakistan Chrome Mines Ltd
., the largest and oldest chrome mining company in Pakistan.
He wrote Unique and Everliving, a biography of prophet Muhammad
. The book was written over a period of five years. The book is published by Ferozeson's Ltd., a book publisher in Pakistan
.
, in Poonch District
of Kashmir
, on 23 May 1923. He was educated in Poonch at a school where his father, Shaikh Ghulam Rasul, was the headmaster. He married Jamila Begum at Rehara
, Azad Kashmir
, Pakistan
on 11 May 1949. He had three sons and two daughters, he received a B.Sc (honours) degree in Physics
and a Masters in Statistics
from the University of Punjab in Lahore
. He received a Postgraduate Diploma in Natural Resource Development ITC, Delft, Holland and completed postgraduate studies for a Phd in Civil Engineering
at Colorado State University
, Fort Collins, Colorado
.
His grand father fought with Tipu Sultan
against the British East India Company
. While his father Shaikh Ghulam Rasul was the head master of the middle school in Poonch
and Rawalakot
. His father-in law fought against the Nazis in North Africa
and Europe
.
His daughter, Dr. Khalida Yasmin MD is a family practice doctor and member of the Texas Family Practice Board, Yasmin was a Captain in the United States Air Force Reserve. His Son Tariq Ahmad is a resident of Reno, Nevada
and a Petroleum Engineer. Mobashir Ahmad is a Geophysicist, Petroleum and Metallurgical Engineer, resident of Wyoming
who was a United States Army officer in the United States Army Corp of Engineers, while the eldest son Khalid Adnan is an Electrical Engineer in New Jersey
. His grandson is a winner of the Purple Heart
for his military service as a United States Army Officer in Iraq
.
He had three brothers, Shaikh Ghulam Rabbani was the Ambassador of Pakistan to North Korea
, Tunisia
and Romania
. Shaikh Gilani Kamran, was a Professor of English Literature at Government College Lahore and his youngest brother Saeed Ahmad was a Pakistani Businessman.
. He fought against the Japanese Imperial Army in Burma during World War II
, flying in a Hawker Hurricane
fighter plane.
at Dehradun
, India
. After partition of India
and Pakistan
he joined the Pakistan Forest Service, becoming the Chief Conservator of Forests and Director of the Aerial Survey Project in Peshawar
, Pakistan
, where he surveyed the North-West Frontier Province
for a Natural Resources Survey from 1965-1969. He introduced hybrid poplars in Pakistan
, including Azad Kashmir
, and especially Rawalakot
, changing the living conditions of the rural population.
He supervised an aerial survey of the Indus River Basin for the development of natural resources. He moved to the United States in August 1971 to complete a PhD in Civil Engineering
at Colorado State University
. After retiring from the Pakistani Forest Service, Ahmad joined the Colorado Department of Military Affairs, where he helped draft the Emergency Response Plan for the State of Colorado
. From 1983 until 1999 he was the Managing Director of Pakistan Chrome Mines Ltd
.
. He helped improve the living conditions of hundreds of Sudhans.
He was buried at his favourite place on earth, his apple orchard in Rawalakot
, Azad Kashmir
.
His family, especially his daughter Dr. Rehana Kausar, continues giving scholarships for academic excellence, in Mr. Ahmad's name, for students studying science in Rawalakot, Azad Kashmir.
Pakistan Air Force
The Pakistan Air Force is the leading air arm of the Pakistan Armed Forces and is primarily tasked with the aerial defence of Pakistan with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and the Pakistan Navy. The PAF also has a tertiary role of providing strategic air transport...
engineer officer
Engineer Officer
An Engineer Officer is one type of officer in the UK Royal Navy. There are also Warfare Officers and Logistics Officers supported by additional branches such as Medical or Dental Officers, or the Chaplaincy Service....
