Agha Mohammad Raza
Agha Mohammad Raza | |
|---|---|
| آغا محمد رضا | |
| Pakistan Ambassador to the United States | |
| In office 6 December 1971 – 22 April 1972 | |
| Preceded by | Agha Hilaly |
| Succeeded by | Sultan Mohammed Khan |
| Ambassador of Pakistan to Italy | |
| In office August 1966 – January 1969 | |
| 6th Ambassador of Pakistan to France | |
| In office 10 March 1960 – August 1962 | |
| Ambassador of Pakistan to Iran | |
| In office February 1955 – December 1959 | |
| 1st and 5th Ambassador of Pakistan to China | |
| In office 12 November 1951 – 1 September 1954 | |
| Preceded by | Office Established |
| Succeeded by | Sultanuddin Ahmad |
| In office 1962–1966 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 14 May 1905 |
| Died | 16 June 1984 (aged 79) |
| Cause of death | Heart Attack |
| Education | Bishop Cotton School (Shimla) Royal Military College, Sandhurst Staff College, Quetta |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service |  British Indian Army (1927-1947) Pakistan Army (1947-1951) |
Years of service | 1927-1951 |
| Rank | Major General |
| Unit | Rajput Regiment |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Service number | PA-7 |
Nawabzada Agha Mohammad Raza[a] (14 May 1905 – 12 June 1984) better known as N. A. M. Raza, was a Pakistani retired two-star rank general, serving as the first Adjutant General of the Pakistan Army from 1948 to 1949. He later became a diplomat and served as Pakistan's first Ambassador and Plenipotentiary to China from 1951 to 1954.[1]
Over the course of his diplomatic career, he also served as Ambassador to Iran (1955-1959), France (1960–1962), China again (1962–1966), Italy (1966–1969), and briefly to the United States (1971–1972).
Early life
Agha Mohammad Raza was born on 14 May 1905 in Lahore[2] into a Qizilbash family. His father, Khan Bahadur Nawab Agha Ali Raza Khan, was the first Indian to join the Indian Police.[3]
Agha Mohammad Raza received his early education from Bishop Cotton School (Shimla).[4]
Ancestry
Agha Mohammad Raza's paternal grandfather, Sardar Daud Khan, participated in a diplomatic mission to Afghanistan in 1910. His son, Khan Bahadur Agha Ghulam Murtaza Khan, Mohammad's paternal uncle, served in the Foreign and Political Department of the undivided Government of India under the British Raj.[5]
Personal life
Agha Mohammad Raza's brother, A.M. Mustafa,[3] served as Pakistan's Ambassador[6] and Minister to Iraq in 1960.[7][8] Three other brothers also served in the Pakistan Army.
He married Begum Salma Khatoon, a well-known social worker, in 1946. They had one child, a daughter named Darakhshande born in 1952.[9]
Raza was described as having a fondness for gardening and photography.[10][11]
Military career
British Indian Army (1926-1947)
Agha Mohammad Raza graduated from the Royal Military College, Sandhurst in 1926 and was commissioned into the British Indian Army as a King's Commissioned Indian Officer on 29 January 1927.[12][13] He was promoted to Lieutenant on 27 November 1933[14] and Captain on 27 August 1939[15]
In 1943, Raza made history as the first Indian selected for the Selection Board staff, initially serving as Deputy President before becoming President of the Board.[16]
Pakistan Army (1947-1954)
Following the Partition of British India in August 1947, Raza transferred his service to the Pakistan Army. He was appointed Senior Member of the Army Reconstruction Committee and later appointed Adjutant General.[3]
Major General Raza retired from the army on 1 September 1954.[17]
Diplomatic career
From July 1951[18] to 1954, he served as Pakistan's first Ambassador and Plenipotentiary to China.[19]
Raza was among four other Ambassadors who presented their credentials to President Nixon at a ceremony in the White House on December 6, 1971.[20]
Later life
He served as the first Administrator of the Islamabad Club from 1975 to 1978.[21]
Death
Notes
References
- ↑ "Former Ambassadors: Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Beijing".
- ↑ The Indian Army List. British Indian Army. 1932. p. 259.
- 1 2 3 Biographical Encyclopedia of Pakistan. 1961. p. 476.
