Dr. Ijaz Bashir was born on 21 April 1961 in Gujrat. His father, Mirza Muhammad Bashir, was a distinguished businessman who established Decent Furniture, a well-known enterprise in Pakistan's furniture industry, in Gujrat. His mother, Begum Ayesha Bashir, was a homemaker whose life was deeply marked by a commitment to humanitarian service. With time, the family became widely recognized as the “Decent Family”, a description that gradually developed into their social identity.

A defining moment in the family's story occurred in the 1970s, when Mirza Muhammad Bashir performed Hajj and prayed that Allah would make his son, Ijaz Bashir, a doctor whom he could dedicate to the service of humanity. That prayer would later become the spiritual foundation of Dr. Ijaz Bashir's lifelong humanitarian mission.

In 1985, while still a student, Dr. Ijaz Bashir married his cousin, Begum Samiya Ijaz. She would become his steadfast companion and one of the strongest pillars of support throughout his humanitarian journey. Even during his student years, he had already begun participating in welfare activities. In 1987, he completed his MBBS from Allama Iqbal Medical College, Lahore.

Among the individuals he regards as his mentors are Shaheen Atiq-ur-Rehman, the late Brigadier Muhammad Sharif, Dr. Rifat Hussain, Ali Shabir and the late Akhtar Hameed Khan. Their guidance and encouragement helped shape his vision of institution building in social welfare and strengthened his commitment to organized, systematic, and sustainable humanitarian service.

After completing his education, Dr. Ijaz Bashir chose not to pursue a career in Lahore. Instead, he returned to his hometown, Gujrat, with the intention of dedicating his professional life to social welfare.

At the beginning of this journey, he was supported by relatives and close friends. His earliest supporters included his parents; his wife, Begum Samiya Ijaz; and his brothers, the late Mirza Muhammad Riaz, Mirza Muhammad Fiaz, Mirza Muhammad Mushtaq, Mirza Ashfaq Bashir, and Mirza Amir Bashir. Begum Samiya Ijaz played an especially central role. Beyond her role as his wife, Begum Samiya Ijaz has remained a devoted partner in Dr. Ijaz Bashir’s humanitarian mission. For more than two decades, she has graciously hosted visiting foreign medical teams, raised and guided their three children toward a life of service, and continues to volunteer actively in support of his humanitarian causes.

His younger brother, Mirza Ashfaq Bashir, on the other hand, extended support beyond financial contribution: he worked alongside him in the field and supervised several welfare activities.

As the mission expanded, many friends and well-wishers joined as benefactors. Among them were Dr. A. R. Gatrad, the late Khawaja Muhammad Aslam, the late Dr. Nicholas B. Hart, Dr. Muhammad Riaz, Mrs. Anita Khawaja, and Mrs. Toshiko Orita. What began as one person's commitment gradually developed into a collective and institutional humanitarian movement.

Dr. Ijaz Bashir has consistently believed that citizens should not depend solely upon the state to improve their conditions. In his view, people must participate actively in social development through self-help, civic responsibility, and collective action. Guided by this conviction, he mobilized the civic circles of Gujrat for social welfare and brought different charitable organizations together so that their efforts could be organized, coordinated, and meaningful.

By 1989, he had emerged as a strong advocate of civic participation and community engagement. Under his leadership and through his social advocacy, large-scale initiatives were launched in Gujrat's old neighborhoods, slums, and underdeveloped villages. These initiatives addressed sanitation, drainage systems, non-formal education, free medical camps, and public health training.

From the early 1990s, at the very beginning of his wider mission, he also welcomed national and international volunteers and involved them directly in practical humanitarian work at the grassroots level.

In 1991, Dr. Ijaz Bashir founded the Decent Welfare Society in Gujrat. Established as a voluntary social welfare organization, it went on to provide remarkable services in humanitarian relief, community support, education, and healthcare. Under his leadership, more than three thousand people in Gujrat were enabled to acquire basic literacy and numeracy through non-formal education.

The Decent Welfare Society also played a vital role during earthquakes, floods, and epidemics. Its work continues today through humanitarian aid programs, community-support initiatives, basic health centers, and rehabilitation facilities for persons with disabilities in Gujrat.

On 14 January 1994, Dr. Ijaz Bashir established Bashir Hospital in Gujrat. Although the hospital was not founded as a charitable institution, it was not built upon the principle of profit maximization. Instead, it reflected a philosophy of socially responsible entrepreneurship, seeking to make quality healthcare financially accessible to ordinary people.

