Chaudry Mohammad Aslam
| Chaudry Mohammad Aslam | |
|---|---|
| Born |
1900 Amritsar, Punjab, British Indian Empire |
| Died |
1965 Islamabad, Pakistan |
| Residence | Rawalpindi, Punjab |
| Citizenship | Pakistani |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Fields | Mathematics |
| Institutions |
Geological Survey of Pakistan Surveyor General of Pakistan Survey of India British Indian Civil Service (BICS)] Khalsa College, Amritsar (KCM) |
| Alma mater | Punjab University, Lahore |
| Known for | Cartography and thematic cartography |
| Notable awards |
Tamgha-e-Quaid-e-Azam (1966) Nishan-i-Humayun (1956) |
Prof Chaudry Mohammad Aslam (1900–1965) was a Pakistani mathematician and renowned cartographer. He was the surveyor general of Pakistan who was instrumental in the demarcation of the borders of the then newly established Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
Early life and education
He was born in British India in 1900 and was initially educated in Amritsar and Lahore, Punjab. He graduated and received his D.Sc. in mathematics, and gained specialisation in Cartography, from Punjab University, Lahore; he became a full professor of mathematics at Khalsa College, Amritsar.
Surveyor General of Pakistan
He subsequently became an officer in the British Indian Civil Service and joined the Survey of India. His contribution to the mapping of the troubled North West Frontier province in 1930s was rewarded by the bestowment of the title of Khan Bahadur by the British in 1946. On the independence and partition of British India he led various survey missions to map the new dominions of East and West Pakistan, the borders of which were disputed in a number of areas.
He was responsible for the demarcation of the border with Persia. As a result of this he was awarded the Nishan-i-Humayun by the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. He subsequently rose to the rank of Surveyor General of Pakistan. He was called to chair the boundary commission between Pakistan and China in 1963 that lead to a historic boundary agreement being signed between the two countries on 2 March 1963 at the Great Hall of the People, Beijing (then Peking). His delegation was hosted by Chairman Mao Ze Dong and Premier Zhou Enlai. Much of this boundary continues to remain disputed by the government of India. An account of the signing of the Sino-Pak boundary agreement (including 2 photographs of C M Aslam) has been given by Qudrat Ullah Shahab in his famous book: Shahab Nama. A picture of Chaudry at the Survey of Pakistan Office can be found in the December 1951 issue of National Geographic Magazine (USA).
Chaudry was awarded the Tamgha-Quaid-e-Azam posthumously by the government of Pakistan in 1966.