From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
|
Naseem Ashraf |
Dr. Nasim Ashraf at a Feeder School |
| Nationality |
Pakistani |
| Occupation |
State Minister |
| Known for |
Social studies work, human development,
cricket |
Dr. Nasim
Ashraf (Urdu: نسيم أشرف) was the
Chairman of the National
Commission for Human Development (NCHD) , Pakistan and a Minister of State. Prior to
that, Ashraf served as the Team Leader for the President’s Task
Force on Human Development in 2001.[1]
He was also appointed as Chairman PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) by the
President of Pakistan in October 2006. He resigned from the post of
Pakistan Cricket Board on 18 August, 2008 when President Pervez
Musharraf resigned from presidency on 18 August, 2008.[2]
Career
Ashraf graduated with honors from Khyber Medical College Peshawar University, Pakistan
in 1972, and remains a fellow of the American College of
Physicians.[3] A
community activist, he has been involved in development work for
last 30 years. In 1998, while President of APPNA, the largest
organization of Pakistani professionals in USA, he conceived,
designed and implemented an innovative and highly successful model
of primary health care to reduce disease and lower death rates in
developing countries. This model, called APPNA SEHAT Village
Improvement Program has been successfully carried out in rural
Pakistan since 1989 and has reduced infant mortality and maternal
mortality rates by 300% and currently serves nearly 200,000 people
in 100 villages all over Pakistan. APPNA SEHAT has received
international recognition and the model has won many awards, most
recently, The Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Foundation Award given by
the American College of Physicians.
In 1997 Ashraf co-founded the Human Development Foundation of
North America (HDFNA), an organization dedicated to the empowerment
of people at the grass roots level in America as well as Pakistan.
HDFNA has integrated human development grass roots projects serving
100,000 people in all four provinces of Pakistan. He has also
served as Chairman of the Oregon Medical Association Public Health
Education Committee and President of Douglas County Medical
Society. He is a member of Amnesty International, The World
Wildlife Fund and the End Hunger Campaign. He has served on various
boards including The National Council of Islamic Affairs of
America, Muslim Education Trust and the Overseas Pakistanis
Foundation.
He is the founding member and President of Pakistani Americans
Public Affairs Committee (PAK-PAC), which works extensively with
the U.S. Congress to promote issues of importance to Pakistani
Americans. He was the Chair of Quaid Project, USA, and was the
executive co-producer of the movie Jinnah, the first major
international film on the life of the founder of Pakistan. Ashraf
has published original studies in national and international
medical journals, and lectured on human development issues at
various international forums and meetings. Ashraf has appeared on
CNN, FOX News, PBS, and Pakistan Television to advocate
people-centered development and other issues relating to Pakistan
In 1998 he set up relief camps in Kosovo and Albania for the
victims of war. Ashraf brought Zahida Perveen, a victim of domestic
violence and 'honour' crimes, to the USA for treatment and
reconstructive surgery. He then established the Zahida Perveen
Trust Fund for Zahida's continuing medical care and the education
of her children. He has been featured in National Geographic
Television for his efforts in this area.
Ashraf founded Americans for Peace and Justice in South Asia
(APJSA) to work with the American think tanks, US Congress, and the
media in particular for promotion of peace and conflict resolution
in South Asia. APJSA has been instrumental in arranging visits of
several Congressmen and Senators to Pakistan, holding seminars at
prestigious US institutions such as the Georgetown School of
International Affairs, creating a permanent fellowship for Pakistan
Studies at the John Hopkins School of Advanced International
Studies in Washington, and publication of articles supporting
Pakistan’s view point in the New York Times and Washington Post. He
was honored by the Institute of Overseas Pakistanis, which awarded
him a Gold Medal in 1996 for services to the people of Pakistan. He
is also recipient of the APPNA Gold Medal for his contributions
towards promoting health care in rural Pakistan. In 1992, the South
Douglas County Chamber of Commerce in Oregon, USA, adjudged him
Citizen of the Year.