In 1995, through a volunteer collaboration between the Decent Welfare Society and Bashir Hospital, Dr. Ijaz Bashir initiated the treatment of patients with cleft lip and palate. This modest beginning became the foundation of a major national mission. To institutionalize and expand comprehensive cleft care across Pakistan, he subsequently founded the Pakistan Cleft Lip and Palate Association in 2000, the Cleft Hospital in 2011, and the Ayesha Bashir Trust Hospital in 2014.

Throughout his journey, Dr. Ijaz Bashir has given particular importance to capacity building, skills development, and the transfer of knowledge. He initiated numerous programs for youth training, medical-staff development, and professional skill enhancement.

These efforts included the training of paramedical staff in collaboration with the Voluntary Services Organization of the United Kingdom, technical skills-development programs, his patronage of the Vocational Training Institute in Gujrat in 1996, and the establishment of the Informatics College of Allied Health Sciences in 2022.

The Informatics College of Allied Health Sciences operates according to a social-impact entrepreneurship model designed to make allied health education accessible to people from diverse socio-economic backgrounds. Under this model, the income generated by the institution is reinvested into the college itself, sustaining and expanding its educational mission.

In line with the vision of Dr. Ijaz Bashir, Ayesha Bashir Trust Hospital places special emphasis not only on the treatment of cleft lip and palate but also on research, technology transfer, and skills transfer. A dedicated Research Centre is actively working at the hospital in the field of cleft lip and palate, and its research work has resulted in several publications in reputable national and international research journals. Under the same vision, significant efforts are also being made to transfer modern medical knowledge, technology, and clinical skills to strengthen the capacity of healthcare professionals and promote advanced treatment, research, and professional training in cleft care in Pakistan.

In 2026, Dr. Ijaz Bashir also established the Dr. Muhammad Riaz Plastic Surgery Training Center in Gujrat. The center was named in honor of his close companion in this mission, the British-Pakistani Plastic surgeon Dr. Muhammad Riaz.

Although Dr. Ijaz Bashir did not directly seek government support for his welfare mission, he consistently extended full cooperation to initiatives serving the public interest whenever collaboration was required.

Over the years, he served on the National Council of Social Welfare, provided patronage to the Vocational Training Institute for many years, introduced reforms while serving as Chairman of the District Zakat Committee, served as a Syndicate Member of the University of Gujrat, and contributed voluntarily to a range of district- and provincial-level coordination projects. These included the Ujala Project of the Punjab Social Welfare Department.

Beyond the institutions he founded, Dr. Ijaz Bashir also rendered voluntary services to the Akhuwat Foundation, the Pakistan Red Crescent Society, the Association of Family Physicians, Gujrat Welfare Forum, the Pakistan Youth Hostels Association, and Kidney Center Gujrat.

His humanitarian outlook has never been confined by national borders. Through the universal bond of service, Dr. Ijaz Bashir developed cross-border humanitarian partnerships with organizations including Midland International Aid Trust, Overseas Plastic Surgery Appeal, and Sehat Foundation. Moreover, the medical staff trained under Dr. Ijaz Bashir's guidance now volunteer in delivering healthcare to communities in conflict- and war-affected regions. These collaborations strengthened a shared spirit of service that transcended nations and boundaries.

Dr. Ijaz Bashir's contributions extend beyond healthcare and social welfare. He has also worked actively for environmental sustainability and the preservation of nature. As part of his efforts against pollution, he has supported plantation drives and has consistently advocated for global action against single-use plastics, while promoting community awareness and strengthening local capacity to prepare for and respond to urban flooding.

His work also identifies him not only as a humanitarian leader, but as a social reformer. Gujrat was once known for deeply rooted family feuds. Through his efforts, the city witnessed a gradual social transformation and emerged as a strong center of humanitarian service. In place of rivalry and division, a culture of positive and constructive competition in serving humanity began to flourish among families.

After Nawab Sir Fazal Ali, Dr. Ijaz Bashir is regarded as one of the most prominent welfare figures of Gujrat. In recognition of his lifelong dedication to humanitarian service, he is often referred to in many social circles as "The Edhi of Gujrat."

Now in his mid-sixties, Dr. Ijaz Bashir remains energetic, steadfast, and deeply committed to his mission. He continues to serve humanity with the same passion and dedication with which he began in 1989. His day still begins with serving people and ends with serving people, only to begin again the following day with the same unwavering spirit.

For Dr. Ijaz Bashir, society is not separate from family; society is family itself. In the history of Gujrat's social welfare, he stands as a lasting symbol of compassion, perseverance, and selfless service - a legacy that continues to inspire generations to come.