Abdul Razzaq Kemal (known as A. R. Kemal) (14 April 1946 – 24 March 2008) was a Pakistani

economist An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social sciences, social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this ...

, considered "an authority on the Pakistani economy and on economic policy making". He was the director of the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (1999–2006).

Early life and education

Kemal was born in

Amritsar Amritsar (), historically also known as Rāmdāspur and colloquially as ''Ambarsar'', is the second largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, after Ludhiana. It is a major cultural, transportation and economic centre, located in the Majha r ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, in 1946. His qualifications in economics included a master's degree from

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

, USA, and a PhD from the

University of Manchester , mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity , established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univer ...

, UK.

Career

Kemal served as the chief economist of the Pakistani government Planning Commission and economic advisor to the Ministry of Finance. He directed the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics from 1999 to 2006. During his directorship, he started MPhil and PhD programmes in economics, and was instrumental in the institute's application for degree-awarding status being approved in 2003, although the degree-awarding charter was not finalised until after his retirement. He was also a member of the restructuring committee of the Islamic Research and Training Institute and the Islamic Development Bank. He advised organisations including the

United Nations Development Programme The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)french: Programme des Nations unies pour le développement, PNUD is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human dev ...

(UNDP),

UNICEF UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Devel ...

, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP),

International Labour Organization The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is the first and o ...

(ILO),

Asian Development Bank The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is a regional development bank established on 19 December 1966, which is headquartered in the Ortigas Center located in the city of Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines. The bank also maintains 31 field office ...

and the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Interna ...

. He served as president of the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE). He taught economics at the International Islamic University in

Islamabad Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital T ...

. He wrote or edited 12 books and published 186 research articles.

Personal life

He was married with two children, both sons. In 2008, Kemal died in

at the age of 62, after a heart attack.

Awards and recognition

* Sitara-i-Imtiaz (Star of Excellence) Award by the

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=s̤adr-i Pākiṣṭān), officially the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is the ceremonial head of state of Pakistan and the commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces.1946 births 2008 deaths Scholars from Amritsar Alumni of the University of Manchester Stanford University alumni Pakistani economists Recipients of Sitara-i-Imtiaz