Wajid Ali Khan Burki

Lieutenant General
Wajid Ali Khan Burki
CBE FCPS FRCP FRCPE FRCPGlas
واجد علی خان برکی
Portrait, c. 1962
Founding President
College of Physicians and Surgeons of Pakistan
In office
1962 – 17 January 1989
Ambassador of Pakistan to Scandinavia
In office
21 October 1963 – 1966
Director General Medical Services
Pakistan Armed Forces
In office
27 September 1954 – 29 October 1958
Preceded byLt. Gen. Shaikh Mohamed Afzal Faruki
Succeeded byLt. Gen. M. N. Mahmood
Special Assistant to President Ayub Khan
In office
9 June 1962 – 19 October 1963
Federal Minister of Education & Scientific Research, Kashmir Affairs & Minority Affairs
In office
2 March 1962 – 7 June 1962
Minister for Health, Labour and Social Welfare
In office
17 February 1960 – 7 June 1962
Succeeded byAbdul Monem Khan
Minister for Health, Social Welfare, and Village Aid
In office
28 October 1958 – 17 February 1960
President Ophthalmological Society of Pakistan
In office
19 December 1957 – 20 February 1959
Personal details
Born(1900-10-28)28 October 1900
Jullundur, Punjab, British India
Died17 January 1989(1989-01-17) (aged 88)
Pakistan
Cause of deathLung cancer
Spouse
Iqbal Bano
​
(m. 1935)​
Children5, (including Javed Burki & Jamshed Burki)
RelativesBaqa Jilani (cousin)
Humayun Zaman (cousin)
Jahangir Khan (cousin)
Ahmed Raza (cousin & brother-in-law)
Majid Khan (nephew)
Imran Khan (nephew)
Bilal Omer Khan (nephew)
Asad Jahangir (nephew)
Ijaz Khan (nephew)
EducationGovernment School, Jullundur
Forman Christian School, Jullundur
Government College Lahore (FSc)
University of St. Andrews (MB ChB) (M.D.) (LL.D, Hon)
Moorfields Eye Hospital (DOMS)
RAMC Centre Mill Hill
Punjab University (LL.D, Hon)
University of Maryland, Baltimore (LL.D, Hon)
Known forFounder of Armed Forces Pathological Laboratory
Founder of AFPGMI
Founder of National Health Laboratories
Founder of Army Dental School
Founder of CPSP
Founder of PM&DC
Founder of PHRC
Co-Founder of Islamabad
Introducing Jersey cattle to Pakistan
Setting up the first Wage Board for journalists in Pakistan[1]
Nickname(s)W. A. Burki
W.A.K. Burki
Wajid Ali Khan
General Burki[2]
Military service
Branch/service British Indian Army
 Pakistan Army
Years of service1926-66
Rank Lieutenant General
UnitIndian Medical Service (1926-47)
Pakistan Army Medical Corps (1947-66)
Commands
[4]
Battles/wars
Awards(2) Mentioned in despatches
MBE (1942)
CBE (1945)
Medallion of Deucalion (1956)[b][5]
Nishan-e-Humayun of Iran (1960)
Service numberMZ.3816 (1926-47)[3]
PA100002 (1947-66)

Wajid Ali Khan Burki (Urdu: واجد علی خان برکی; 28 October 1900 – 17 January 1989) known as the Father of Medical Services in Pakistan, was both a distinguished ophthalmologist widely recognized as an expert in the field of eye care, doctor, agriculturist, diplomat, and author who was a three-star rank general of the Pakistan Army Medical Corps. He left a lasting legacy as the founder of the Armed Forces Pathological Laboratory, AFPGMI, Founding Chairman of the PM&DC, CPSP, and the National Health Laboratories. Wajid had a reputation for the very competent management of the Pakistan Army Medical Corps. Furthermore, he was elected as the first president of the Ophthalmological Society of Pakistan in 1957 and played a key role in co-founding Islamabad, the new capital city.[6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]

