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Pervez Iqbal Cheema
A report recently published in a leading national daily (The Nation) on 27th July unambiguously stated that after receiving intelligence reports indicating links between RAW (Research and Analysis Wing) and militant organizations nation’s top security brass has ordered a thorough probe into the involvement of India in the growing militancy in Waziristan and other tribal areas.
Not only the intelligence reports show the involvement of India’s main spy agency RAW in fomenting anti-Pakistan feelings there but also the information extracted from the arrested militants during Hangu operation also supported the contention. While the source stressed that the reports were credible enough to be accepted, it was decided to have a joint probe involving country’s main security agencies in order to ascertain the nature and cooperation between the militants and Indian spy agency.
While RAW is commonly known to dabble into nefarious acts inside Pakistan, yet it not appropriate to put the blame on RAW unless a definite and convincing proof is provided by the above mentioned probe. To put the blame just like that is no different than what the Indian have been doing so regularly and so consistently after any adverse event that had taken place inside India only to realize that those were undertaken by the Indians or India based groups.
Admittedly there exist sufficient circumstantial evidences to point a finger at the Indian agency and past, both recent and distant, is studded with innumerable instances in which RAW was known to be involved. Compared to India, Pakistan has never indulged in the blame game unless it has some evidence where as Indian practice has been to put the blame first and then try to either collect the evidence or manufacture it.
It needs to be mentioned here that lately even the Afghan government is demonstrating the techniques it learnt from India. Following the recent Kabul bomb blast in the Indian embassy, the Afghan officials including the President whose writ is known to be confined to Kabul, in their indecent haste did not hesitate to quickly pin the blame on Pakistan based agency without advancing any evidence.
Many eminent non Pakistani scholars who are familiar with the complex nature of the area have written about Taliban stressed that not only the US intelligence community is well aware about this problem which is exacerbated by Taliban alliance with Al Qaeda moving into Pakistani territories but also because of covert support by the Indian government and its intelligence services-principally RAW for the Jihadist movement.
A cursory review of India-Pakistan relations over the last sixty years clearly point towards the fact that both countries’ intelligence agencies have been exploiting situations in one form or the other with one major difference between them. The Indian agencies would immediately point the finger at Pakistan almost immediately after the incident whereas the Pakistanis would first search for some piece of evidence and then build the case against India. Being a large country and having a large network of intelligence agencies with close connections with agencies Israeli Mossad, the Indian agencies also operate from Afghanistan with the active support of the incumbent Afghan government.
It is not too far fetched to assume that the American intelligence agencies are well aware of RAW’s activities in the region especially in Afghanistan, yet they have opted to avoid criticizing their activities against Pakistan. Again no Pakistani would be agitated as they are well familiar about India’s over projection of the notion of cross border terrorism with regard to Kashmir situation and the American ready acceptance of Indian interpretation of the Kashmir situation.
Pakistan appears to be easily available punching bag which not only the Indians and Afghans but even the Americans do not hesitate to throw punches. However compared to the Indians and Afghans, the Americans appear to be relatively sophisticated in their approach. The Afghans and Indians throw punches at will.
The American problem is that they do not want to annoy India and at the same time would like to have Pakistan on their right side. Not only they have been building India at the cost of even destroying NPT regime but also feel convinced that a strong India would be able to counter the increasing Chinese influence in Asia. Admittedly India is advancing at a much rapid pace in terms of development but to play the role of a regional influential it may have to demonstrate qualities deemed necessary for a great power’s role.
A further complicating factor is the American commitment to Afghanistan. Judged by any yardstick the Americans along with NATO forces have not yet been able to extend incumbent Afghan regime’s writ beyond a limited area. The foreign forces have certain met limited success. Undoubtedly it appears that foreign forces may have to stay for a much longer time than what they initially anticipated.
Unable to deliver the augured outcome, one finds that the notion of do more is frequently aired. Most objective analysis invariably concluded that the notion of do more is part of the diversionary tactics. Inability to keep pace with anticipated outcomes often compels them to employ such tactics to buy time.
However this does not mean that both the Taliban and Al Qaeda have not been illegally using parts of Tribal areas. In fact the illegal use of Pakistani Tribal territory has caused many undesired problems for Pakistan. The Pakistani government is making efforts to stamp out the militancy and to plug the illegal cross border movements in the Pak-Afghan border region.
In this connection, the Americans should not only provide necessary help to government of Pakistan and strengthen its hands to deal with the problem effectively but should also effective prevent the Indians and the Afghans support to the militants in the tribal areas.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Friday, August 22, 2008
Pakistans Rich List of 2008
Short-listing Pakistan’s most influential business magnates or Groups has never been an easy task because there are the people who have been very powerful in nearly every regime that has held this country’s reins since the last 60 years and then we have had those seasonal species that maneuvered their voice to be heard better than most within the power corridors, but later vanished into the oblivion for one reason or the other. We have selected only those tycoons who have made their presence felt for a better part of country’s history, have earned consistently, have been setting up units at regular intervals or have been legends in stocks, currency or real estate business.
The list excludes many names that have previously qualified and all of Pakistan’s most prominent feudal land lords who would definitely make it to the top 10, expect the few land owners which have declared their assets and work force and registered with the CBR Islamabad. In order to promote the new and “unknown” Pakistani magnates we have excluded in previous entities.
Unfortunately, our extensive research does not currently include the names of a few stars that shone brightly amidst the galaxy of the influential creed of yesteryear like C.M.Latif of BECO- the Steel Man of Pakistan- who did make a lot of name once, but then got gifted with contentment somehow, although the late business wizard got very badly hit by Bhutto’s nationalization of 1970 which had inflicted an astounding thud to everybody in business then. Had it not been the case, many of our tycoons may well have managed to gain the kind of status greeting the likes of Birlas and Tatas in India today, if not the one saluting Bill Gates or Warren Buffet. Among these gifted individuals, you will find politicians-turned-businessmen, businessmen-turned-politicians or even the businessmen-cum-politicians. With malice towards none and with no intention to decorate somebody, We thus takes the pride of announcing these names. We hope this document will go a long way in serving as the most authentic endeavor of its kind for a very long time to come. It has been prepared very carefully in consultation with leading real estate barons, stock moguls, business leaders of virtue and senior bureaucrats at the Central Board of Revenue.
1 - Mian Muhammad Mansha Yaha Pakistan
Ranking: 1 Worth: £1.25b ($2.5billion)Industry: Businessman
Mansha has around 40 companies on board. Mansha, who owns the Muslim Commercial Bank is also setting up a $ 17m paper mill. He is one of the richest Pakistanis around. Nishat Group was country’s 15th richest family in 1970, 6th in 1990 and Number 1 in 1997. Mansha is on the board of nearly 50 companies. He is deemed to have made investments in many bourses, currency and metal exchanges both within and outside Pakistan. He could have bought the United Bank too, but then who doesn’t have adversaries. Nishat Group comprises of textiles, cement, leasing, insurance and management companies. If Mansha was bitten by Bhutto’s nationalization stint of 1970, his friends think he was compensated by Nawaz Sharif’s denationalization programme to a very good effect. There is no stopping Mansha and he is still on the move.
Nishat group assets are $4.4Billion. He is sometimes even regarded as the richest Pakistani around by his friends claiming he does not “show it off”.
2 - Asif Ali Zardari Pakistan
Ranking: 2 Worth: £900m ($1.8billion) Industry: Politics
Asif Zardari dubbed “Mr 10%” an unknown happy-go-lucky son of a small-time businessman who struck gold by marrying one of the worlds most glamorous women Former Prime Minister of Pakistan Benzair Bhutto. Taking advantage of his wife’s authority he is known to have taken kickbacks from many deals inside and outside of Pakistan. The most famous was a $4 billion deal to buy 32 Mirage jets from the French company Dassault. Documents, which include letters from Dassault executives, indicate an agreement was reached to pay a 5% “remuneration” - about $200m - to Marleton Business, a BVI company controlled by Zardari. Besides these many more kickback deals were taken with companies such as ARY Gold, Social de Surveillance (SGS), Cotecna, and ZPC Ursus, a Polish tractor company.
Zardari assets holding amount into hundreds of millions of dollars easily, Having 8 prime properties in the UK, of which once is the famous Rockwood Estate 365 acres in Surrey, worth £4.35m has now been sold and money sent back to the Govt. of Pakistan. Also 14 multi-million dollar mansions in the USA, including owning Holiday Inn hotel Houston, Texas Owned by “Mr 10%“ and Iqbal Memon and Sadar-ud-Din Hashwani.
They (Zardari and B.Bhutto) also have huge business ventures in the Middle East running into hundreds of millions if not billion mark. Mr Zardari also has huge stakes in sugar mills all over Pakistan,which include: Sakrand Sugar Mills, Nawabshah, Ansari Sugar Mills, Hyderabad, Mirza Sugar Mills, Badin, Pangrio Sugar Mills, Thatta and Bachani Sugar Mills, Sanghar.
3 - Sir Anwar Pervaiz UK
Ranking: 3 Worth: £750m ($1.5billion) Industry: Businessman
Chairman of Bestway Group. The Bestway Group started in 1976 with its first Bestway cash and carry warehouse opened in London. Today the have in total around 50 Cash and Carry’s. Including their recent takeover of rival group Batleys for around £100m. Bestway Group ventured into Pakistan’s huge the cement business in 1995 and set up cement manufacturing plant in Pakistan at a cost of $120 million.
Taking Advantage of Pakistan growing economy they also acquired a 25.5% stake in United Bank Limited in 2002. Today, the Bestway Group has interests in cash & carry wholesale, property investments, retail outlets, milling of rice, lentils and pulses, cement production and more recently into banking. The group’s total sales amounted to in excess of £ 2 billion. The group provides direct employment to thousands in the UK and Pakistan. The have many interests in Pakistan too. Sir Anwar Pervaiz and his his partners sheer hard work has bought them to outstanding international levels, which definitely makes him an ideal role model for many young Pakistanis today. He still on the move!
4 - Nawaz Sharif & Shahbaz Sharif family Saudi Arabia/Pakistan
Ranking: 4 Worth: £700m ($1.4billion) Industry: Politics/Businessman
Mr Sharif Businessman turned politician the former Prime Minister of Pakistan. He was ousted in a military coup in 1999 and was forced to forfeit $9million dollars and some of his assets including his $5m Mansion is Raiwind near Lahore. Before becoming PM he was a major share holder along with his brother and cousins of Ittefaq Group, having assets well in excess of £50m in the 90’s. However he got richer when he took commissions from foreign companies for construction in Pakistan. He build the first motorway and many new roads and took heavy kickbacks. He then also stole $100m from the Iqra funds, he started a new scheme “Ghar Apna” in which he again looted around $40m, the “Mulk swaaro” scheme involving public & govt. money collections to help pay pf Pakistan’s debts also was pocketed. Today he lives in exile in Saudi Arabia where it is known he has a new huge business empire in various sectors.
5 - Saddaruddin Hashwani Pakistan
Ranking: 5 Worth: £550m ($1.1billion) Industry: Businessman
Saddaruddin Hashwani is Chairman Hashoo Group is known for his dominance in Pakistan’s hotel industry, though Hashwanis are have huge strength in real estate business too. Hashwanis are involved in trading of cotton, grain and steel and till the nationalization of cotton export in 1974, they were widely being dubbed as the Cotton Kings of Pakistan. Today, this group has excelled in export of rice, wheat, cotton and barley. It owns textile units, besides having invested billions in mines, minerals. hotels, insurance, batteries, tobacco, residential properties, construction, engineering and information technology. In 1984, Hashwani defeated the Lakhanis in the bid for Premier Tobacco but was arrested along with his brother Akbar in 1986 for allegedly evading customs duty on cigarettes. Sadarduddin’s brother Akbar and the children of another late brother Hassan Ali Hashwani together manage around 45 companies. Akbar runs the second Hashwani Group. He is one of the most well-known magnates in Pakistan who is a regular invitee at the Diplomatic Enclave. The list of local and international bigwigs known personally to Hashwani is unending.
6 - Nasir Schon & family U.A.E/Pakistan
Ranking: 6 (tied at 6) Worth: £500m ($1billion) Industry: Businessman
Nasir Schon is a prominent business leader of Pakistan and the CEO of Schon Group. Nasir Schon is the son of Captain Ather Schon Hussain, an ex-pilot of PIA. The Schon family is one of the few striving Muhajir Urdu business families in Pakistan. Starting off in Singapore in 1982, the peek of Schon group was in 1995 when they owned National Fibres, Schon Bank, Schon Textiles and Pak-China Fertizilers. Famous for the trend-setting roundabout, Schon Circle, Nasir Schon is also known to be one of the first people to have a Rolls-Royce in Pakistan. Directors of Schon group flew to Dubai in 1997 in exile after the dismissal of ex-Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. The directors of Schon group were known to have close contacts with the husband of former Prime Minister, Asif Zardari. Many assets of the Schon group were auctioned by the Nawaz Sharif government. Schon Group is the only group in Pakistan who has paid the government over 3 billion rupees ($65m) in order to return from exile. Living in Dubai gave Nasir Schon an opportunity to start businesses there. Currently working on an $830 million real estate project known as Dubai lagoon, Schon group is also fighting to get back the assets they once lost. Currently, the Schon group operates a pilot training center in Pakistan known as Schon Air.