Agha Mohammad Raza, Major-Gene-ral; educated at Bishop Cotton's School, Simla and in England ; was commissioned from the Royal Military College, Sand-hurst, 1927; belongs to the well-known Qazilbash family of the Punjab which claims a number of diplomats and soldiers ; grand- father, Sardar Daud Khan, visited Afghanis-tan as a member of a diplomatic mission fifty years ago; father, Nawab Agha Ali Raza Khan, was the first Indian to enter the Indian Police; uncle, Khan Bahadur Agha Ghulam Murtaza Khan, served in the foreign and political department of the undivided Go- vernment of India, and brother, A.M. Mustafa, is Pakistan's Minister to Iraq; General Raza worked in the Government of united India's Foreign and Political De- partments and was given important assign- ments in the former N.W.F.P., Baluchistan and Baroda; commanded a Brigade in Burma during World War II; after the War, was appointed Director for the selection of per- sonnel for the Army ; on Independence , was appointed Senior Member for Pakistan on the Army Reconstruction Committee; later appointed Adjutant-General and was mainly responsible for the re-organization of the Army; was requested by the Ministry of Kashmir Affairs to take over and organise Kashmir Refugees Camps; took personal interest in conducting the camps and helped to establish industrial homes; also organised the collection of gifts of garments and food for the refugees; appointed Ambassador of Pakistan to Iran in September, 1951; has the distinction of being the first serviceman to be appointed as an Ambassador for Pa- kistan ; married to a well - known social worker who was the President of the Kashmir Re- fugees Industrial Home.
- ↑ "N. A. M. RAZA PAKISTAN'S NEW AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S. BIOGRAPHIC DATA" (PDF). World Bank. 30 November 1971. p. 82.
- ↑ Biographical Encyclopedia of Pakistan. 1961. p. 476.
- ↑ The Commonwealth Relations Office Year Book. Vol. 3. 1953.
- ↑ Biographical Encyclopedia of Pakistan. 1956. p. 502.
- ↑ "Building bridges with the past- Memories as our community history; The Qizilbash Tapestry of Kashmir". Greater Kashmir. 15 August 2020.
- ↑ Ansari's Trade Directory of Pakistan and Who's Who. 1952.
- ↑ PAKISTAN'S NEW ENVOY: THE NEW ENVOY — A biography. Vol. 22–25. Pakistan Affairs. 1971.
- ↑ The International Year Book and Statesmen's Who's who. Vol. 1. Burke's Peerage Limited. 1953. p. 330.
- ↑ Sharma, Gautam (1966). Nationalisation of the Indian Army, 1885-1947. p. 238.
- ↑ The Monthly Army List. 1928.
- ↑ "INDIAN ARMY: 2nd Lts. to be Lts". The London Gazette. 12 January 1934. p. 317.
- ↑ "INDIAN ARMY: Captains". National Library of Scotland. 1 April 1940.
- ↑ Director, Selection of Personnel. Indian Information. 15 May 1947. p. 466.
- ↑ "Persons Re-employed from 21-12-1971 to 25-8-1971 on Post Carrying Salary of Rs. 1500/- and above per month" (PDF). National Assembly of Pakistan. 8 January 1973.
- ↑ The Calcutta review. 1965. p. 11.
- ↑ "Former Ambassadors: Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Beijing". Archived from the original on 16 February 2025.
- ↑ Digest of Other White House Announcements. Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents. 13 December 1971. p. 1641.
- ↑ "History & Management". Islamabad Club.
- ↑ Former diplomat dead. Asian Recorder. 1984.
Nawabzada Agha Mohammad Raza , former Ambassador to China , France and the United States , died of a heart attack in Beijing on June 14 . Trained in Sandhurst Royal Military Academy in England, Mr. Raza served as an Indian Government official be-fore Partition in 1947. On the estab- lishment of Pakistan , he was ap- pointed Adjutant - General responsible for re - organising the Army . He served as Ambassador to China in 1951-54 and 1962-66 , and was en- voy to Iran , France , Italy and , in 1971- 72 , the United States . He later headed the administration of the Foreign Min- istry in Islamabad . He went to China on May 10 , with a Pakistani delegation celebrating the 20th anniversary of Pakistan Airlines service to Beijing where on June 14 he suffered a heart attack .
