Draft:Tasneem Ahmad Siddiqui

Tasneem Ahmad Siddiqui (October 10, 1939 to January 28, 2022 ) was a Pakistani civil servant and social activist. He is best known as the founder of Khuda-ki-Basti Incremental Development Scheme (KKB-IDS), which aims to address the problems of affordable housing for the urban poor. The model was awarded the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 1995. For his work as a public servant, he was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Government Service in Philippines in 1999, and Sitara-e-Imtiaz by the Government of Pakistan in the same year.

Early life
Tasneem Siddiqui was born in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, British India on October 12, 1939. His early education was disrupted when his family migrated to present-day Pakistan after the Partition of India in 1947.

He received his school and college education in Sukkur (Sindh), and higher education from University of Sindh, Hyderabad where he received an MA in Political Science, and an MA in English Literature.

In 1983, he attended Harvard Kennedy School of Government (USA) for further studies and obtained a Masters in Public Administration.

Civil service career
He joined the Civil Service of Pakistan (CSP) in 1965. As a trainee at Civil Service Academy in Lahore and later at the Pakistan Rural Academy in Comilla, Siddiqui met renowned development practitioner and social scientist Akhter Hameed Khan, and was inspired by Khan's passion to alleviate poverty and his community-building approach.

In 1969 he was sent for two years to East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), and was there when the military action started in March 1971. He narrowly escaped during the ensuing violence that claimed thousands of lives.

During his career, he held several key positions including Director General (DG) of Excise and Taxation, Hyderabad Development Authority (HDA), and Sindh Katchi Abadis Authority (SKAA). At the senior level, he served as Secretary Industries, Secretary Public Health Engineering, as well as Chief Secretary Sindh.

Affordable housing
During his tenure as the Director-General Hyderabad Development Authority, Tasneem became interested in the challenges of affordable housing for the urban poor. In 1987, he designed the Khuda-ki-Basti Incremental Development Scheme (KKB-IDS), which aimed to address the weaknesses and improved upon the Site and Services approach to affordable housing (initiated by the World Bank in Madras, India) which had faced mounting criticism for its failure to reach the lowest strata of the urban population and address the urban shelter crisis.

Loosely translated as the "City of God", the Khuda Ki Basti model is based on the concept of 'incremental housing' whereby residents are provided with a piece of land on affordable terms, and build their house progressively or incrementally, with their own labor and financial resources. Residents of the scheme pool their resources to buy services and amenities, and gradually upgrade their shelter towards permanence. While designing KKB-IDS, Tasneem was careful to avoid the reasons for the failure of previous state-sponsored low-income housing schemes, and gained insights from the efficiency of informal land developers. A special focus was placed on controlling the problem of land speculation.

Today KKB-IDS is recognized as one of the best options for solving the issue of shelter for the urban poor. The KKB-IDS model was awarded the prestigious Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 1995. Tasneem's contribution as a social entrepreneur has been recognized by various global institutions including Schwab Foundation under the auspices of the World Economic Forum, and the Ashoka Fellowship.

In order to institutionalize the lessons learnt from KKB-IDS, in 1992 Siddiqui set up an NGO Saiban-Action Research for Shelter that has replicated the KKB-IDS model in 3 additional cities of Pakistan, namely Gharo, Karachi, and Lahore. The evolution of the model has been a topic of research by international publications including GMSARN International Journal. Today these housing schemes are thriving and provide shelter to hundreds of thousands of urban poor.

Upgradation of Squatter Settlements
Tasneem Ahmad Siddiqui became Director-General of Sindh Katchi Abadis Authority (SKAA) in 1991. The authority had been formed in 1987 to address the issues of katchi abadis (illegal squatter settlements or shanty towns), home to 40 percent of Karachi's population, the largest city of Pakistan. The government wanted these katchi abadis to be regularized and integrated into the city with infrastructure and services. But for many years thereafter little was accomplished by the SKAA due to a host of bureaucratic hurdles.

Upon assuming charge of the SKAA, Siddiqui cut through red tape to make it easier for katchi abadis to be regularized. He assumed control of the lease-assigning process and streamlined it making SKAA self-financing. He utilized practical low-cost technologies for SKAA infrastructure projects, weeding out corrupt contractors and reducing costs. He worked with Orangi Pilot Project and other notable NGOs to improve SKAA's engagement with communities and to enhance social services such as health care, family planning, credit, and education.

Under Tasneem's leadership, SKAA had a visible and significant impact on the lives of the urban poor living in Karachi, and the methods he employed became a roadmap for other cities in developing countries battling a shelter crisis.

Tasneem's efforts at reforming the SKAA were recognized by being awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Government Service in 1999 in the Philippines, and Sitara-e-Imtiaz by the President of Pakistan in the same year.

Post-retirement work
After serving in different capacities in a number of cities Tasneem Siddiqui finally retired from government service in 2005.

He continues his work in low-income housing as Chairman of his NGO Saiban-Action Research for Shelter that aims to replicate and improve the KKB-IDS model. Siddiqui has been vocal in the support of squatters' rights all over Pakistan.

Tasneem is a member of the board at PPHI Sindh (People's Primary Healthcare Initiative), and also works with Orangi Pilot Project, Aurat Foundation and other notable NGOs.

Death
At the age of 82, Tasneem Ahmad Siddiqui died of a sudden cardiac arrest on 28 January 2022 in Karachi, where he was laid to rest.

Awards and honors

 * 1) Tasneem Siddiqui was awarded Sitara-e-Imtiaz in 1999, the third-highest honor and civilian award in the State of Pakistan.
 * 2) In 1999, he was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Government Service.
 * 3) His concept of Khuda-ki-Basti Incremental Development Scheme was awarded the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 1995.
 * 4) Elected to the Ashoka Fellowship in 2009
 * 5) Received the Award for Social Entrepreneurs from the Schwab Foundation under the World Economic Forum in 2005

Publications

 * 1) Towards Good Governance (published by Oxford University Press) in 2001 (ISBN 0-19-579188-6).
 * 2) Dynamics of Social Change (published by SAMA Editorial & Publishing Services) in 2005 (ISBN 9698784268).
 * 3) Pakistan - Time for Change (published by University of Karachi) in 2011 (ISBN 978-969-8791-35-3).
 * 4) Housing for the poor - Khuda ki Basti Revisited published by Ushba Publishing International in 2021 (ISBN 978-969-9154-53-9).
 * 5) Regular contributor to Dawn Newspaper, The News International, and Express Tribune, writing about governance, public policy, and urban planning.