7 - Abdul Razzaq Yakoub & family U.A.E
Ranking: 6 (tied at 6) Worth: £500m ($1billion) Industry: Businessman
Mr Yakoub is a prominent Pakistani expatriate businessman based in Dubai. He is the president ARY group ($1.5Billion turnover) and World Memon Organization (WMO). He is one of Pakistan’s biggest media barons controlling around 7 channels. Besides this he has a huge property holdings in Karachi, Islamabad and Dubai amounting to over $200m. He is major in the gold market also having around 20 outlets in Asia. He has also been involved in paying Asif Zardari $5m in 1990’s for allowing him to import/export gold. Which he denies and claim’s is government forgeries.
8 - Rafiq Habib & Rasheed Habib Pakistan
Ranking: 7 Worth: £450m ($900) Industry: Businessman
Legend has it that the Goddess of Wealth has been in love with the seasoned Habibs more than anybody else in Pakistan. Most pundits believe that Habibs own at least 100 companies throughout the world, but these content mega-tycoons never boast off, something which has made it uphill for most to predict about their financial standing. This industrial group was founded by Seth Habib Mitha, born in 1878 to Esmail Ali-a factory owner in Bombay. The financial strength of the Habibs can be gauged from the fact that Muhammad Ali Habib gave a cheque of Rs 80 million to Quaid-e-Azam in 1948 at a time when Pakistan government was penniless owing to delay in transfer of Pakistan’s share of Rs. 750 million by the Reserve Bank of India. They had offices in Europe in 1912. They incorporated the Habib Bank in 1941. They own the Habib Bank A.G Zurich, Bank Al-Habib, Indus Motors assembling Corolla cars and many dozens of units in sectors such as jute, paper sack, minerals, steel, tiles, synthetics sugar, glass, construction, concrete, farm autos, banking, oil, computers, music, paper, packages, leasing and capital management. Habibs today are headed by Rafiq Habib and Rashid Habib in two distinct groups. What makes them extremely influential players of all times is the fact that for dozens of top businessmen today, Habib were a myth once.
9 - Tariq Saigol & Nasim Saigol Pakistan
Ranking: 8 Worth: £425m ($850) Industry: Businessman
Hailing from Jhelum. The pioneer of the Saigol dynasty in 1890 was Amin Saigol who established a shoe shop that eventually transformed into Kohinoor Rubber Works. And then times saw them shining literally like the Kohinoor until their progress was halted by Nationalization in which they lost two-thirds of their wealth. Saigols got trifurcated in 1976 and 15 descendents of Amin Saigols four sons got a share. The name of the Saigols has been used in this part of the world as similes describing quantum of wealth. Yousaf Saigol, along with his brothers Sayeed Saigol, Bashir Saigol and Gul Saigol then nourished an excellent crop. In 1948, Saigols established the Kohinoor Textile Mills with a cost of Rs 8 million and this group happens to be the first to open an LC with the State Bank of Pakistan. They bought the United Bank in 1959 and then witnessed five of their units getting nationalized. They lived in Saudi Arabia during the Bhutto regime. Today, cousins Tariq and Nasim are holding the family’s fort together and have risen to unprecedented heights in individual capacities. NAB did haunt Nasim but Tariq spent more time either accepting or refusing prized slots everywhere. Tariq is the one of the finest business brains around.
10 - Dewan Yousaf Farooqui Pakistan
Ranking: 9 (tied at 9) Worth: £400m ($800) Industry: Businessman
Mr Farooqui. The mentor of this group has been the Sindh Minister for Local Bodies. Industries, Labour, Transport, Mines & Minerals. Dewan Mushtaq Group is one of the Pakistan’s largest industrial conglomerates in sectors like polyester acrylic fiber, manufacturing and automotives. Six of their companies are listed at the Karachi & stock Exchange and one at the Luxembourg bourse. Dewan Farooqui Motors assembles around 10,000 cars annually under technical license agreement with Hyundai and Kia Motors of Korea. The Dewan Salman Fiber is the pride of this empire as it ranks 11th in the world in total production capacity. The group owns three textile units, a motorcycle manufacturing concern and the largest sugar unit in the country. Dewans also have business interests in India. They possess dozens of millions of shares of Saudi Cement and Pak land Cement. They also have the franchise licence for BMW in Pakistan and now Rolls Royce showrooms.
11 - Sultan Ali Lakhani & family Pakistan
Ranking: 9 (tied at 9) Worth: £400m ($800) Industry: Businessman
The Lakhanis are currently having a hard time at the hands of NAB. Sultan Lakhani and his three brothers run this prestigious group and the chain of McDonald’s restaurants in Pakistan. NAB has alleged the Lakhanis of having created phoney companies through worthless directors and raised massive loans from various banks and financial institutions. Sultan is currently abroad after having served a jail term with younger sibling Amin, though the latter was released much earlier. NAB had reportedly demanded Rs 7 billion from Lakhanis, but later agreed they pay only Rs 1.5 billion over a 10-year period. Lakhanis, like their arch-rivals Hashwanis, are the most well-known of all Ismaeli tycoons. Their stakes range from media, tobacco, paper, chemicals and surgical equipment to cotton, packaging, insurance, detergents and other house-hold items, many of which are joint ventures with leading international conglomerates. Though Lakhanis are in turbulent waters currently, the success that greeted them during the last 25 years especially has been tremendous. They have rifts with large business empires despite being known fur their genteel nature. Whether it is any government in Sindh or at the Federal level, Lakhanis have had trusted friends everywhere, though the present era has proved a painful exception.
12 - Malik Riaz Hussain Pakistan
Ranking: 9 (tied at 9) Worth: £400m ($800) Industry: Businessman
Malik Riaz Hussain heads the massive project which is currently developing state-of-the-art schemes in Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi/Islamabad. Emerging out of the blue, this developer has reportedly developed tremendous connections where it matters in Pakistan-One of the few reasons why his constructed projects get completed in time without hindrance. Whether he has gifted bungalows free of cost of country’s bigwigs or offered them at highly concessional rates, the reality on the ground is that Malik has managed to mesmerize most through his generous wallet. His land-holdings both within and outside Pakistan amounts to nearly a billion dollar. He is the man behind the Bahria Town. Irrespective of who is in power; he continues to build house after house-swelling his wealth. He is also the first man to drive a Bentley car on Pakistani soil.
13 - Sheikh Abid Hussain alias Seth Abid Pakistan
Ranking: 10 Worth: £390m ($780) Industry: Businessman
Sheikh Abid Hussain alias Seth Abid. He is one of the most resourceful developers/builders in the country owning vast stretches of land in major cities. On this land worth many billion of rupees, Seth has constructed residential schemes under the brand name of “Green Fort.” Seth came into this business after decades of notoriety as being one of the spearheads in cross-border smuggling. While many remember Seth for his allegedly illegal trading stints, a lot of informed circles still say with conviction that he, along with Dr.Qadeer and former Premier Bhutto, was the brain behind the success of Pakistan’s nuclear programme. About three dozen of Seth’s very close relatives, friends and nephews are members of country’s bourses and for many years now, the Seth Abid group assumes the role of king-makers during the annual polls of these stock exchanges. He is a leading investor in stocks, metals and currency but what gives him immense pleasure is his philanthropic institution Hamza Foundation that he sponsors for the welfare of deaf and dumb children. Pakistan has not had a single ruler, politician, bureaucrat or Army General who doesn’t know the Seth who is more of a myth for most. The Seth, throughout his life, has avoided publicity-a fact known to most journalists.
14 - Mian Mohammed Latif Pakistan
Ranking:11 Worth: £350m ($700) Industry: Businessman
Chenab Group Mian Muhammad Latif supervises this group along with his brother Mian Ashfaque- a legislator in the National Assembly of Pakistan. Founded in 1975, Chenab Limited set up its first fashion outlet “Chen One.” Chen One has seven outlets throughout Pakistan. After establishing its retail chain stores in various cities of Saudi Arabia, the group is now planning to establish its new retail chains in Bahrain, UA.E, Qatar, Kuwait and Central Asian Republics. While Chenab Group is an eight-time Export Trophy winner, its Chief Mian Latif has won the ‘Businessman of the Year award on four different occasions from various business bodies. Chenab is principally engaged in manufacture and distribution of clothing, furniture goods, including non-iron suit, quilt cover and curtains etc. Chenab processes 50 million square metres fabric weaving and 75 million square metres fabric dyeing every year and has established a global sales network spanning across five continents. Chenab is licensed to the Swedish Texcote Technology in the manufacturing and sale of textile materials, garments and textile house-hold goods. The group’s textile products have been awarded the Oekotex 100 accreditation.
15 - Haji Abdul Ghafoor & Haji Bashir Ahmed Pakistan
Ranking: 12 Worth: £330m ($660) Industry: Businessman
Sitara Group Started its activity with textile weaving as early as 1956, under brothers Haji Abdul Ghafoor and Haji Bashir Ahmed. It is now its textile cloth finishing and processing, textile spinning, chlor-alkali sector and in power generation. The units owned by this establishment include Sitara Chemicals, Sitara Chemicals (Textile Division 1) and Sitara Chemicals (Textile Division 11), Sitara Textiles, Sitara Energy and Yasir Spinning. The charities being managed under the aegis of Sitara group are Aziz Fatima Hospital, Ghafoor Bashir Children Hospital and Aziz Fatima Girls School. Sitara’s name with the industrial City of Faisalabad is synonymous. They are the decades-old veterans in business, who have excelled in leaps and bounds. At their units, the owners of Sitara use technology imported from Japan, UK and Germany and are export leaders in bedding and fabric collection to South America, USA, Canada, New Zealand and Europe. Their textile divisions together operate at strength of 33,984 spindles. The Sitara (group, to a common man, is more famous for its lawn brands like Sitara Sapna and Mughal-e-Azam. The men at helm of affairs in Sitara hardly believe in setting up dozens of units, of which they are otherwise very much capable of.
16 - Sheikhani Family Pakistan
Ranking: 13 Worth: £300m ($600) Industry: Businessman
They are one of the most reputed land developers in the country. The Sheikhani, although not a very big industrial establishment by any means, are led by Abu Bakar Sheikhani. The Sheikhanis are famous for their construction and land development-related errands. Abu Bakar is deemed to be one of the largest investors in real estate trade at Gwadar Port. He has all the right connections that are required to be in such business. Despite being well known to the national political circles, the man in street knew more of him during March/April 1991 when he surfaced as the single largest contributor to then Premier Nawaz Sharif’s Debt Retirement Fund with a donation of $ 8million. Today, his adversaries dub him a land mafia man, alleging him for selling his Gwadar land at only $ 4000 per acre only to senior Army officials while the same was being sold at $ 2,50,000 per acre to ordinary investors. But that is the way Sheikhani runs his vast land/construction empire. Accusations don’t disturb Sheikhani, who according to many large developers is a man who has managed to create tremendous impression in land business. The rumours of his landing in any Pakistani City for land acquisition purposes, helps the price of real estate surge unprecedented overnight
17 - Razzaq Dawood Pakistan/UAE
Ranking: 14 (tied at 14) Worth: £250m ($500) Industry: Businessman
Razzaq presently heads one of Pakistan’s biggest construction and engineering conglomerate know as Dawood group/Descen group. With a roaster of impressive clients. His group has won many contracts in Dubai, Saudi Arabia and Iraq and employ’s over 1,000 people directly. His name was more prominent among the top 22 richest families in 1970 until the Bhutto nationalization which then made him set up abroad, he returned to Pakistan in the early 90’s and started from scratch and today makes it in the top easily. The group also has investment of $300m in Bangladesh in investments in fertiliser, energy and infrastructure and development sectors.
18 - Byram Dinshawji Avari Pakistan
Ranking: 14 (tied at 14) Worth: £250m ($500) Industry: Businessman
Byram Dinshawji Avari is a prominent Pakistani Parsi tycoon in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Together with his sons Dinshaw and Xerxes and their direct families, he owns and operates the Avari Group of companies, of which he is the chairman. Hotel management is the Avari Group’s core business. In Pakistan, the group owns and operates Avari Hotels which includes 5-star deluxe hotel in Lahore, the 5-star Avari Towers and the seafront Beach Luxury Hotel in Karachi. The group is also actively pursuing opportunities for owning and/or managing 3 and 4-star properties elsewhere in Pakistan. The Avari Group is the first Pakistani company to have obtained international hotel management contracts: they operate the 200-room 4-star hotel in Dubai in United Arab Emirates and manage the 200-room Ramada Inn in Toronto at Pearson Airport in Canada.
