A Demi-Diplomat: Memories Of an Honorary British Consul Lahore 1994-2022

Honorary Consuls, as the title implies, are considered ceremonial honorifics. It is unusual for any Honorary Consul to have been as proactive for as long as Mr. F. S. Aijazuddin, O.B.E., who served as the Honorary British Consul in Lahore (Pakistan) for over 25 years.

His responsibilities, as this very readable memoir reveals, ranged from royal and ministerial visits to rescuing jailed British couriers of prohibited drugs, and the occasional repatriation of dead Britons.

This book provides insight into the logistics involved in ensuring that every visit went off smoothly and without incident, achieving the intended result.

Because of its strategic importance and unpredictable political volatility, Pakistan is a prized posting in the British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), leading every High Commissioner posted in Islamabad to take on higher responsibilities in Whitehall.

All but two of the British High Commiss-ioners Aijazuddin worked with over a quarter of a century are still alive. Each has provided his own assessment of the author’s contribution in promoting British-Pakistan relations, albeit in an honorary, non-political but significant capacity.

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F. S. Aijazuddin, OBE, received his initial education at the venerable Aitchison College, Lahore, established in 1886 in imitation of a British Public school. He continued his higher studies in the United Kingdom, first at Pangbourne Prep. School, then Berkhamsted Public School, before qualifying as a Chartered Accountant in London.

After returning to Pakistan in 1966, he has had a varied professional career, working in senior positions in both private and public-sector organizations in Pakistan and for 9 years in Abu Dhabi.

In parallel, he has been a prolific author, writing a number of books, inter alia on the work of British artists who visited the subcontinent during the 19th century.

His appointment as Honorary British Consul in Lahore came unexpectedly after an offer in 1994 from the then High Commissioner, Sir Nicholas Barrington. His tenure continued (with one brief interruption) until 2022, when he relinquished responsibility with almost Shakespearean timing on the evening that H.M. Queen Elizabeth II died on 8 September.

Aijazuddin is married to Shahnaz, herself an accomplished author. They live in Lahore. They have three children – Momina, Mubarika and Komail – and two adorable grandchildren, Raeya and Ramiz.