Ashraf was awarded “Star Man of The Year” in the field of Human
Resources Management by South Asia Publications at the XIV Star
Awards 2003. Recently he also received Gold Medal from Sohni Dharti
for services to the people of Pakistan in the field of human
development. The Khyber Medical College Alumni Association of North
America awarded Ashraf the “Lifetime Achievement Award 2004”. He
also received a Special Award from Fairfax County, Virginia, USA
for promoting Asian American Harmony in 2000. Since 2001, he has
been working as volunteer in Pakistan, heading the National
Commission for Human Development.
Cricket
career
Dr. Nasim Ashraf comes from a pioneering cricketing family of
the NWFP. His maternal grandfather, Karim Baksh, played First-Class
cricket in India and was one of the first elected members of the
Pakistan Cricket Board in 1949. Dr. Ashraf had a very brief first-class
cricket career, spanning just 3 matches for the Peshawar
Cricket Association in the 1969-70 Quaid-e-Azam Cricket
Trophy where as a middle-order batsman. He scored 50 runs, with a
best of 21 and a duck on debut.[4]
He also played for the Pakistan Under 19 team which played
against the English team in 1969. He was appointed as the Chairman
PCB due to his vast management expertise. He was responsible for
bringing about the Constitution of the Pakistan Cricket Board
albeit after serious delays. The task was first entrusted to
Shahrayar Khan who resigned and Nasim Ashraf finally succeeded in
getting the Constitution restored after having it vetted to make it
more corporate in nature. The new Constitution mandates a 14 member
governing board comprising of four representatives of the regional
associations, one representative of the cricket playing
organizations, two representatives of the players, and seven
technocrats specializing in finance, law, media, and management.
This new Constitution has significantly diluted the powers of the
Chairman.
He was elected to the Chairmanship of the Asian Cricket Council
in June 2008.
Submission and
rejection of resignation
In March 2007, having been in the position for five months after
he took over from Shaharyar Khan who stood down in October, Ashraf
tendered his own resignation,[5]
accepting responsibility for the Pakistan team's first
round exit from the 2007 Cricket World Cup in the West
Indies at the hands of young Irish Cricket Team. But his
resignation was subsequently rejected by President Pervez Musharraf
who was asked him to "continue his duty to rebuild the Pakistan
cricket team on modern and professional lines".[6]
Resignation
On the day Gen. Pervez Musharraf resigned as president
of the country, one of his main beneficiaries and closest allies,
Nasim Ashraf, offered his resignation as chairman of the Pakistan
Cricket Board (PCB).
His resignation has been sent to the presidency - in Pakistan
the president is also patron of the cricket board and the person
who appoints the chairman - where a final decision will be taken.
In this case, the decision is likely to be taken now by the
caretaker president, the chairman of the senate Mohammadmian
Soomro, according to Pakistan's constitution. Career
obituary-writers will in any case wait, recalling that Ashraf had
similarly offered his resignation after the 2007 World Cup
disaster, only for it to be rejected by Musharraf at the time.
"Nasim Ashraf has sent in his resignation to the President's
secretariat," Shafqat Naghmi, the chief operating officer told
Cricinfo. "The next step will be taken from there on whether or not
it is accepted."
When asked why, with the Champions Trophy so close, he chose
this moment to resign, Naghmi said, "He just said he felt it was
his moral obligation to do so. He told all the directors this. He
has also said he will be around and working till the new chairman
takes over." Such was the confusion on an immense day that Naghmi's
resignation was reported by a local TV channel soon after, only to
be denied by the official himself.
Other appointments and
positions
- Team Leader, President of Pakistan’s Human Development,
2001
- Co-Chair Human Development Foundation of North America
- Chairman, Oregon Medical Association Public Health Committee,
1993
- Chairman, APPNA-SEHAT, 1989-1999
- President, PAK-PAC, 1990-1991, 1993-94
- President, Douglas County Medical Society, 1992
- President, Association of Pakistani Physicians of North
America, 1987-1998
- Delegate, Oregon Medical Association, 1993-1996
- Director, International Association of American Physicians,
1988
- Member of Board, PAK-PAK, 1990-Present
- Member of Board, Islamic Center, Eugene, Oregon, 1982-1987
- Member of Board, Muslim Education Trust, Portland, Oregon
- Member APPNA Advisory Task Force to Ministry of
Health,Government of Pakistan, 1982
Awards and
honors
- Conferred Sitara-i-Imtiaz by President of
Pakistan in 2006 for 30 years of distinguished public service.