19 - Rafiq Rangoonwala Pakistan
Ranking: 15 (tied at 14) Worth: £240m ($480) Industry: Businessman
Mr. Rafiq Rangoonwala, Chief Executive Officer Cupola Group of Companies, was born in Karachi, did BA (Hons.) from University of Karachi, went to United States of America in 1979, and did Executive Development Course from Whittemore School of Business, University of New Hampshire along with several management courses from U.K, U.S, Canada, Australia and Singapore. In 1980, he started his career in Fast Food restaurants from KFC in Houston. Since then he has managed several other brands alongside KFC like Pizza Hut, Harry Ramsden’s, TGI Fridays, Pizza Express etc. e joined Artal Restaurants International as CEO in October 1999 and is currently heading Cupola Group of Companies who has franchise rights in Pakistan for KFC, Indulge, Freshens and Casa. The associate Investment Company of Cupola is AL ABRAJ, with approximately US $400 million under management.
20 - Shimmy Querishi USA
Ranking: 15 (tied at 15) Worth: £240m ($480) Industry: Businessman
A jet-setting international businessman who fly’s by jet and swings a polo mallet with some of the world’s top players, Qureshi seems a model of successful enterprise. Shimmys business interests are mainly property, which with the boom and his holidings has took his wealth to a new level. Although people may remember him for his stunt in the early 90’s with George Lindemann, the billionaire founder of Cellular One, when Lindemann took him to court claiming he has cheated them in to a deal to buy their home on Hurlingham Drive in Wellington for $3.5 million. A year before the Lindemanns filed their suit, Qureshi bartered with another wealthy family - the al-Thanis, who rule the Arab country of Qatar - to buy Gulf Union Bank in the Cayman Islands.
In May 1997, the al-Thanis agreed to sell Gulf Union to International Business Holdings - a Cayman Islands company owned by Qureshi - for $4.5 million, according to court records.
While Cayman Islands officials were reviewing the deal, Qureshi named an associate, Kazmi, to run Gulf Union and a subsidiary, First Cayman Bank. Within three months, Kazmi, acting at Qureshi’s direction, had shunted more than $5 million from First Cayman into his own account and into accounts held by Qureshi and the al-Thanis. Shimmy Qureshi also fully manages all the properties in the USA owned by Asif Zardari.
21 - Faruque Khan Pakistan
Ranking:15 (tied at 15) Worth: £240m ($480) Industry: Businessman
The late Khan Bahadur Ghulam Faruque Khan (1899–1992) was a politician and industrialist of Pakistan. He belonged to the village Shaidu in Nowshera District, Nowshera is the home of the famous Pashtun Tribe the Khattaks of the NWFP Province in Pakistan. Because of his contribution to Pakistan’s Industrial development he is sometimes described as “The Goliath who Industrialized Pakistan., today his family own Cherat Cement Company Ltd. Cherat Papersack Ltd. Cherat Electric Ltd. Mirpurkhas Sugar Mills Ltd. Faruque (pvt) Ltd Greaves Air-Conditioning(pvt) Ltd Greaves Engineering Services(pvt) Ltd Unicol Ltd.- A JV Company Madian Hydro Power Ltd. - A JV Company Zensoft (pvt) Ltd and prime properties around Pakistan
22 - Shahid Luqman UK
Ranking: 16 (tied at 16) Worth: £230m ($460) Industry: Businessman
Shahid Luqman, born in Gujrat, is a financier from Manchester and has founded ‘Pearl Holdings’ for the property finance market He is a prominent property developer in the UK and in Pakistan is projects run into multi-million pounds. He also runs a loan facility. Although in the past it has been noticed of him filling bankruptcy and pocketing huge unpaid loans.
23 - Mukhtar Ahmed Pakistan
Ranking: 16 (tied at 16) Worth: £230m ($460) Industry: Businessman
Late Haji Sheikh Mohammad Ibrahim, founder of the Ibrahim Group, settled in Faisalabad after partition of India in 1947 and re-established his ancestral business of cloth trading by the name of “Ibrahim Agencies”. What is known in business today as Ibrahim Group with diversified business interests from Spinning to PSF, Financial Institutions to Banking and Energy, started off as a mere cloth trading agency just half a century ago. Recently Mr Ahmed bought a stake in the Allied Bank at $300m.
24 - Aqeel Karim Dhedi Pakistan
Ranking: 16 (tied at 16) Worth: £230m ($460) Industry: Businessman
Starting from interests in real estate and stock-broking in the year 1947, the late Haji Abdul Karim Dhedhi (may he rest in peace) laid the foundation of what today is the AKD group of companies, one of the largest domestic business enterprises in Pakistan with a combined net worth of over US$ 1 billion, of which Mr Karim share is at $400m. Mr. Aqeel Karim Dhedhi, son of (late) Haji Abdul Karim Dhedhi, is the Chairman of the AKD Group. He has built the AKD Group as a leading and vibrant set of business enterprises operating in key sectors of Pakistan’s economy, ranging from stocks and shares, media, textile, real estate and Oil and Gas exlporation. Yet AKD is still on the move!
25 - Syed Family Pakistan
Ranking: 17 (tied at 17) Worth: £220m ($440) Industry: Businessman
Listed on all three stock exchanges in Pakistan, Packages Limited has maintained a long-time credit rating of AA. The joint ventures and business alliances with some of the world’s biggest names reflect our forward-looking strategy of continuously improving customer value through improvements in productivity. The group also acquired a good number of Coca Cola plants in Pakistan. Its famous brands include Nestle Milk Pak, Treet, Mitchells and Tri Pack Films. It has stakes in the textile, dairy, agriculture and rice sectors too. The group’s contributions towards the cause of an independent Pakistan are unprecedented are the only packaging facility in Pakistan offering a complete range of packaging solutions including offset printed cartons, shipping containers and flexible packaging materials to individuals and businesses world-wide. They employ over 4000 people.
26 - Saif Family Pakistan
Ranking: 17 (tied at 17) Worth: £220m ($440) Industry: Businessman
Is owned and operated by the sons of famous NWFP lady politician Begum Kalsum Saifullah. Her eldest son Javid Saifullah heads this very powerful business group. Javid obtained his Master degree in Business Administration from the University of Pittsburgh, USA in 1973, followed by diversified experience of over 30 years in textiles, telecommunication, cement and Information Technology. He also remained the Chairman of All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) for two years and NWFP for seven years. He has also been the member Task Force IT & Telecommunication Advisory Board, Ministry of Science and Technology, Member of Task Force (Liberalization & Privatization of Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited), Ministry of Science & Technology) Javed Saifullah Khan is looking after the group businesses for the past 20 years. Saifullahs are in power always, in one form or the other. Javaid’s brothers Anwar Saifullah Khan (Former Federal Minister), Salim Saifullah Khan (king-maker in NWFP polities) and Osman Saifullah (another APTMA & wizard) have very close family ties with a lot of key politicians in the country, besides being related directly or indirectly through marriages to the families of a few leading and famous Army Generals who ruled Pakistan.
27 - Jehangir Elahi Pakistan
Ranking: 18 (tied at 18) Worth: £200m ($400) Industry: Businessman
Jehangir Elahi is brother in law of Mian Mohammad Mansha and is ranked among the tycoons in Pakistan. He has launched several projects as joint ventures with Mian Mohammad Mansha, as for example Genertech, one of the earliest private sector power plants conceived in Pakistan. Independently his group has four companies listed on the stock exchange.
28 - Sherazi Family Pakistan
Ranking: 18 (tied at 18) Worth: £200m ($400) Industry: Businessman
This group was founded by Yousaf Sherazi, a former Income Tax official and journalist in 1962 with a capital of Rs 03 million only. The first company set by the Atlas Group was Sherazi Investments (Pvt) Limited and since then, there is no looking back. The East Pakistan tragedy, however, nearly crippled Sherazi but he never lost hope and went out forming numerous joint ventures with leading Japanese concerns like Honda. Atlas-Honda today is a name to reckon with in country’s engineering sector and associated with this just one name are hundreds of vendors. He holds stakes in insurance, financial services, information technology, leasing, warehouses, office equipment, motor cars and motorcycle-assembling units, besides running a renowned firm that manufactures batteries. Sherazi owns the Atlas Investment Bank too. The Federal Budget 2004-05 is perhaps the only budget in country’s history that has hit the very influential car manufacturers on the head, otherwise people like Yousaf Sherazi have always managed to dictate terms where it matters. The Atlas Group owns no less than seven companies quoted on the stock exchanges of Pakistan. The group’s assets are believed to have touched the hundreds of millions dollars mark and so have the sales.
29 - Noon family Pakistan
Ranking: 19 Worth: £190m ($380m) Industry: Businessman
Noon family comes from Tiwana family from Mitha Tiwana. The Tiwana family lives in an old historical village in Khushab district. The Tiwana caste is a very popular landholding and influential political caste in the Khushab district. The Noon Family own 27 villages in Bhalwal and Bhera. The fields of these villages are very cultivated and fertile. The Landlord Noon family created many bankers, industrialists, ambassadors and politicians for Pakistan. The Noon family is very popular in the area because of their character , their attitude,their behaviour with the people and helps the poor and needy people in the area without any prejudice so Noon family is very well-wisher,well-behaved ,sympathetic with the area. On their land they own over 40 factories on total ranging from brick manufacturing to cotton farms and production. They are a tax paying landlords for this reason they are the only feudal lords including in this edition.
30 - Mian Abdullah Pakistan
Ranking: 19 Worth: £190m ($380m) Industry: Businessman
One of the largest manufacturers and exporters of textile products in Pakistan, Sapphire technology comes from Europe, Japan and USA. Capitalizing on the region’s principal crop, cotton, we source this locally, and augment our offerings by providing imported fiber from the world’s best crops. We work with specialized fibers bringing in the newest innovations from major fiber and chemical producers, and our manufacturing from yarn to finished fabric is performed in our facilities in Pakistan. Synergies are formed with offshore garment manufacturing companies. Our products are marketed to the industry’s biggest names in Asia, Europe, Australia, and North America. Over 14,000 employees ,Annual turnover US $ 500 Million
Headed by a veteran industrialist Mian Abdullah, this splendid empire owns 11 yarn spinning plants (producing 60,000 tonnes of yarn annually), 3 woven plants of greige fabric ( producing 50 million metres annually), one yarn dyeing plant (capacity 5 tonnes per day), one knitting unit (10 tonnes per day), one knitted fabric dyeing plant (10 tonnes per day), one woven fabric dyeing and finishing plant (1.2 million metres per month) and three power plants having the capability to produce 40 MW of energy. Sapphire forms synergies with off-shore garments companies. The group markets its products in biggest brand names in Asia, Europe, Australia and North America. Sapphire started with one spinning mill in 1969 and employs over 10,000 people. Mian Abdullah’s repute can be gauged from the fact during the October 2003 minis at APTMA, more than 1000 textile millers bad tendered their resignations against incumbent Chief Waqar Monnoo to him. Dozens of leading tycoons had proposed his name to head APTMA in case of an interim setup. Having an influence among textile millers is no easy job but Mian Abdullah stands privileged in this context He is often seen part of the entourages of key business leaders to foreign countries and provides input to fellow colleagues whenever requested.
31 - Shahzad Family Pakistan
Ranking: 20 (tied at 20) Worth: £170m ($340m) Industry: Businessman
Shahzad Group is a reputable name which takes pride in being identified as a beacon of business development involved in almost all avenues of Nation building activities i.e. Energy, Communications, Minerals, Construction, Geophysical survey, Security and many other ventures. Shahzad Group has , by itself, and in some cases in collaboration with foreign and local partners, who are the leading brand names in the world, identified, initiated, supervised and successfully completed major business ventures. Shahzad Group prides itself for its accomplishments during almost three decades of business activity. The Group has actively participated in enhancing Pakistan’s international competitiveness and social development, and for promotion of foreign and domestic investment in business ventures. It takes pride in delivering quality products, solutions and services that obtain a competitive advantage over others.
The Group is a wholly owned Pakistani establishment with offices in Calgary (Canada), Houston (USA), London, Kuwait, Beijing and Singapore, with a strong presence in various other metropolises all over the world. Shahzad International Group of Companies,Oil and Gas,Gold and Minerals Mining,Geological surveys,Defence supplies,Travel and Tour Operators,Flash security services and Trading Worldwide.
32 - Nazir Family Pakistan
Ranking: 20 (tied at 20) Worth: £170m ($340m) Industry: Businessman
One of Faislalabads most prominent families is the Haji Nair family. Owning Masoos textiles, Mahmood Textiles, Asim Textiles and power generation plants. Son of Mr Nazir Shahid Nazir is also a prominent politician.
33 - Abdul Bhati UK
Ranking: 21 (tied at 21) Worth: £150m ($300m) Industry: Businessman
Bhatti, 71, is a director of London-based wholesaler Bestway, which saw profits up 27% in 2005-06 at £73m on a turnover up 26% at £1.7 billion. Bhatti and his family have a stake worth £140m as well as other assets.