, fighter pilot
Fighter pilot
A fighter pilot is a military aviator trained in air-to-air combat while piloting a fighter aircraft . Fighter pilots undergo specialized training in aerial warfare and dogfighting...
and military engineer
Military engineer
In military science, engineering refers to the practice of designing, building, maintaining and dismantling military works, including offensive, defensive and logistical structures, to shape the physical operating environment in war...
who formed Resources Company Limited, a holding company that promotes resource development in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. He was Managing Director and former chairman of Pakistan Chrome Mines Ltd
Pakistan Chrome Mines Ltd
Pakistan Chrome Mines Ltd. is a mining company incorporated in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The company owns and operates chromite and magnesite mines in Balochistan Province. It was initially incorporated as Baluchistan Chrome Mines Ltd. in 1902 during colonial rule...
., the largest and oldest chrome mining company in Pakistan.
He wrote Unique and Everliving, a biography of prophet Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
. The book was written over a period of five years. The book is published by Ferozeson's Ltd., a book publisher in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
.
Life and Education
He was born in the city of PoonchPoonch
Poonch is a town and a municipal committee in Poonch District in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. Based on the Mahābhārata evidence, and the evidence from 7th Chinese traveler Xuanzang, the districts of Poonch along with Rajauri and Abhisara had been under the sway of the Republican Kambojas...
, in Poonch District
Poonch District (J&K)
District Poonch or Punch is one of the remotest districts of Jammu and Kashmir. It is bounded by the Line of Control on three sides . The 1947-48 war between India and Pakistan divided it into two parts...
of Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
, on 23 May 1923. He was educated in Poonch at a school where his father, Shaikh Ghulam Rasul, was the headmaster. He married Jamila Begum at Rehara
Rehara
Rehara is a village in Poonch District of Azad Kashmir. It is located about 20 miles northeast of Rawalakot, Azad Kashmir.Rehara has a population of less than 2,000. Every household in Rehara has had a member in the Pakistan Army. Most families have members who have emigrated in search of...
, Azad Kashmir
Azad Kashmir
Azad Jammu and Kashmir or Azad Kashmir for short, is the southernmost political entity within the Pakistani-administered part of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
on 11 May 1949. He had three sons and two daughters, he received a B.Sc (honours) degree in Physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
and a Masters in Statistics
Statistics
Statistics is the study of the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of data. It deals with all aspects of this, including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments....
from the University of Punjab in Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
. He received a Postgraduate Diploma in Natural Resource Development ITC, Delft, Holland and completed postgraduate studies for a Phd in Civil Engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
at Colorado State University
Colorado State University
Colorado State University is a public research university located in Fort Collins, Colorado. The university is the state's land grant university, and the flagship university of the Colorado State University System.The enrollment is approximately 29,932 students, including resident and...
, Fort Collins, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
.
His grand father fought with Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan , also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore. He was the son of Hyder Ali, at that time an officer in the Mysorean army, and his second wife, Fatima or Fakhr-un-Nissa...
against the British East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
. While his father Shaikh Ghulam Rasul was the head master of the middle school in Poonch
Poonch
Poonch is a town and a municipal committee in Poonch District in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. Based on the Mahābhārata evidence, and the evidence from 7th Chinese traveler Xuanzang, the districts of Poonch along with Rajauri and Abhisara had been under the sway of the Republican Kambojas...
and Rawalakot
Rawalakot
Rawalakot , is a city in Azad Kashmir, and is the capital of Poonch Division and Poonch District. It is in a saucer-shaped valley at an elevation of 1,615 metres ....
. His father-in law fought against the Nazis in North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
Family
His daughter, Dr. Rehana Kausar MD was the first woman doctor from the Sudhan tribe.His daughter, Dr. Khalida Yasmin MD is a family practice doctor and member of the Texas Family Practice Board, Yasmin was a Captain in the United States Air Force Reserve. His Son Tariq Ahmad is a resident of Reno, Nevada
Reno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
and a Petroleum Engineer. Mobashir Ahmad is a Geophysicist, Petroleum and Metallurgical Engineer, resident of Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
who was a United States Army officer in the United States Army Corp of Engineers, while the eldest son Khalid Adnan is an Electrical Engineer in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. His grandson is a winner of the Purple Heart
Purple Heart
The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York...
for his military service as a United States Army Officer in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
.
