Name Saidulla Dehlavi | ||
Saidulla Khan Dehlavi was a Pakistani career diplomat. He was a senior member of the Pakistan Foreign Service when he retired in 2001 as Ambassador to the European Union. He served as Pakistan's Ambassador to France and as Permanent Delegate to UNESCO. He also served as Ambassador to Switzerland, the Vatican, Yugoslavia, Albania and Ireland. Other postings were to Ankara and New Delhi, and as Director of the Foreign Minister's Office and Director General for South Asia in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Dehlavi received international decorations, including the Légion d'Honneur from France. He spoke French, Italian and Turkish. He was appointed member of Aga Khan University Board of Trustees in 2000 and became its Chairman from July 2001 until his death in February 2014.
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Early life
Dehlavi was born on 18 May 1941 in Calcutta, to Genevieve Chantrenne and Samiulla Khan Dehlavi, the elder of two sons. His younger brother is film director Jamil Dehlavi. His father Samiulla Khan Dehlavi served in the Indian Civil Service before rising to Foreign Secretary in the Pakistan Foreign Service, serving as ambassador in Italy, Egypt, Switzerland (simultaneously accredited to Albania), United Kingdom, France (simultaneously accredited to Ireland and UNESCO), Russia and Germany.
He studied in France, Italy, and attended Rugby school in the UK before graduating in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics from Oxford. He studied for the bar at Lincoln's Inn. After sitting the Central Superior Services exam he joined the Foreign Service in 1964. He married Talat Qureshi in 1966 and has a daughter, Maliha, a son, Ali and two grandsons, Ibrahim (Henri-Bernard) and Yusuf (Gérôme).
Educational work
He served as Chairman of Aga Khan University's Board of Trustees (2001–2014), succeeding Sahabzada Yaqub Khan. Before this he was a Trustee in 2000.
Personal life
Dehlavi had a passion for photography and his family.