34 - Adalat Chaudhary UK
Ranking: 21 (tied at 21) Worth: £150m ($300m) Industry: Businessman
Director of the London-based Bestway cash-and-carry business established by Sir Anwar Pervez.
35 - Younis Sheikh UK
Ranking: 21 (tied at 21) Worth: £150m ($300m) Industry: Businessman
Bestway director Sheikh, 70, London cash-and-carry business Bestway continues to thrive.
36 - Chaudrey Zameer UK
Ranking: 21 (tied at 21) Worth: £150m ($300m) Industry: Businessman
Finance director of the London-based Bestway cash-and-carry business started in 1976 by Anwar Pervez . In 2004 Pervez stepped down as managing director, Choudrey took over. In 2005-06 Bestway profits rose 27% at £73m on turnover up 26% at £1.7 billion. Choudrey and his family have a 10.1% stake. They also own 70% of the Buybest supermarket chain in UK
37 - Zafar Iqbal Khwaja Pakistan
Ranking: 21 (tied at 21) Worth: £150m ($300m) Industry: Businessman
Zafar Iqbal Khawaja (born January 3rd, 1952) is a prominent Pakistani businessman who owns a number of companies around the world. He is better known in Pakistan as the “Prince of Sargodha”. Also referred to as the “Shaheen of Sargodha” (The Eagle of Sargodha). Zafar Iqbal Khawaja, is the son of a significant military commando Muhammed Sadiq Khawaja, who worked with Muhammed Ali Jinnah (The Founder of Pakistan) during the 1947 partition of India and Pakistan. Zafar Iqbal Khawaja is most widely known as the Managing Director of a multi-million dollar company called Inter Equipment. It’s Head Quarters are located at the Jebal Ali Free Zone, Dubai which is a recognized commercial capital of the Middle-East. In Mr.Khawaja’s business circle, he is known for his commitment to honest work and his ethical manner of business. Within 15 years, he has developed himself from a fresh college graduate, into a business tycoon. Currently, he is in the process of writing an auto-biography describing his success story. This auto-biography would be a must-read for any business-person pursuing major success.
38 - Shahid Hussain Pakistan
Ranking: 22 (tied at 22) Worth: £130m ($260m) Industry: Businessman
With more than 325 retail outlets and 13 wholesale depots, Service Sales Corporation (Pvt.) Limited is the leading retail and wholesale company in Pakistan with annual sales $300m. The Company has established some of Pakistan’s leading footwear brands including DON CARLOS, CHEETAH, SKOOZ, TOZ and LIZA and has distribution agreements with CATERPILLAR and NIKE. As part of our growth strategy, we have expanded our businesses to include Service Communications, Shoe Planet (Pvt.) Limited and Soul Collections.
39 - Younis Brothers Pakistan
Ranking: 22 (tied at 22) Worth: £130m ($260m) Industry: Businessman
Yunus Brothers is actively involved in international trading of various products including Cotton & Blended Yarn, Cotton & Blended Fabrics, Garments, Rice, Sugar, Fertilizer, Earth moving equipments, Chemicals, Spare Parts and Automotive Vehicles etc. Yunus Brothers is one of the largest export houses of the Pakistan exporting mainly to the European, US, Far Eastern, Middle Eastern and African markets. Yunus Brother’s annual sales turnover exceeds USD 300/- million with 95% of the sales geared towards the export markets.
40 - Ghani Family Pakistan
Ranking: 22 (tied at 22) Worth: £130m ($260m) Industry: Businessman
Abdul Ghani Dada Bhoy was the founder of Dada Bhoy group, starting in trade and branching off into the construction business. The group has a big share of cement market in Southern Pakistan. Like other Memon groups, Dad Bhoys are closely linked through intermarriages with other leading families like Jaffer and Bawany. Abdul Ghani Dada Bhoy had five sons and two daughters, namely Noor Mohammad Dada Bhoy, Mohammad Farooq Dada Bhoy, Mohammad Hussain Dada Bhoy, Abdullah Hussain Dada Bhoy and Ghulam Mohammad Dada Bhoy. Daughters are Mrs Mehrunisa Jaffer and Mrs Zaibunisa Tanveer .
41 - Saddiq & Sons Pakistan
Ranking: 22 (tied at 22) Worth: £130m ($260m) Industry: Businessman
This group made the bulk of its fortune during the chief ministership and premiership of Nawaz Sharif when the group was sold Pasrur Sugar Mills for a token price of Rs one and its Chairman, Mohammad Saleem was appointed managing director of National Development Leasing Corporation (NDLC) replacing Rafiq Habib. Today the have invested huge amounts in prime properties around Pakistan.
42 - Afzal Kushi UK
Ranking: 23 (tied at 23) Worth: £120m ($240m) Industry: Businessman
Afzal Khushi, 51, managing director of Jacobs & Turner, last year received a CBE for services to business in Scotland. He and his brother, Akmal, 50, have made the £90m Glasgow sportswear firm a global business. They also have £30 other assets.
43 - Ghulam Hassan Khan Pakistan
Ranking: 23 (tied at 23) Worth: £120m ($240m) Industry: Businessman
The SK group of companies shares a set of five core values: integrity, adaptability, excellence, unity and responsibility. These values, which have been part of the SK Group’s beliefs and convictions from its earliest days, continue to guide and drive the business decisions of SK companies. The SK Group and its enterprises have been steadfast and distinctive in their adherence to business ethics and their commitment to corporate social responsibility. This is a legacy that has earned the SK Group the trust of many thousand of stakeholders The SK Group comprises of six operating companies in following business segments: Information technology, Real estate, Developer and Builders, Media, Welfare, Import and exports and CNG stations. The SK Group was founded by Sardar Gulam Hassan Khan Niazi in the mid 1980’s. Sardar Khan Niazi and those who followed him aligned business opportunities with the objective of nation building. This approach remains enshrined in the SK Group’s ethos to this day. Rose Shopping Mall
Companies owned by the family today: Paradise City, SK Trading, DUBAI Gasco 2000, chain of CNG stations SK Constructions , rose club, SK plazaz, Chuna Pa chain fast food chinese., SKN tust and sk farms.
44 - Kasim Dada Pakistan
Ranking: 24 Worth: £100m ($200m) Industry: Businessman
Kasim hails from a 19th Century Memon business family known to have possessed the vision of international trade when most of their contemporaries were rather naïve on this count. This family had offices in Burma, South Africa and countries of the Far-East long before 1940. Dadas, have held decisive positions at the Karachi Stock Exchange and own shares of various Pakistani and foreign monopolies without creating any hype. Kassim Dada’s family is known to have held major local equity in multinationals like Glaxo SmithKline, Brook Bond and Berger Paints, besides being the sponsoring directors of Messrs Hyderabad Electronics, Automotive Battery Limited and Interfund Bank etc. Kassim Dada is one of the few Pakistani Tycoons who used to fly on private planes from Karachi to hit cement plants in Hyderabad. It was this family which had hired Mahatama Gandhi as a solicitor in 1890 to contest a business case in South Africa. Dada, was once a symbol of wealth. Had his assets not been nationalised by Bhutto he would definitely had the status many richest men in the world enjoy today.
Credit: Paktribune Discussion Forum
The list excludes many names that have previously qualified and all of Pakistan’s most prominent feudal land lords who would definitely make it to the top 10, expect the few land owners which have declared their assets and work force and registered with the CBR Islamabad. In order to promote the new and “unknown” Pakistani magnates we have excluded in previous entities.
Unfortunately, our extensive research does not currently include the names of a few stars that shone brightly amidst the galaxy of the influential creed of yesteryear like C.M.Latif of BECO- the Steel Man of Pakistan- who did make a lot of name once, but then got gifted with contentment somehow, although the late business wizard got very badly hit by Bhutto’s nationalization of 1970 which had inflicted an astounding thud to everybody in business then. Had it not been the case, many of our tycoons may well have managed to gain the kind of status greeting the likes of Birlas and Tatas in India today, if not the one saluting Bill Gates or Warren Buffet. Among these gifted individuals, you will find politicians-turned-businessmen, businessmen-turned-politicians or even the businessmen-cum-politicians. With malice towards none and with no intention to decorate somebody, We thus takes the pride of announcing these names. We hope this document will go a long way in serving as the most authentic endeavor of its kind for a very long time to come. It has been prepared very carefully in consultation with leading real estate barons, stock moguls, business leaders of virtue and senior bureaucrats at the Central Board of Revenue.
1 - Mian Muhammad Mansha Yaha Pakistan
Ranking: 1 Worth: £1.25b ($2.5billion)Industry: Businessman
Mansha has around 40 companies on board. Mansha, who owns the Muslim Commercial Bank is also setting up a $ 17m paper mill. He is one of the richest Pakistanis around. Nishat Group was country’s 15th richest family in 1970, 6th in 1990 and Number 1 in 1997. Mansha is on the board of nearly 50 companies. He is deemed to have made investments in many bourses, currency and metal exchanges both within and outside Pakistan. He could have bought the United Bank too, but then who doesn’t have adversaries. Nishat Group comprises of textiles, cement, leasing, insurance and management companies. If Mansha was bitten by Bhutto’s nationalization stint of 1970, his friends think he was compensated by Nawaz Sharif’s denationalization programme to a very good effect. There is no stopping Mansha and he is still on the move.
Nishat group assets are $4.4Billion. He is sometimes even regarded as the richest Pakistani around by his friends claiming he does not “show it off”.
2 - Asif Ali Zardari Pakistan
Ranking: 2 Worth: £900m ($1.8billion) Industry: Politics
Asif Zardari dubbed “Mr 10%” an unknown happy-go-lucky son of a small-time businessman who struck gold by marrying one of the worlds most glamorous women Former Prime Minister of Pakistan Benzair Bhutto. Taking advantage of his wife’s authority he is known to have taken kickbacks from many deals inside and outside of Pakistan. The most famous was a $4 billion deal to buy 32 Mirage jets from the French company Dassault. Documents, which include letters from Dassault executives, indicate an agreement was reached to pay a 5% “remuneration” - about $200m - to Marleton Business, a BVI company controlled by Zardari. Besides these many more kickback deals were taken with companies such as ARY Gold, Social de Surveillance (SGS), Cotecna, and ZPC Ursus, a Polish tractor company.
Zardari assets holding amount into hundreds of millions of dollars easily, Having 8 prime properties in the UK, of which once is the famous Rockwood Estate 365 acres in Surrey, worth £4.35m has now been sold and money sent back to the Govt. of Pakistan. Also 14 multi-million dollar mansions in the USA, including owning Holiday Inn hotel Houston, Texas Owned by “Mr 10%“ and Iqbal Memon and Sadar-ud-Din Hashwani.
They (Zardari and B.Bhutto) also have huge business ventures in the Middle East running into hundreds of millions if not billion mark. Mr Zardari also has huge stakes in sugar mills all over Pakistan,which include: Sakrand Sugar Mills, Nawabshah, Ansari Sugar Mills, Hyderabad, Mirza Sugar Mills, Badin, Pangrio Sugar Mills, Thatta and Bachani Sugar Mills, Sanghar.
3 - Sir Anwar Pervaiz UK
Ranking: 3 Worth: £750m ($1.5billion) Industry: Businessman
Chairman of Bestway Group. The Bestway Group started in 1976 with its first Bestway cash and carry warehouse opened in London. Today the have in total around 50 Cash and Carry’s. Including their recent takeover of rival group Batleys for around £100m. Bestway Group ventured into Pakistan’s huge the cement business in 1995 and set up cement manufacturing plant in Pakistan at a cost of $120 million.
Taking Advantage of Pakistan growing economy they also acquired a 25.5% stake in United Bank Limited in 2002. Today, the Bestway Group has interests in cash & carry wholesale, property investments, retail outlets, milling of rice, lentils and pulses, cement production and more recently into banking. The group’s total sales amounted to in excess of £ 2 billion. The group provides direct employment to thousands in the UK and Pakistan. The have many interests in Pakistan too. Sir Anwar Pervaiz and his his partners sheer hard work has bought them to outstanding international levels, which definitely makes him an ideal role model for many young Pakistanis today. He still on the move!
4 - Nawaz Sharif & Shahbaz Sharif family Saudi Arabia/Pakistan
Ranking: 4 Worth: £700m ($1.4billion) Industry: Politics/Businessman
Mr Sharif Businessman turned politician the former Prime Minister of Pakistan. He was ousted in a military coup in 1999 and was forced to forfeit $9million dollars and some of his assets including his $5m Mansion is Raiwind near Lahore. Before becoming PM he was a major share holder along with his brother and cousins of Ittefaq Group, having assets well in excess of £50m in the 90’s. However he got richer when he took commissions from foreign companies for construction in Pakistan. He build the first motorway and many new roads and took heavy kickbacks. He then also stole $100m from the Iqra funds, he started a new scheme “Ghar Apna” in which he again looted around $40m, the “Mulk swaaro” scheme involving public & govt. money collections to help pay pf Pakistan’s debts also was pocketed. Today he lives in exile in Saudi Arabia where it is known he has a new huge business empire in various sectors.