Wajid was further known for introducing Jersey cattle to Pakistan, setting up the first Wage Board for journalists in Pakistan earning him praise from them for considering their wellbeing, setting up a hospital for workers, and as a strong advocate for labourers rights, he prescribed 'shock treatment' for mill owners in order to make them treat their workers better.[15][1]

His career began in the British IMS in 1926, after two decades of service, Roy Bucher appointed him to a committee tasked with organizing and integrating army medical services into a single corps.[6] With the advent of World War II, Wajid was given command of a field ambulance in the 5th Indian Division participating in the East African campaign and served as the acting assistant director medical services of the division in the Western Desert campaign. For his distinguished services, he was awarded the MBE and assumed the role of assistant director medical services for the 7th Indian Infantry Division during the Burma campaign. In this capacity, he played a crucial role in controlling the incidence of malaria and other infectious diseases among British and Indian soldiers. Wajid was twice mentioned in despatches, first during the Abyssinian campaign and then for his participation in the Battle of the Admin Box; he also took part in the Battle of Imphal and Battle of Kohima. His exceptional contributions led to the award of the CBE for distinguished services.[16]

After the Independence of Pakistan, Wajid was appointed Deputy Director General Medical Services of the Pakistan Armed Forces. In 1954, he was promoted to Lieutenant General and Director General, served as the first Surgeon General of the Pakistan Armed Forces, and was the Colonel Commandant of the Pakistan Army Medical Corps. Recognized for his adept management, he was appointed as the Minister for Health and Social Welfare in the first cabinet of President Ayub Khan. In this role, he established the rural health scheme that persists today and implemented various public health initiatives, including village dispensaries, malaria and smallpox eradication, tuberculosis control, and the establishment of eye camps.[17][18][19]

In instances of President Ayub Khan's overseas visits, Wajid assumed the role of acting President of Pakistan on multiple occasions. Notably, during Premier Nikita Khrushchev's claim in May 1960 that an American aircraft flew from Peshawar Air Station over Soviet territory for a photographic mission, Wajid, as acting President, convened an emergency meeting and denied Khrushchev's claim. In Ayub's second cabinet, he served in several key ministerial roles, allowing many Pakistani workers to move to Britain in the 1960s and forcefully negotiating with the British government to enable free immigration. This not only benefited the Pakistani economy but also set the stage for increased immigration of Pakistanis to the Middle East. Additionally, he introduced new labor laws and created Pakistan's second labor policy.[20][21][22][23]

During the Bradford smallpox outbreak of 1962, Wajid cracked down on poor vaccination and isolation practices in Karachi. He criticized the British Government for solely blaming and singling out Pakistani immigrants for the outbreak when India also had nearly identical levels of smallpox and why the Brits didn't hold Indians to the same standard. Wajid consistently raised this issue during meetings with British representatives in Pakistan, expressing his dismay over the physical assaults endured by Pakistani immigrants at the hands of British individuals, alongside the slander propagated by the British press against Pakistanis. He vehemently argued that "much of the anti-Pakistan agitation in Britain was due to fear of unemployment amongst British workpeople, and consequent resentment towards Pakistanis."[24] He was considered a friend of Field Marshal Ayub Khan, with Ayub writing in his diary that Wajid would come to visit him while he was ill.[25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35]

He held various distinguished roles, including serving as Vice Prime Minister and Vice President of Pakistan.[36][37][38]

