About Him...
Tariq Mirza was born in Sialkot, Pakistan, to Abdul Salam and Zubaida Begum, on August 31st 1949 - a mere two years after the Indo-Pak partition. He grew up in an era of change: a new country, brimming with potential. And perhaps that spurred on his pursuit and thirst for knowledge.
As the eldest of four siblings, and the first son, his father had lofty ambitions for him to become a bureaucrat. But Tariq's passions were vast and far exceeded the cultural and social limitations of the time.
A lover of planes and flying, he was keen to become a pilot. Having passed all the relevant exams, he failed at the last hurdle pertaining to his eyesight and was heartbroken.
Encouraged by his father to follow in his footsteps, he enlisted in the Pakistan Army in the early 1970s. As a man who believed staunchly in peace and equality for all, he abandoned training, recognising that his passions were to be found elsewhere.
A vociferous reader, he loved literature and spent his spare time reading literary journals and poetry, including Ghalib, Mir, Faraz, Faiz, Iqbal and many others. He acquired a Master's in English Literature from Government College, Lahore in the mid 1970s. His academic prowess was such that his alma mater, Government High School for Boys, Sialkot, had his name engraved on a plaque as the highest achieving student of all time.
He took up a government job as an Intelligence Officer for two or three years, then entered the world of business. He married Rubina in March 1984 and went on to have five children : Sonia, Sarah, Zara, Tania and Haider.
A man of great emotional intelligence, ethics and inherent honesty, he found little success in the business world of Pakistan. He settled in London in the early 2000s and took up a keen interest in homeopathy.
What began as a passion project, soon became a full-time, pro-bono j0b: he'd sit at his laptop for hours at a time, conducting research into various ailments that family, friends and complete strangers complained of. A folder attributed to each person who approached him with a problem, he packed it full with advice and suggestions on what remedies to try. In his pursuit of aiding and healing others, he helped hundreds across the world find some relief from their afflictions.
A much-loved and much-revered man, who spent his time in the service of others - often neglecting himself entirely. Be it secretly leaving envelopes of money under a struggling friend's pillow, or bailing out a domestic worker accused of robbery for fear of the man losing his livelihood, Tariq Mirza was an advocate for the poor, the disenfranchised, and those who struggled to find their voice. We shall miss him dearly for all our remaining days.