5 - Saddaruddin Hashwani Pakistan
Ranking: 5 Worth: £550m ($1.1billion) Industry: Businessman
Saddaruddin Hashwani is Chairman Hashoo Group is known for his dominance in Pakistan’s hotel industry, though Hashwanis are have huge strength in real estate business too. Hashwanis are involved in trading of cotton, grain and steel and till the nationalization of cotton export in 1974, they were widely being dubbed as the Cotton Kings of Pakistan. Today, this group has excelled in export of rice, wheat, cotton and barley. It owns textile units, besides having invested billions in mines, minerals. hotels, insurance, batteries, tobacco, residential properties, construction, engineering and information technology. In 1984, Hashwani defeated the Lakhanis in the bid for Premier Tobacco but was arrested along with his brother Akbar in 1986 for allegedly evading customs duty on cigarettes. Sadarduddin’s brother Akbar and the children of another late brother Hassan Ali Hashwani together manage around 45 companies. Akbar runs the second Hashwani Group. He is one of the most well-known magnates in Pakistan who is a regular invitee at the Diplomatic Enclave. The list of local and international bigwigs known personally to Hashwani is unending.
6 - Nasir Schon & family U.A.E/Pakistan
Ranking: 6 (tied at 6) Worth: £500m ($1billion) Industry: Businessman
Nasir Schon is a prominent business leader of Pakistan and the CEO of Schon Group. Nasir Schon is the son of Captain Ather Schon Hussain, an ex-pilot of PIA. The Schon family is one of the few striving Muhajir Urdu business families in Pakistan. Starting off in Singapore in 1982, the peek of Schon group was in 1995 when they owned National Fibres, Schon Bank, Schon Textiles and Pak-China Fertizilers. Famous for the trend-setting roundabout, Schon Circle, Nasir Schon is also known to be one of the first people to have a Rolls-Royce in Pakistan. Directors of Schon group flew to Dubai in 1997 in exile after the dismissal of ex-Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. The directors of Schon group were known to have close contacts with the husband of former Prime Minister, Asif Zardari. Many assets of the Schon group were auctioned by the Nawaz Sharif government. Schon Group is the only group in Pakistan who has paid the government over 3 billion rupees ($65m) in order to return from exile. Living in Dubai gave Nasir Schon an opportunity to start businesses there. Currently working on an $830 million real estate project known as Dubai lagoon, Schon group is also fighting to get back the assets they once lost. Currently, the Schon group operates a pilot training center in Pakistan known as Schon Air.
7 - Abdul Razzaq Yakoub & family U.A.E
Ranking: 6 (tied at 6) Worth: £500m ($1billion) Industry: Businessman
Mr Yakoub is a prominent Pakistani expatriate businessman based in Dubai. He is the president ARY group ($1.5Billion turnover) and World Memon Organization (WMO). He is one of Pakistan’s biggest media barons controlling around 7 channels. Besides this he has a huge property holdings in Karachi, Islamabad and Dubai amounting to over $200m. He is major in the gold market also having around 20 outlets in Asia. He has also been involved in paying Asif Zardari $5m in 1990’s for allowing him to import/export gold. Which he denies and claim’s is government forgeries.
8 - Rafiq Habib & Rasheed Habib Pakistan
Ranking: 7 Worth: £450m ($900) Industry: Businessman
Legend has it that the Goddess of Wealth has been in love with the seasoned Habibs more than anybody else in Pakistan. Most pundits believe that Habibs own at least 100 companies throughout the world, but these content mega-tycoons never boast off, something which has made it uphill for most to predict about their financial standing. This industrial group was founded by Seth Habib Mitha, born in 1878 to Esmail Ali-a factory owner in Bombay. The financial strength of the Habibs can be gauged from the fact that Muhammad Ali Habib gave a cheque of Rs 80 million to Quaid-e-Azam in 1948 at a time when Pakistan government was penniless owing to delay in transfer of Pakistan’s share of Rs. 750 million by the Reserve Bank of India. They had offices in Europe in 1912. They incorporated the Habib Bank in 1941. They own the Habib Bank A.G Zurich, Bank Al-Habib, Indus Motors assembling Corolla cars and many dozens of units in sectors such as jute, paper sack, minerals, steel, tiles, synthetics sugar, glass, construction, concrete, farm autos, banking, oil, computers, music, paper, packages, leasing and capital management. Habibs today are headed by Rafiq Habib and Rashid Habib in two distinct groups. What makes them extremely influential players of all times is the fact that for dozens of top businessmen today, Habib were a myth once.
9 - Tariq Saigol & Nasim Saigol Pakistan
Ranking: 8 Worth: £425m ($850) Industry: Businessman
Hailing from Jhelum. The pioneer of the Saigol dynasty in 1890 was Amin Saigol who established a shoe shop that eventually transformed into Kohinoor Rubber Works. And then times saw them shining literally like the Kohinoor until their progress was halted by Nationalization in which they lost two-thirds of their wealth. Saigols got trifurcated in 1976 and 15 descendents of Amin Saigols four sons got a share. The name of the Saigols has been used in this part of the world as similes describing quantum of wealth. Yousaf Saigol, along with his brothers Sayeed Saigol, Bashir Saigol and Gul Saigol then nourished an excellent crop. In 1948, Saigols established the Kohinoor Textile Mills with a cost of Rs 8 million and this group happens to be the first to open an LC with the State Bank of Pakistan. They bought the United Bank in 1959 and then witnessed five of their units getting nationalized. They lived in Saudi Arabia during the Bhutto regime. Today, cousins Tariq and Nasim are holding the family’s fort together and have risen to unprecedented heights in individual capacities. NAB did haunt Nasim but Tariq spent more time either accepting or refusing prized slots everywhere. Tariq is the one of the finest business brains around.
10 - Dewan Yousaf Farooqui Pakistan
Ranking: 9 (tied at 9) Worth: £400m ($800) Industry: Businessman
Mr Farooqui. The mentor of this group has been the Sindh Minister for Local Bodies. Industries, Labour, Transport, Mines & Minerals. Dewan Mushtaq Group is one of the Pakistan’s largest industrial conglomerates in sectors like polyester acrylic fiber, manufacturing and automotives. Six of their companies are listed at the Karachi & stock Exchange and one at the Luxembourg bourse. Dewan Farooqui Motors assembles around 10,000 cars annually under technical license agreement with Hyundai and Kia Motors of Korea. The Dewan Salman Fiber is the pride of this empire as it ranks 11th in the world in total production capacity. The group owns three textile units, a motorcycle manufacturing concern and the largest sugar unit in the country. Dewans also have business interests in India. They possess dozens of millions of shares of Saudi Cement and Pak land Cement. They also have the franchise licence for BMW in Pakistan and now Rolls Royce showrooms.
11 - Sultan Ali Lakhani & family Pakistan
Ranking: 9 (tied at 9) Worth: £400m ($800) Industry: Businessman
The Lakhanis are currently having a hard time at the hands of NAB. Sultan Lakhani and his three brothers run this prestigious group and the chain of McDonald’s restaurants in Pakistan. NAB has alleged the Lakhanis of having created phoney companies through worthless directors and raised massive loans from various banks and financial institutions. Sultan is currently abroad after having served a jail term with younger sibling Amin, though the latter was released much earlier. NAB had reportedly demanded Rs 7 billion from Lakhanis, but later agreed they pay only Rs 1.5 billion over a 10-year period. Lakhanis, like their arch-rivals Hashwanis, are the most well-known of all Ismaeli tycoons. Their stakes range from media, tobacco, paper, chemicals and surgical equipment to cotton, packaging, insurance, detergents and other house-hold items, many of which are joint ventures with leading international conglomerates. Though Lakhanis are in turbulent waters currently, the success that greeted them during the last 25 years especially has been tremendous. They have rifts with large business empires despite being known fur their genteel nature. Whether it is any government in Sindh or at the Federal level, Lakhanis have had trusted friends everywhere, though the present era has proved a painful exception.
12 - Malik Riaz Hussain Pakistan
Ranking: 9 (tied at 9) Worth: £400m ($800) Industry: Businessman
Malik Riaz Hussain heads the massive project which is currently developing state-of-the-art schemes in Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi/Islamabad. Emerging out of the blue, this developer has reportedly developed tremendous connections where it matters in Pakistan-One of the few reasons why his constructed projects get completed in time without hindrance. Whether he has gifted bungalows free of cost of country’s bigwigs or offered them at highly concessional rates, the reality on the ground is that Malik has managed to mesmerize most through his generous wallet. His land-holdings both within and outside Pakistan amounts to nearly a billion dollar. He is the man behind the Bahria Town. Irrespective of who is in power; he continues to build house after house-swelling his wealth. He is also the first man to drive a Bentley car on Pakistani soil.
13 - Sheikh Abid Hussain alias Seth Abid Pakistan
Ranking: 10 Worth: £390m ($780) Industry: Businessman
Sheikh Abid Hussain alias Seth Abid. He is one of the most resourceful developers/builders in the country owning vast stretches of land in major cities. On this land worth many billion of rupees, Seth has constructed residential schemes under the brand name of “Green Fort.” Seth came into this business after decades of notoriety as being one of the spearheads in cross-border smuggling. While many remember Seth for his allegedly illegal trading stints, a lot of informed circles still say with conviction that he, along with Dr.Qadeer and former Premier Bhutto, was the brain behind the success of Pakistan’s nuclear programme. About three dozen of Seth’s very close relatives, friends and nephews are members of country’s bourses and for many years now, the Seth Abid group assumes the role of king-makers during the annual polls of these stock exchanges. He is a leading investor in stocks, metals and currency but what gives him immense pleasure is his philanthropic institution Hamza Foundation that he sponsors for the welfare of deaf and dumb children. Pakistan has not had a single ruler, politician, bureaucrat or Army General who doesn’t know the Seth who is more of a myth for most. The Seth, throughout his life, has avoided publicity-a fact known to most journalists.
14 - Mian Mohammed Latif Pakistan
Ranking:11 Worth: £350m ($700) Industry: Businessman
Chenab Group Mian Muhammad Latif supervises this group along with his brother Mian Ashfaque- a legislator in the National Assembly of Pakistan. Founded in 1975, Chenab Limited set up its first fashion outlet “Chen One.” Chen One has seven outlets throughout Pakistan. After establishing its retail chain stores in various cities of Saudi Arabia, the group is now planning to establish its new retail chains in Bahrain, UA.E, Qatar, Kuwait and Central Asian Republics. While Chenab Group is an eight-time Export Trophy winner, its Chief Mian Latif has won the ‘Businessman of the Year award on four different occasions from various business bodies. Chenab is principally engaged in manufacture and distribution of clothing, furniture goods, including non-iron suit, quilt cover and curtains etc. Chenab processes 50 million square metres fabric weaving and 75 million square metres fabric dyeing every year and has established a global sales network spanning across five continents. Chenab is licensed to the Swedish Texcote Technology in the manufacturing and sale of textile materials, garments and textile house-hold goods. The group’s textile products have been awarded the Oekotex 100 accreditation.
15 - Haji Abdul Ghafoor & Haji Bashir Ahmed Pakistan
Ranking: 12 Worth: £330m ($660) Industry: Businessman
Sitara Group Started its activity with textile weaving as early as 1956, under brothers Haji Abdul Ghafoor and Haji Bashir Ahmed. It is now its textile cloth finishing and processing, textile spinning, chlor-alkali sector and in power generation. The units owned by this establishment include Sitara Chemicals, Sitara Chemicals (Textile Division 1) and Sitara Chemicals (Textile Division 11), Sitara Textiles, Sitara Energy and Yasir Spinning. The charities being managed under the aegis of Sitara group are Aziz Fatima Hospital, Ghafoor Bashir Children Hospital and Aziz Fatima Girls School. Sitara’s name with the industrial City of Faisalabad is synonymous. They are the decades-old veterans in business, who have excelled in leaps and bounds. At their units, the owners of Sitara use technology imported from Japan, UK and Germany and are export leaders in bedding and fabric collection to South America, USA, Canada, New Zealand and Europe. Their textile divisions together operate at strength of 33,984 spindles. The Sitara (group, to a common man, is more famous for its lawn brands like Sitara Sapna and Mughal-e-Azam. The men at helm of affairs in Sitara hardly believe in setting up dozens of units, of which they are otherwise very much capable of.