  1. ^ a b Pakistan & Gulf Economist. Vol. 8. Economist Publications. 1989.
  2. ^ Annals. Le Collège. 1992. p. 66.
  3. ^ "CENTRAL CHANCERY OF THE ORDERS OF KNIGHTHOOD" (PDF). 15 November 1945. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 March 2010.
  4. ^ The Asia Who's who (Part 4). Vol. 3. Pan-Asia Newspaper Alliance. 1960. p. 533.
  5. ^ Journal of the Royal Army Medical Corps. 1956. p. 128.
  6. ^ a b "Wajid Ali Khan Burki (a profile)". Royal College of Physicians UK website. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
  7. ^ "Over 500 doctors get degrees at CPSP convocation". www.dawn.com. 27 April 2015.
  8. ^ Khan, M. D. (2011). "Birth of the ophthalmological society of Pakistan". Eye. 25 (4): 415–424. doi:10.1038/eye.2010.186. PMC 3171255. PMID 21252948.
  9. ^ S & T Establishments of Pakistan. National Science Council of Pakistan. 1982. p. 11.
  10. ^ Journal of the Royal Army Medical Corps. Great Britain Army Royal Army Medical Corps. 1958. p. 110.
  11. ^ "IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MEDICAL SERVICE OF PAKISTAN ORDER" (PDF). pp. 71, 73, 80.
  12. ^ Jawaid, S. A. (3 March 2018). "Proceedings of 4th National Conference of Pakistan Association of Medical Editors held at Khyber Medical University, Peshawar". Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences. 34 (2): 511–517. doi:10.12669/pjms.342.15180. PMC 5954408. PMID 29805437.
  13. ^ "Pakistan Armed Forces Medical Journal". 31 August 2015.
  14. ^ Queen's Medical Magazine. Vol. 52–53. 1960.
  15. ^ Feldman, Herbert (2001). The Herbert Feldman omnibus. Oxford University Press. pp. 134, 241, 333. ISBN 978-0-19-579399-4.
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference The Roll was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ Armed Forces Internation Nutrition Conference. 1959. p. 4.
  18. ^ Biennial Report of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health and Medical) to the Secretary of Defense. 1956.
  19. ^ The Pakistan Review. Vol. 10. 1962.
  20. ^ Pakistan Denial. 8 May 1960. p. 6A.
  21. ^ BLS Report. U.S. Department of Labor. 1953. p. 40.
  22. ^ "Labour reforms in need of direction". www.dawn.com. 28 September 2023.
  23. ^ Far East Trade and Engineering. Vol. 16. 1961.
  24. ^ Roberta E. Bivins (2015). Contagious Communities Medicine, Migration, and the NHS in Post-war Britain. Oxford University Press. pp. 154–5, 157–8, 160–1. ISBN 978-0-19-103840-2.
  25. ^ Annual Report 1958. International Committee of the Red Cross. 1959. p. 40.
  26. ^ Revue Internationale de la Croix-Rouge Et Bulletin Des Sociétés de la Croix-Rouge. Vol. 13. Comité international de la Croix-Rouge. 1960. p. 146.
  27. ^ Cite error: The named reference HKMC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  28. ^ "Tough times ahead in US for Pak doctors". www.dawn.com. 17 August 2022.
  29. ^ Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. Royal College of Surgeons of England. 1956. pp. 116, 315.
  30. ^ "Ophthalmological Society of Pakistan (History)".
  31. ^ The U.S. Government and the Future of International Medical Research. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1961. p. 905.
  32. ^ "Medicine: Swift Smallpox". Time. 2 February 1962.
  33. ^ Cite error: The named reference ET was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  34. ^ Bivins, R. (2007). ""The people have no more love left for the Commonwealth": Media, migration and identity in the 1961-2 British smallpox outbreak". Immigrants & Minorities. 25 (3): 263–289. doi:10.1080/02619280802407376. PMC 2899858. PMID 20622927.
  35. ^ Diaries of Field Marshall Mohammad Ayub Khan, 1966-1972. Oxford University Press. 2007. ISBN 978-0-19-547442-8.
  36. ^ Calendar. University of St. Andrews. 1963. p. 636.
  37. ^ "Pakistan Vice Prime Minister - Signed Xmas Card by Army Surgeon Lt Gen W A Burki". eBay. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  38. ^ Sayeed, Khalid B. (1959). "Martial Law Administration in Pakistan". Far Eastern Survey. 28 (5): 72–79. doi:10.2307/3024211. ISSN 0362-8949. JSTOR 3024211.


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