He had three brothers, Shaikh Ghulam Rabbani was the Ambassador of Pakistan to North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
, Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
and Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. Shaikh Gilani Kamran, was a Professor of English Literature at Government College Lahore and his youngest brother Saeed Ahmad was a Pakistani Businessman.
Military career
He joined the Royal Indian Air Force as a Fighter PilotFighter pilot
A fighter pilot is a military aviator trained in air-to-air combat while piloting a fighter aircraft . Fighter pilots undergo specialized training in aerial warfare and dogfighting...
. He fought against the Japanese Imperial Army in Burma during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, flying in a Hawker Hurricane
Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...
fighter plane.
Academic career
He was selected for the Forest Service after World War II and trained at the Forest Research InstituteForest Research Institute
The Forest Research Institute is an institute of the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education and is a premier institution in the field of forestry research in India. It is located at Dehradun in Uttarakhand. It was established in 1906 and is one of the oldest institutions of its kind...
at Dehradun
Dehradun
- Geography :The Dehradun district has various types of physical geography from Himalayan mountains to Plains. Raiwala is the lowest point at 315 meters above sea level, and the highest points are within the Tiuni hills, rising to 3700 m above sea level...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. After partition of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
he joined the Pakistan Forest Service, becoming the Chief Conservator of Forests and Director of the Aerial Survey Project in Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, where he surveyed the North-West Frontier Province
North-West Frontier Province
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa , formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province and various other names, is one of the four provinces of Pakistan, located in the north-west of the country...
for a Natural Resources Survey from 1965-1969. He introduced hybrid poplars in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, including Azad Kashmir
Azad Kashmir
Azad Jammu and Kashmir or Azad Kashmir for short, is the southernmost political entity within the Pakistani-administered part of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir...
, and especially Rawalakot
Rawalakot
Rawalakot , is a city in Azad Kashmir, and is the capital of Poonch Division and Poonch District. It is in a saucer-shaped valley at an elevation of 1,615 metres ....
, changing the living conditions of the rural population.
He supervised an aerial survey of the Indus River Basin for the development of natural resources. He moved to the United States in August 1971 to complete a PhD in Civil Engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
at Colorado State University
Colorado State University
Colorado State University is a public research university located in Fort Collins, Colorado. The university is the state's land grant university, and the flagship university of the Colorado State University System.The enrollment is approximately 29,932 students, including resident and...
. After retiring from the Pakistani Forest Service, Ahmad joined the Colorado Department of Military Affairs, where he helped draft the Emergency Response Plan for the State of Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. From 1983 until 1999 he was the Managing Director of Pakistan Chrome Mines Ltd
Pakistan Chrome Mines Ltd
Pakistan Chrome Mines Ltd. is a mining company incorporated in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The company owns and operates chromite and magnesite mines in Balochistan Province. It was initially incorporated as Baluchistan Chrome Mines Ltd. in 1902 during colonial rule...
.
Philanthropy
He gave scholarships for education of residents of Poonch District, particularly members of the Sudhan tribe, resulting in hundreds of graduates in engineering and medicine. He died on September 20, 2003, at the age of 80 in New JerseyNew Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. He helped improve the living conditions of hundreds of Sudhans.
He was buried at his favourite place on earth, his apple orchard in Rawalakot
Rawalakot
Rawalakot , is a city in Azad Kashmir, and is the capital of Poonch Division and Poonch District. It is in a saucer-shaped valley at an elevation of 1,615 metres ....
, Azad Kashmir
Azad Kashmir
Azad Jammu and Kashmir or Azad Kashmir for short, is the southernmost political entity within the Pakistani-administered part of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir...
.
His family, especially his daughter Dr. Rehana Kausar, continues giving scholarships for academic excellence, in Mr. Ahmad's name, for students studying science in Rawalakot, Azad Kashmir.