16 - Sheikhani Family Pakistan
Ranking: 13 Worth: £300m ($600) Industry: Businessman
They are one of the most reputed land developers in the country. The Sheikhani, although not a very big industrial establishment by any means, are led by Abu Bakar Sheikhani. The Sheikhanis are famous for their construction and land development-related errands. Abu Bakar is deemed to be one of the largest investors in real estate trade at Gwadar Port. He has all the right connections that are required to be in such business. Despite being well known to the national political circles, the man in street knew more of him during March/April 1991 when he surfaced as the single largest contributor to then Premier Nawaz Sharif’s Debt Retirement Fund with a donation of $ 8million. Today, his adversaries dub him a land mafia man, alleging him for selling his Gwadar land at only $ 4000 per acre only to senior Army officials while the same was being sold at $ 2,50,000 per acre to ordinary investors. But that is the way Sheikhani runs his vast land/construction empire. Accusations don’t disturb Sheikhani, who according to many large developers is a man who has managed to create tremendous impression in land business. The rumours of his landing in any Pakistani City for land acquisition purposes, helps the price of real estate surge unprecedented overnight
17 - Razzaq Dawood Pakistan/UAE
Ranking: 14 (tied at 14) Worth: £250m ($500) Industry: Businessman
Razzaq presently heads one of Pakistan’s biggest construction and engineering conglomerate know as Dawood group/Descen group. With a roaster of impressive clients. His group has won many contracts in Dubai, Saudi Arabia and Iraq and employ’s over 1,000 people directly. His name was more prominent among the top 22 richest families in 1970 until the Bhutto nationalization which then made him set up abroad, he returned to Pakistan in the early 90’s and started from scratch and today makes it in the top easily. The group also has investment of $300m in Bangladesh in investments in fertiliser, energy and infrastructure and development sectors.
18 - Byram Dinshawji Avari Pakistan
Ranking: 14 (tied at 14) Worth: £250m ($500) Industry: Businessman
Byram Dinshawji Avari is a prominent Pakistani Parsi tycoon in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Together with his sons Dinshaw and Xerxes and their direct families, he owns and operates the Avari Group of companies, of which he is the chairman. Hotel management is the Avari Group’s core business. In Pakistan, the group owns and operates Avari Hotels which includes 5-star deluxe hotel in Lahore, the 5-star Avari Towers and the seafront Beach Luxury Hotel in Karachi. The group is also actively pursuing opportunities for owning and/or managing 3 and 4-star properties elsewhere in Pakistan. The Avari Group is the first Pakistani company to have obtained international hotel management contracts: they operate the 200-room 4-star hotel in Dubai in United Arab Emirates and manage the 200-room Ramada Inn in Toronto at Pearson Airport in Canada.
19 - Rafiq Rangoonwala Pakistan
Ranking: 15 (tied at 14) Worth: £240m ($480) Industry: Businessman
Mr. Rafiq Rangoonwala, Chief Executive Officer Cupola Group of Companies, was born in Karachi, did BA (Hons.) from University of Karachi, went to United States of America in 1979, and did Executive Development Course from Whittemore School of Business, University of New Hampshire along with several management courses from U.K, U.S, Canada, Australia and Singapore. In 1980, he started his career in Fast Food restaurants from KFC in Houston. Since then he has managed several other brands alongside KFC like Pizza Hut, Harry Ramsden’s, TGI Fridays, Pizza Express etc. e joined Artal Restaurants International as CEO in October 1999 and is currently heading Cupola Group of Companies who has franchise rights in Pakistan for KFC, Indulge, Freshens and Casa. The associate Investment Company of Cupola is AL ABRAJ, with approximately US $400 million under management.
20 - Shimmy Querishi USA
Ranking: 15 (tied at 15) Worth: £240m ($480) Industry: Businessman
A jet-setting international businessman who fly’s by jet and swings a polo mallet with some of the world’s top players, Qureshi seems a model of successful enterprise. Shimmys business interests are mainly property, which with the boom and his holidings has took his wealth to a new level. Although people may remember him for his stunt in the early 90’s with George Lindemann, the billionaire founder of Cellular One, when Lindemann took him to court claiming he has cheated them in to a deal to buy their home on Hurlingham Drive in Wellington for $3.5 million. A year before the Lindemanns filed their suit, Qureshi bartered with another wealthy family - the al-Thanis, who rule the Arab country of Qatar - to buy Gulf Union Bank in the Cayman Islands.
In May 1997, the al-Thanis agreed to sell Gulf Union to International Business Holdings - a Cayman Islands company owned by Qureshi - for $4.5 million, according to court records.
While Cayman Islands officials were reviewing the deal, Qureshi named an associate, Kazmi, to run Gulf Union and a subsidiary, First Cayman Bank. Within three months, Kazmi, acting at Qureshi’s direction, had shunted more than $5 million from First Cayman into his own account and into accounts held by Qureshi and the al-Thanis. Shimmy Qureshi also fully manages all the properties in the USA owned by Asif Zardari.
21 - Faruque Khan Pakistan
Ranking:15 (tied at 15) Worth: £240m ($480) Industry: Businessman
The late Khan Bahadur Ghulam Faruque Khan (1899–1992) was a politician and industrialist of Pakistan. He belonged to the village Shaidu in Nowshera District, Nowshera is the home of the famous Pashtun Tribe the Khattaks of the NWFP Province in Pakistan. Because of his contribution to Pakistan’s Industrial development he is sometimes described as “The Goliath who Industrialized Pakistan., today his family own Cherat Cement Company Ltd. Cherat Papersack Ltd. Cherat Electric Ltd. Mirpurkhas Sugar Mills Ltd. Faruque (pvt) Ltd Greaves Air-Conditioning(pvt) Ltd Greaves Engineering Services(pvt) Ltd Unicol Ltd.- A JV Company Madian Hydro Power Ltd. - A JV Company Zensoft (pvt) Ltd and prime properties around Pakistan
22 - Shahid Luqman UK
Ranking: 16 (tied at 16) Worth: £230m ($460) Industry: Businessman
Shahid Luqman, born in Gujrat, is a financier from Manchester and has founded ‘Pearl Holdings’ for the property finance market He is a prominent property developer in the UK and in Pakistan is projects run into multi-million pounds. He also runs a loan facility. Although in the past it has been noticed of him filling bankruptcy and pocketing huge unpaid loans.
23 - Mukhtar Ahmed Pakistan
Ranking: 16 (tied at 16) Worth: £230m ($460) Industry: Businessman
Late Haji Sheikh Mohammad Ibrahim, founder of the Ibrahim Group, settled in Faisalabad after partition of India in 1947 and re-established his ancestral business of cloth trading by the name of “Ibrahim Agencies”. What is known in business today as Ibrahim Group with diversified business interests from Spinning to PSF, Financial Institutions to Banking and Energy, started off as a mere cloth trading agency just half a century ago. Recently Mr Ahmed bought a stake in the Allied Bank at $300m.
24 - Aqeel Karim Dhedi Pakistan
Ranking: 16 (tied at 16) Worth: £230m ($460) Industry: Businessman
Starting from interests in real estate and stock-broking in the year 1947, the late Haji Abdul Karim Dhedhi (may he rest in peace) laid the foundation of what today is the AKD group of companies, one of the largest domestic business enterprises in Pakistan with a combined net worth of over US$ 1 billion, of which Mr Karim share is at $400m. Mr. Aqeel Karim Dhedhi, son of (late) Haji Abdul Karim Dhedhi, is the Chairman of the AKD Group. He has built the AKD Group as a leading and vibrant set of business enterprises operating in key sectors of Pakistan’s economy, ranging from stocks and shares, media, textile, real estate and Oil and Gas exlporation. Yet AKD is still on the move!
25 - Syed Family Pakistan
Ranking: 17 (tied at 17) Worth: £220m ($440) Industry: Businessman
Listed on all three stock exchanges in Pakistan, Packages Limited has maintained a long-time credit rating of AA. The joint ventures and business alliances with some of the world’s biggest names reflect our forward-looking strategy of continuously improving customer value through improvements in productivity. The group also acquired a good number of Coca Cola plants in Pakistan. Its famous brands include Nestle Milk Pak, Treet, Mitchells and Tri Pack Films. It has stakes in the textile, dairy, agriculture and rice sectors too. The group’s contributions towards the cause of an independent Pakistan are unprecedented are the only packaging facility in Pakistan offering a complete range of packaging solutions including offset printed cartons, shipping containers and flexible packaging materials to individuals and businesses world-wide. They employ over 4000 people.
26 - Saif Family Pakistan
Ranking: 17 (tied at 17) Worth: £220m ($440) Industry: Businessman
Is owned and operated by the sons of famous NWFP lady politician Begum Kalsum Saifullah. Her eldest son Javid Saifullah heads this very powerful business group. Javid obtained his Master degree in Business Administration from the University of Pittsburgh, USA in 1973, followed by diversified experience of over 30 years in textiles, telecommunication, cement and Information Technology. He also remained the Chairman of All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) for two years and NWFP for seven years. He has also been the member Task Force IT & Telecommunication Advisory Board, Ministry of Science and Technology, Member of Task Force (Liberalization & Privatization of Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited), Ministry of Science & Technology) Javed Saifullah Khan is looking after the group businesses for the past 20 years. Saifullahs are in power always, in one form or the other. Javaid’s brothers Anwar Saifullah Khan (Former Federal Minister), Salim Saifullah Khan (king-maker in NWFP polities) and Osman Saifullah (another APTMA & wizard) have very close family ties with a lot of key politicians in the country, besides being related directly or indirectly through marriages to the families of a few leading and famous Army Generals who ruled Pakistan.
27 - Jehangir Elahi Pakistan
Ranking: 18 (tied at 18) Worth: £200m ($400) Industry: Businessman
Jehangir Elahi is brother in law of Mian Mohammad Mansha and is ranked among the tycoons in Pakistan. He has launched several projects as joint ventures with Mian Mohammad Mansha, as for example Genertech, one of the earliest private sector power plants conceived in Pakistan. Independently his group has four companies listed on the stock exchange.
28 - Sherazi Family Pakistan
Ranking: 18 (tied at 18) Worth: £200m ($400) Industry: Businessman
This group was founded by Yousaf Sherazi, a former Income Tax official and journalist in 1962 with a capital of Rs 03 million only. The first company set by the Atlas Group was Sherazi Investments (Pvt) Limited and since then, there is no looking back. The East Pakistan tragedy, however, nearly crippled Sherazi but he never lost hope and went out forming numerous joint ventures with leading Japanese concerns like Honda. Atlas-Honda today is a name to reckon with in country’s engineering sector and associated with this just one name are hundreds of vendors. He holds stakes in insurance, financial services, information technology, leasing, warehouses, office equipment, motor cars and motorcycle-assembling units, besides running a renowned firm that manufactures batteries. Sherazi owns the Atlas Investment Bank too. The Federal Budget 2004-05 is perhaps the only budget in country’s history that has hit the very influential car manufacturers on the head, otherwise people like Yousaf Sherazi have always managed to dictate terms where it matters. The Atlas Group owns no less than seven companies quoted on the stock exchanges of Pakistan. The group’s assets are believed to have touched the hundreds of millions dollars mark and so have the sales.
29 - Noon family Pakistan
Ranking: 19 Worth: £190m ($380m) Industry: Businessman
Noon family comes from Tiwana family from Mitha Tiwana. The Tiwana family lives in an old historical village in Khushab district. The Tiwana caste is a very popular landholding and influential political caste in the Khushab district. The Noon Family own 27 villages in Bhalwal and Bhera. The fields of these villages are very cultivated and fertile. The Landlord Noon family created many bankers, industrialists, ambassadors and politicians for Pakistan. The Noon family is very popular in the area because of their character , their attitude,their behaviour with the people and helps the poor and needy people in the area without any prejudice so Noon family is very well-wisher,well-behaved ,sympathetic with the area. On their land they own over 40 factories on total ranging from brick manufacturing to cotton farms and production. They are a tax paying landlords for this reason they are the only feudal lords including in this edition.
30 - Mian Abdullah Pakistan
Ranking: 19 Worth: £190m ($380m) Industry: Businessman
One of the largest manufacturers and exporters of textile products in Pakistan, Sapphire technology comes from Europe, Japan and USA. Capitalizing on the region’s principal crop, cotton, we source this locally, and augment our offerings by providing imported fiber from the world’s best crops. We work with specialized fibers bringing in the newest innovations from major fiber and chemical producers, and our manufacturing from yarn to finished fabric is performed in our facilities in Pakistan. Synergies are formed with offshore garment manufacturing companies. Our products are marketed to the industry’s biggest names in Asia, Europe, Australia, and North America. Over 14,000 employees ,Annual turnover US $ 500 Million
Headed by a veteran industrialist Mian Abdullah, this splendid empire owns 11 yarn spinning plants (producing 60,000 tonnes of yarn annually), 3 woven plants of greige fabric ( producing 50 million metres annually), one yarn dyeing plant (capacity 5 tonnes per day), one knitting unit (10 tonnes per day), one knitted fabric dyeing plant (10 tonnes per day), one woven fabric dyeing and finishing plant (1.2 million metres per month) and three power plants having the capability to produce 40 MW of energy. Sapphire forms synergies with off-shore garments companies. The group markets its products in biggest brand names in Asia, Europe, Australia and North America. Sapphire started with one spinning mill in 1969 and employs over 10,000 people. Mian Abdullah’s repute can be gauged from the fact during the October 2003 minis at APTMA, more than 1000 textile millers bad tendered their resignations against incumbent Chief Waqar Monnoo to him. Dozens of leading tycoons had proposed his name to head APTMA in case of an interim setup. Having an influence among textile millers is no easy job but Mian Abdullah stands privileged in this context He is often seen part of the entourages of key business leaders to foreign countries and provides input to fellow colleagues whenever requested.
