Pakistan’s former ambassador Ahmad Ahsani passes away in Dallas

DALLAS: American Muslim Alliance Southwest Region Chairman and a prominent Muslim America leader ex.Ambassador of Pakistan Syed Ahmad Ahsani passed away in a local hospital in Arlington Texas.

He was ill for last few months.

Late Ambassador Ahsani has left three sons, a daughter and a widow among grieving family.

The funeral prayer of deceased Ambassador Ahsani will be offered at Islamic Association of Tarrant County (Abrahimi Mosque) in Fort Worth on Friday 1st of August, after the Friday prayers. He will be buried at Ar-Radwah symmetry in Johnson County.

Born at Bareilly, India, Ahsani received his undergraduate education in India and Pakistan, doing Postgraduate at McGill University, Montreal, Canada and obtaining a diploma in French in Paris.

He joined Pakistan Foreign Services in 1952. He served in Pakistan Missions in Cairo, Rome, Kabul, Beirut and Calcutta in the Pakistan Foreign Office. He worked from 1966 -70 as Director in Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey, RCD and CENTO desk.

Ahsani attended meetings with Foreign Ministers and Head of States from 1966-70, including the famous Ramsar Summit among President Ayub Khan, Shah of Iran and Prime Minister and President Suleman Demirel in July 1967 following the 6-day Suez War.

After serving as Ambassador to Sudan, with accreditation to Ethiopia, Chad and Central African Republic from 1971 – 75, he dealt with the war with India in 1965, obtaining Sudan’s full support, including banning of Air India flights over Sudan.

He attended meetings of the Organization of African Unity, including the last one at Kampala in 1975. Moving to Ghana, he was accredited to Togo, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Liberia and Sierra Leon from 1975 – 79.

After serving as Ambassador to Brazil from 1979 – 81 with accreditation to Paraguay, Bolivia, Columbia and Suriname, he returned to the Foreign Office in Islamabad where he was Co-Founder/Director of Pakistan Foreign Service Academy from 1981 until retirement in 1988 when he moved to the United States.

Settling down in Arlington in 1988, he taught at the University of Texas at Arlington and Tarrant County Junior College, as Visiting Professor. Since 1995, he has been working as Chairman of Southwest American Muslim Alliance. In 2000, he was elected as delegate to Democratic National Convention at Los Angles.
Upon receiving the news of his demise, American Muslim Democratic Caucus Co-Chair. Syed Fayyaz Hassan, MDC Texas President Aftab Siddiqui, Moazzam Syed, MCCHS Chairman Emeritus Dr. Basher Ahmad, South Asia Democracy Watch Director Zahid Khanzada rushed to the hospital and offered their condolences to his grieving son Farhan Ahsani, and his widow Mrs. Sajida Ahsani.

A large number of prominent civic leaders, political activists, and writers offered their condolences including Pakistan American Association of Texas President Dr. Amer Suleman, Dr. Javed Ajmal, South Asia Democracy Watch Director and columnist Tausif Kamal, Saeed Qureshi, Shah Alam, Naeem Chaudhry, AK Khan and Amir Makhani.