Dr Rafi Jan, addressing an event. Photo: Screenshot from Pakistan Newspapers video by Mohsin Zaheer
Dr. Rafiq Jan, a prominent Pakistani-American physician and social activist, died of heart attack Sunday night. He was 86.
Dr. Jan, who hailed from Hangu in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, was rushed to a hospital after he collapsed at his residence in Yonkers, New York, but doctors could not revive him.
He leaves behind a wife and five children.
A graduate of King Edward Medical University, Dr. Jan and was among the first of Pakistani medical doctors to come to the United States in 1958.
Jan had a lifelong love for Pakistan, the country of his origin, but he served America with great distinction and to much admiration from New Yorkers.
He served the Pakistani community in New York with diligence and always worked to keep it united. At community events here, he used to sing the Pakistan National Anthem in his vibrant voice and ask every one to join him. “I live in America, but my heart is in Pakistan,” he used to say.
He was a patron/member of a number of organizations, including the Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America (APPNA), which has over 5,000 members.
Dr. Jan slowed down his activities after his previous heart attack several years ago. Before that, he used to go to Pakistan every year and set up free eye camps in Hangu and elsewhere and provide treatment to the poor.
His palatial house in Yonkers, N.Y., was the venue of many community events. A gracious host, he used to entertain visiting Pakistani leaders, officials, sportsmen and film stars.
Dilip Kumar was one of his close friends. Te iconic star used to visit Dr. Jan’s residence whenever he came to the United States.