31 - Shahzad Family Pakistan
Ranking: 20 (tied at 20) Worth: £170m ($340m) Industry: Businessman
Shahzad Group is a reputable name which takes pride in being identified as a beacon of business development involved in almost all avenues of Nation building activities i.e. Energy, Communications, Minerals, Construction, Geophysical survey, Security and many other ventures. Shahzad Group has , by itself, and in some cases in collaboration with foreign and local partners, who are the leading brand names in the world, identified, initiated, supervised and successfully completed major business ventures. Shahzad Group prides itself for its accomplishments during almost three decades of business activity. The Group has actively participated in enhancing Pakistan’s international competitiveness and social development, and for promotion of foreign and domestic investment in business ventures. It takes pride in delivering quality products, solutions and services that obtain a competitive advantage over others.
The Group is a wholly owned Pakistani establishment with offices in Calgary (Canada), Houston (USA), London, Kuwait, Beijing and Singapore, with a strong presence in various other metropolises all over the world. Shahzad International Group of Companies,Oil and Gas,Gold and Minerals Mining,Geological surveys,Defence supplies,Travel and Tour Operators,Flash security services and Trading Worldwide.
32 - Nazir Family Pakistan
Ranking: 20 (tied at 20) Worth: £170m ($340m) Industry: Businessman
One of Faislalabads most prominent families is the Haji Nair family. Owning Masoos textiles, Mahmood Textiles, Asim Textiles and power generation plants. Son of Mr Nazir Shahid Nazir is also a prominent politician.
33 - Abdul Bhati UK
Ranking: 21 (tied at 21) Worth: £150m ($300m) Industry: Businessman
Bhatti, 71, is a director of London-based wholesaler Bestway, which saw profits up 27% in 2005-06 at £73m on a turnover up 26% at £1.7 billion. Bhatti and his family have a stake worth £140m as well as other assets.
34 - Adalat Chaudhary UK
Ranking: 21 (tied at 21) Worth: £150m ($300m) Industry: Businessman
Director of the London-based Bestway cash-and-carry business established by Sir Anwar Pervez.
35 - Younis Sheikh UK
Ranking: 21 (tied at 21) Worth: £150m ($300m) Industry: Businessman
Bestway director Sheikh, 70, London cash-and-carry business Bestway continues to thrive.
36 - Chaudrey Zameer UK
Ranking: 21 (tied at 21) Worth: £150m ($300m) Industry: Businessman
Finance director of the London-based Bestway cash-and-carry business started in 1976 by Anwar Pervez . In 2004 Pervez stepped down as managing director, Choudrey took over. In 2005-06 Bestway profits rose 27% at £73m on turnover up 26% at £1.7 billion. Choudrey and his family have a 10.1% stake. They also own 70% of the Buybest supermarket chain in UK
37 - Zafar Iqbal Khwaja Pakistan
Ranking: 21 (tied at 21) Worth: £150m ($300m) Industry: Businessman
Zafar Iqbal Khawaja (born January 3rd, 1952) is a prominent Pakistani businessman who owns a number of companies around the world. He is better known in Pakistan as the “Prince of Sargodha”. Also referred to as the “Shaheen of Sargodha” (The Eagle of Sargodha). Zafar Iqbal Khawaja, is the son of a significant military commando Muhammed Sadiq Khawaja, who worked with Muhammed Ali Jinnah (The Founder of Pakistan) during the 1947 partition of India and Pakistan. Zafar Iqbal Khawaja is most widely known as the Managing Director of a multi-million dollar company called Inter Equipment. It’s Head Quarters are located at the Jebal Ali Free Zone, Dubai which is a recognized commercial capital of the Middle-East. In Mr.Khawaja’s business circle, he is known for his commitment to honest work and his ethical manner of business. Within 15 years, he has developed himself from a fresh college graduate, into a business tycoon. Currently, he is in the process of writing an auto-biography describing his success story. This auto-biography would be a must-read for any business-person pursuing major success.
38 - Shahid Hussain Pakistan
Ranking: 22 (tied at 22) Worth: £130m ($260m) Industry: Businessman
With more than 325 retail outlets and 13 wholesale depots, Service Sales Corporation (Pvt.) Limited is the leading retail and wholesale company in Pakistan with annual sales $300m. The Company has established some of Pakistan’s leading footwear brands including DON CARLOS, CHEETAH, SKOOZ, TOZ and LIZA and has distribution agreements with CATERPILLAR and NIKE. As part of our growth strategy, we have expanded our businesses to include Service Communications, Shoe Planet (Pvt.) Limited and Soul Collections.
39 - Younis Brothers Pakistan
Ranking: 22 (tied at 22) Worth: £130m ($260m) Industry: Businessman
Yunus Brothers is actively involved in international trading of various products including Cotton & Blended Yarn, Cotton & Blended Fabrics, Garments, Rice, Sugar, Fertilizer, Earth moving equipments, Chemicals, Spare Parts and Automotive Vehicles etc. Yunus Brothers is one of the largest export houses of the Pakistan exporting mainly to the European, US, Far Eastern, Middle Eastern and African markets. Yunus Brother’s annual sales turnover exceeds USD 300/- million with 95% of the sales geared towards the export markets.
40 - Ghani Family Pakistan
Ranking: 22 (tied at 22) Worth: £130m ($260m) Industry: Businessman
Abdul Ghani Dada Bhoy was the founder of Dada Bhoy group, starting in trade and branching off into the construction business. The group has a big share of cement market in Southern Pakistan. Like other Memon groups, Dad Bhoys are closely linked through intermarriages with other leading families like Jaffer and Bawany. Abdul Ghani Dada Bhoy had five sons and two daughters, namely Noor Mohammad Dada Bhoy, Mohammad Farooq Dada Bhoy, Mohammad Hussain Dada Bhoy, Abdullah Hussain Dada Bhoy and Ghulam Mohammad Dada Bhoy. Daughters are Mrs Mehrunisa Jaffer and Mrs Zaibunisa Tanveer .
41 - Saddiq & Sons Pakistan
Ranking: 22 (tied at 22) Worth: £130m ($260m) Industry: Businessman
This group made the bulk of its fortune during the chief ministership and premiership of Nawaz Sharif when the group was sold Pasrur Sugar Mills for a token price of Rs one and its Chairman, Mohammad Saleem was appointed managing director of National Development Leasing Corporation (NDLC) replacing Rafiq Habib. Today the have invested huge amounts in prime properties around Pakistan.
42 - Afzal Kushi UK
Ranking: 23 (tied at 23) Worth: £120m ($240m) Industry: Businessman
Afzal Khushi, 51, managing director of Jacobs & Turner, last year received a CBE for services to business in Scotland. He and his brother, Akmal, 50, have made the £90m Glasgow sportswear firm a global business. They also have £30 other assets.
43 - Ghulam Hassan Khan Pakistan
Ranking: 23 (tied at 23) Worth: £120m ($240m) Industry: Businessman
The SK group of companies shares a set of five core values: integrity, adaptability, excellence, unity and responsibility. These values, which have been part of the SK Group’s beliefs and convictions from its earliest days, continue to guide and drive the business decisions of SK companies. The SK Group and its enterprises have been steadfast and distinctive in their adherence to business ethics and their commitment to corporate social responsibility. This is a legacy that has earned the SK Group the trust of many thousand of stakeholders The SK Group comprises of six operating companies in following business segments: Information technology, Real estate, Developer and Builders, Media, Welfare, Import and exports and CNG stations. The SK Group was founded by Sardar Gulam Hassan Khan Niazi in the mid 1980’s. Sardar Khan Niazi and those who followed him aligned business opportunities with the objective of nation building. This approach remains enshrined in the SK Group’s ethos to this day. Rose Shopping Mall
Companies owned by the family today: Paradise City, SK Trading, DUBAI Gasco 2000, chain of CNG stations SK Constructions , rose club, SK plazaz, Chuna Pa chain fast food chinese., SKN tust and sk farms.
44 - Kasim Dada Pakistan
Ranking: 24 Worth: £100m ($200m) Industry: Businessman
Kasim hails from a 19th Century Memon business family known to have possessed the vision of international trade when most of their contemporaries were rather naïve on this count. This family had offices in Burma, South Africa and countries of the Far-East long before 1940. Dadas, have held decisive positions at the Karachi Stock Exchange and own shares of various Pakistani and foreign monopolies without creating any hype. Kassim Dada’s family is known to have held major local equity in multinationals like Glaxo SmithKline, Brook Bond and Berger Paints, besides being the sponsoring directors of Messrs Hyderabad Electronics, Automotive Battery Limited and Interfund Bank etc. Kassim Dada is one of the few Pakistani Tycoons who used to fly on private planes from Karachi to hit cement plants in Hyderabad. It was this family which had hired Mahatama Gandhi as a solicitor in 1890 to contest a business case in South Africa. Dada, was once a symbol of wealth. Had his assets not been nationalised by Bhutto he would definitely had the status many richest men in the world enjoy today.
Credit: Paktribune Discussion Forum
Friday, August 15, 2008
The national neurosis
By DR A. H. KHAYAL
Almost every part of the country is infected with neurosis. Almost every citizen is mentally sick. Unfortunately, we don't have the resources for establishing a mental hospital of the size of Pakistan.
The current political turmoil is the mother of the people's mental manfully upheaval. Some of the sick keep manfully for their survival. But most of the Pakistanis are living dead-bodies. There is utter uncertainty about the very survival of the country.
Any moment could be the last moment of its life. If, God forbid, the country were to collapse, only the masses would be the real sufferers.
The rulers would be absolutely unaffected. The tragedy would not dare to even touch the rulers. The rulers are a mysterious species. They rule the country mysteriously. For them neither the survival nor the extinction of the country is of any significance whatsoever. Actually, for them the country is a 5-star hotel which they use for picnicking. It is not their motherland. Their motherland lies far beyond the seas.
The government has failed to deliver to the masses what it had promised to deliver. Our skies are overcast with national depression. Rumours are rife that new elections are round the corner.
In the past, we have had numerous general elections and numerous governments. All the governments were utter fiascos. Would the new election breed something radically different from what the elections bred in the past? Only a miracle can do so. But our past history warns us that we have banned the entry of miracles in our country.
General elections are a very expensive affair. So far we have spent billions upon billions of rupees on our elections in the past. Actually, we have burnt this gigantic amount of money. We love electioneering because we love burning the national money. And for us there are no fireworks more entertaining than burning the people's money recklessly.
We love electioneering. But we detest reforming our political, economic and social chooses. The election periods are our orgiastic periods. When elections are over, we become depressed. We keep passionately waiting for the next elections. Elections have followed elections. But not an iota of change for the better has ever followed the elections.
Presidents have come and gone. prime ministers have come and gone. But when the economic misery of the masses came it came with a determination never to go. And it has stuck to its determination. What a determination!
Our political affairs have been regularly declining. Our economic affairs have been regularly declining. Our social affairs have been regularly declining. Almost everything has been regularly declining. But there is a mighty exception. It is the misery of the masses. This misery has been incessantly growing and growing. If we are ashamed of the regular general decline, we must be proud of the regular growth of the misery of the masses.
A poor man has only one problem. It is his stomach. On the contrary, the rich man has as many problems as he has external and internal bodily organs. Each organ is a very demanding creature. If the demands of an organ are not met, it makes the life of the rich man extremely miserable perhaps more miserable than the miserable life of the extremely poor man. The rich man's survival depends upon a regular increase in his wealth. A regular increase is his very oxygen. The moment an increase becomes impossible, his heart starts missing beats. Actually, Pakistan is inhabited by two nations the phenomenally rich and the phenomenally poor.
The president's impeachment is in the balance. There is a rumour that if the impeachment turned out to be a victory for the coalition, the coalition would celebrate the victory by distributing lots and lots of peaches amongst the masses.
For a long time, the masses have been asking the president to surrender power. The masses are ignorant. They just don't know that the president doesn't have power. Actually, it is power which is holding him. One has power only when one can surrender it and capture it again. If one cannot recapture it then it is not he who holds it but it is the power which holds him. . If the president were to surrender power, would he be able to recapture it? Thus the masses are asking him to surrender what he doesn't have. Poor ignorant masses!
When the president was a soldier, most probably he was not ambitious to become the country's president. It was Destiny which flung Pakistan into his pocket. He did not have the courage to offend Destiny. But he could have used Destiny's gift for the well-being of the masses. He did not. Perhaps Destiny has got offended. Perhaps it is destiny which is now infuriating the masses against the president.