- UNESCO INTERNATIONAL AWARD for Literacy in 2006.
- Awarded Gold Medal for the Most Outstanding Graduate of Khyber
Medical College 1956-2004 on occasion of KMC’s Golden Jubilee.
- Lifetime Achievement Award by Khyber Medical College Alumni
Association of North America. 2004.
- Gold Medal Award by Sohni Dharti 2004
- Star Man of the Year Award by South Asia Publications (SAP) -
2003.
- Recipient of American College of Physicians Linda Rosenthal
Award 2002.
- Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Foundation Award given by the
American College of Physicians, 2002
- Special Award from Fairfax County, Virginia, USA for promoting
Asian American Harmony. 2000
- Institute of Overseas Pakistani’s, Gold Medal Award, 1996
- WHO’S WHO IN AMERICA, 1994
- APPNA Gold Medal Award, 1993
- APPNA Presidential Award, 1986
- Khyber Medical College Dean’s Award for Service to Alma Mater,
1998
- South Douglas County Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Citizen
Award, 1992
- Best Student of the School, St. Mary’s Cambridge School,
Peshawar, 1965
- Merit Scholarship Recipient, Peshawar Board of Education,
Pakistan, 1967
- Graduated with Honors Final M.B.B.S, 1972 (Fourth position in
Class)
Professional societies
- American Medical Association
- Oregon Medical Association
- Douglas County Medical Society
- American College of Physicians
- Renal Physicians Association & American Society of
Hypertension
- Association of Pakistani Physicians of North America
- Islamic Medical Association
- National Kidney Foundation
- PG County Medical Society
Publications and
lectures
- July 26-29, 2002 - The 2002 Caux Dialogue “New Challenges for
Muslims & Non-Muslims”
- April 26, 1998 - Columbia University, New York, NY “Human
Development Policy Options for Pakistan in the 21st Century”
- March 7, 1998 - Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
Cambridge, MA, “Role of Civil Society in Development”
- December, 1997 - AWAZ TV Program, Washington, DC, Panelist
“Current Political Crisis in Pakistan”
- November, 1997 - AWAZ TV Program, Washington, DC, Annual Dinner
chaired by Mr. Moeen Qureshi, former Prime Minister of Pakistan
“Civic Responsibilities of Pakistani Americans”
- September, 1997 - Wake Forest, NC, American Institute of
Pakistan Studies: 50th Anniversary Celebrations of Pakistan. AIPS –
Panel discussion on “Jinnah” along with Prof. Akbar S. Ahmed and
Chief Justice (retd.) Nasim Hassan Khan.
- July, 1997 - New York, NY, APPNA Annual Conference, “Human
Development issues in Pakistan” Co-Chair of Symposium along with
Dr. Mahbub ul Haq, former Finance Minister of Pakistan
- March, 1997 - George Washington University, Washington, D.C.,
Symposium on Occasion of Pakistan’s 50th Anniversary Celebrations
“Participants of Young Pakistani Americans in the Political Process
in America”
- October, 1996 - “Jinnah”, “What he means to Pakistani
Americans.” Launch of the film Jinnah at Waldrof Astoria, New York,
NY
- July, 1996 - APPNA SEHAT, Primary Health Care Model and Role of
Civil Society in Development in Pakistan Institute of Overseas
Pakistanis, Islamabad
- June, 1996 - Portland State University, Portland Oregon “Clash
of Civilizations – Reality or Myth.” (MET Conference)
- July, 1995 - Dallas, TX, APPNA Annual Convention, “Geo
Political role of Pakistan in South Asia”
- July 1994 - Istanbul, Turkey, International Conference on
Health of IMA APPNA SEHAT Prime Health Care model for Developing
Countries
- October, 1992 - “APPNA SEHAT”, What expatriate Pakistanis owe
Pakistan, London, APPUKI
- May, 1992 - Umpqua Community College, Roseburg, Oregon, “Islam,
Judaism & Christianity, the Common Link.”
References
See also
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