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Admiral Azhar is the First Petarian
to Reach the Flag Rank.
He acquired his initial schooling
from
St. Xavier’s School
and Public School, Karachi before going to Petaro.
During his years at Petaro, he was known for his
academic performance, where he would normally be
at the top of his class. He missed the First
Position in Matric in the entire Hyderabad Board
by a mere 14 marks.
He excelled in sports as well and became the
college Captain and Colour Holder for the
Basketball team. He was also the Colour Holder for
the College Rifle Shooting Team.
His contributions to The Cadet magazine are well
recorded. During his final year, he became the
Chief Editor of the magazine.
In recognition of his capabilities, he was made
the Junior Under Officer (JUO) of Latif house in
1964-65. And due to his all rounded performance,
he won the Badge of Honour after Matric and the
Stick of Honour after Intermediate. He also won
the Gold Medal-PARA in 1965. This was the peak of
his achievement at Petaro.
After leaving Petaro, he
was selected to study at NED Engineering College,
while he was also selected for Pakistan Navy
during the 1965 war. He
got his commission in 1969 after completing his
degree in Mechanical Engineering. In later years,
he went to the UK post graduate studies in Marine
Engineering in 1976. Additionally, he also got his M.Sc.
in Defence and Strategic Studies after the
National Defence Course (NDC) in 1996-97.
During his years of service with Pakistan Navy, he
was posted to many different assignments. These
included:
- Senior Engineering Officer / Chief Engineer on various
frigates/destroyers and
establishments of Pakistan Navy
- General Manager Pakistan Naval Dockyard
- Commanding Officer - PNS Karsaz 1991-92
- Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Materials) Naval
Headquarters, 1994-96
- Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (Materials)
- Director General Munitions Production Ministry
of Defence
-
Director Ship Management, PNSC, 1996-98
He was finally promoted to the rank of Rear
Admiral on 28 July 1997, superseding all his
seniors in the Technical Branches and his term
mates of Operations Branch which was unprecedented
in the Navy.
Admiral Azhar was recognized for his meritorious
services by being awarded the Sitara-e-Imtiaz
(Military) in 1996 and Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Military)
subsequently. He retired from the Navy in Oct
2002.
After his retirement from the Navy, he was
appointed the Managing Director of Karachi
Shipyard & Engineering Works in Feb 2003. He
served the shipyard for three years before he
retired from that job as well.
With a relaxed life at Karachi, he is now a
keen golfer and normally plays at Karachi Golf
Club where he is also a member of its Managing
Committee.
Azhar Bhai is a Thorough Gentleman Par Excellence.
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