Almost every part of the country is infected with neurosis. Almost every citizen is mentally sick. Unfortunately, we don't have the resources for establishing a mental hospital of the size of Pakistan.
The current political turmoil is the mother of the people's mental manfully upheaval. Some of the sick keep manfully for their survival. But most of the Pakistanis are living dead-bodies. There is utter uncertainty about the very survival of the country.
Any moment could be the last moment of its life. If, God forbid, the country were to collapse, only the masses would be the real sufferers.
The rulers would be absolutely unaffected. The tragedy would not dare to even touch the rulers. The rulers are a mysterious species. They rule the country mysteriously. For them neither the survival nor the extinction of the country is of any significance whatsoever. Actually, for them the country is a 5-star hotel which they use for picnicking. It is not their motherland. Their motherland lies far beyond the seas.
The government has failed to deliver to the masses what it had promised to deliver. Our skies are overcast with national depression. Rumours are rife that new elections are round the corner.
In the past, we have had numerous general elections and numerous governments. All the governments were utter fiascos. Would the new election breed something radically different from what the elections bred in the past? Only a miracle can do so. But our past history warns us that we have banned the entry of miracles in our country.
General elections are a very expensive affair. So far we have spent billions upon billions of rupees on our elections in the past. Actually, we have burnt this gigantic amount of money. We love electioneering because we love burning the national money. And for us there are no fireworks more entertaining than burning the people's money recklessly.
We love electioneering. But we detest reforming our political, economic and social chooses. The election periods are our orgiastic periods. When elections are over, we become depressed. We keep passionately waiting for the next elections. Elections have followed elections. But not an iota of change for the better has ever followed the elections.
Presidents have come and gone. prime ministers have come and gone. But when the economic misery of the masses came it came with a determination never to go. And it has stuck to its determination. What a determination!
Our political affairs have been regularly declining. Our economic affairs have been regularly declining. Our social affairs have been regularly declining. Almost everything has been regularly declining. But there is a mighty exception. It is the misery of the masses. This misery has been incessantly growing and growing. If we are ashamed of the regular general decline, we must be proud of the regular growth of the misery of the masses.
A poor man has only one problem. It is his stomach. On the contrary, the rich man has as many problems as he has external and internal bodily organs. Each organ is a very demanding creature. If the demands of an organ are not met, it makes the life of the rich man extremely miserable perhaps more miserable than the miserable life of the extremely poor man. The rich man's survival depends upon a regular increase in his wealth. A regular increase is his very oxygen. The moment an increase becomes impossible, his heart starts missing beats. Actually, Pakistan is inhabited by two nations the phenomenally rich and the phenomenally poor.
The president's impeachment is in the balance. There is a rumour that if the impeachment turned out to be a victory for the coalition, the coalition would celebrate the victory by distributing lots and lots of peaches amongst the masses.
For a long time, the masses have been asking the president to surrender power. The masses are ignorant. They just don't know that the president doesn't have power. Actually, it is power which is holding him. One has power only when one can surrender it and capture it again. If one cannot recapture it then it is not he who holds it but it is the power which holds him. . If the president were to surrender power, would he be able to recapture it? Thus the masses are asking him to surrender what he doesn't have. Poor ignorant masses!
When the president was a soldier, most probably he was not ambitious to become the country's president. It was Destiny which flung Pakistan into his pocket. He did not have the courage to offend Destiny. But he could have used Destiny's gift for the well-being of the masses. He did not. Perhaps Destiny has got offended. Perhaps it is destiny which is now infuriating the masses against the president.
Corruption and inefficiency
By Dr Ijaz Ahsan
I have just read that Chief Minister has ordered a crackdown on hoarders of wheat. As a farmer who grows wheat, I would like to Mr CM that the primary responsibility for the wheat crisis rests not with hoarders. They are certainly a part of the problem. However, the most important cause of the wheat shortage in the country has to do with inefficiency and corruption in different government departments, as I shall now explain. Some time ago I decided to sell my wheat to the government - to PASSCO in fact - and I shall never forget what I went through. If one takes a few hundred maunds of wheat to the grain market, they fill it into bags, weigh it, and within an hour or two, hand you the cash and send you home. But dealing with the concerned government officials was an extended nightmare.
I was told to take the following actions, at almost every one of which I had to grease palms: Firstly, provide proof of ownership of land. Secondly, apply for permission to sell to them the precise quantity of wheat I desired to dispose of. Thirdly, buy from them empty bags, whose price would be refunded to me after they had received my wheat. Fourthly, take my wheat to Minichinabad Centre, forty kilometres away, rather than Bahawalnagar, which was close to my land. Fifthly, open an account at a bank in Minchinabad. Sixthly, deliver my wheat to them and receive a chit. Seventhly, come all the way to the Minchinabad Centre once again and receive a pay order in payment. Now I ask Chief Minister: why would a person sell to PASSCO unless he was out of his mind? The result, over the years, has been that the government departments fail to procure enough wheat. And new another sad story starts.
Punjab produces 85 percent of the country's wheat. It, therefore, has the responsibility of keeping adequate reserve of this staple food. Because of the incompetence and corruption of the procuring departments, not enough reserves are built up. On the other hand, because of incompetence and corruption in the department meant to prevent smuggling, hundreds of thousands of tons is smuggled to Afghanistan from NWFP, creating food shortage in that province. When Punjab fails to give them more and more wheat because its reserves are insufficient, then the ministers of the NWFP government hold out threats that they will come to Punjab, lift wheat by force, and will see who can prevent them. Please note how corruption and inefficiency in government departments leads to strained relations between provinces, destroying national integration and cohesion.
This year the situation has reached such a nadir that for the first time in my life, the police has been raiding farmers' residences to snatch wheat. These people are not hoarders. The small farmers always have to sell all their wheat at once. The somewhat bigger farmers sell some, and keep some, in order to sell it later at a better price. No government department in the past has been raiding farmers' residences, certainly not within a couple of months of the wheat harvest having come in. This shows the horrendous stage that has been reached due to the incompetence and corruption in the departments.
Another important reason for the wheat shortage is the failure of the Planned Parenthood department to check the increasingly rapid growth of our population. In 1947, the population of the Pakistan was not more than 3 crores. In the last sixty years, this has been allowed to increase to sixteen crores. The bellies of the five times greater number of people on the same area of land are a bottomless pit, which is impossible to fill. The people believe our religion forbids family planning, and hence shy away from it. Faced with such a situation, the Bangladeshis sent their biggest religious leaders abroad to attend international conferences on family planning. There they discovered that not only the Bangladesh government, but other governments were also worried about the rate at which the population was increasing in their countries. When the religious leaders returned to Bangladesh, they stopped opposing family planning programmes, and advised their followers in the villages and towns to do likewise. This helped immensely, and therefore the population of Bangladesh has been controlled.
Dear Mr CM, you are occupying a very high post in the government. Kindly try to have our top maulanas also sent to Planned Parenthood conferences. You wil1 be pleasantly surprised by the results. Further, force the wheat procurement agencies to put their act together or else face the axe. God bless you.
The writer is a former principal of King Edward Medical College, and president of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Pakistan
E-mail: drijaz@nation.com.pk
I have just read that Chief Minister has ordered a crackdown on hoarders of wheat. As a farmer who grows wheat, I would like to Mr CM that the primary responsibility for the wheat crisis rests not with hoarders. They are certainly a part of the problem. However, the most important cause of the wheat shortage in the country has to do with inefficiency and corruption in different government departments, as I shall now explain. Some time ago I decided to sell my wheat to the government - to PASSCO in fact - and I shall never forget what I went through. If one takes a few hundred maunds of wheat to the grain market, they fill it into bags, weigh it, and within an hour or two, hand you the cash and send you home. But dealing with the concerned government officials was an extended nightmare.
I was told to take the following actions, at almost every one of which I had to grease palms: Firstly, provide proof of ownership of land. Secondly, apply for permission to sell to them the precise quantity of wheat I desired to dispose of. Thirdly, buy from them empty bags, whose price would be refunded to me after they had received my wheat. Fourthly, take my wheat to Minichinabad Centre, forty kilometres away, rather than Bahawalnagar, which was close to my land. Fifthly, open an account at a bank in Minchinabad. Sixthly, deliver my wheat to them and receive a chit. Seventhly, come all the way to the Minchinabad Centre once again and receive a pay order in payment. Now I ask Chief Minister: why would a person sell to PASSCO unless he was out of his mind? The result, over the years, has been that the government departments fail to procure enough wheat. And new another sad story starts.
Punjab produces 85 percent of the country's wheat. It, therefore, has the responsibility of keeping adequate reserve of this staple food. Because of the incompetence and corruption of the procuring departments, not enough reserves are built up. On the other hand, because of incompetence and corruption in the department meant to prevent smuggling, hundreds of thousands of tons is smuggled to Afghanistan from NWFP, creating food shortage in that province. When Punjab fails to give them more and more wheat because its reserves are insufficient, then the ministers of the NWFP government hold out threats that they will come to Punjab, lift wheat by force, and will see who can prevent them. Please note how corruption and inefficiency in government departments leads to strained relations between provinces, destroying national integration and cohesion.
This year the situation has reached such a nadir that for the first time in my life, the police has been raiding farmers' residences to snatch wheat. These people are not hoarders. The small farmers always have to sell all their wheat at once. The somewhat bigger farmers sell some, and keep some, in order to sell it later at a better price. No government department in the past has been raiding farmers' residences, certainly not within a couple of months of the wheat harvest having come in. This shows the horrendous stage that has been reached due to the incompetence and corruption in the departments.
Another important reason for the wheat shortage is the failure of the Planned Parenthood department to check the increasingly rapid growth of our population. In 1947, the population of the Pakistan was not more than 3 crores. In the last sixty years, this has been allowed to increase to sixteen crores. The bellies of the five times greater number of people on the same area of land are a bottomless pit, which is impossible to fill. The people believe our religion forbids family planning, and hence shy away from it. Faced with such a situation, the Bangladeshis sent their biggest religious leaders abroad to attend international conferences on family planning. There they discovered that not only the Bangladesh government, but other governments were also worried about the rate at which the population was increasing in their countries. When the religious leaders returned to Bangladesh, they stopped opposing family planning programmes, and advised their followers in the villages and towns to do likewise. This helped immensely, and therefore the population of Bangladesh has been controlled.
Dear Mr CM, you are occupying a very high post in the government. Kindly try to have our top maulanas also sent to Planned Parenthood conferences. You wil1 be pleasantly surprised by the results. Further, force the wheat procurement agencies to put their act together or else face the axe. God bless you.
The writer is a former principal of King Edward Medical College, and president of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Pakistan
E-mail: drijaz@nation.com.pk
Impeaching the president
By M.A. Niazi
The coalition partners finally seem to have reconciled their positions, as is supposed to be done in all good coalitions. The PML-N insisted that its core position included the restoration of the judiciary to its pre-Emergency position.
The PPP did not spell out, but made clear from its behaviour, that it did not want the president to suffer any embarrassment, which he insisted he would suffer in the event of a full restoration, so it avoided the restoration, leaving the PML-N to do its second worst and leave the Federal Cabinet (the worst was leaving the Punjab government, which it did not do).
The solution was to impeach the president, which has not just been announced, but has been recommended by three provincial assemblies, and will be recommended by the fourth. The equation was simple: find a president who will not be embarrassed by the restoration of the judiciary. For that, it was necessary to create a vacancy in the office, which meant the removal of the incumbent.
Since the incumbent had been re-elected only last year and thus had virtually the whole of the five years of his second term to run, this meant impeaching him. The PPP decided purely according to the logic of the situation, and there is no malignity towards the president visible in the move, at least from the PPP.
This is not the case with the PML-N, which on the other hand, saw an opportunity to fulfil another of its agenda items. The removal of the president is actually on the PPP to-do list, and after the February 18 election, which was more or less a referendum against Musharraf, it probably made sense to the PPP to place itself at the head of the movement for his removal.
It appears that the foreign powers and the military have decided to remain neutral, but the president is determined to tough it out. He has to ensure the semblance of support from them, not necessarily actual support, if he hopes to defeat the move.
The foreign powers have a historical record of letting down their Third-World allies when they lose support among their own people, and thus the number of American surveys appearing, that showed Musharraf as enjoying little support, assume significance, as does Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani's meeting both with the British PM and the US President. The Americans in particular will not support anyone who does not enjoy a plurality in a survey after being in power and office since 1999, yet it is American support that Musharraf has been courting ever since 9/11.
The president appears determined to go through with the impeachment, which follows a quasi-judicial procedure, as in the American model on which it is based. The big difference is in the voting. In the USA, an impeachment's framing is done by the lower House of Congress, the House of Representatives, but the impeachment itself is heard by the Upper House, the Senate, with the Chief Justice of the United States presiding.
In Pakistan, there is no role for the chief justice, and the charges are determined by the federal government, or the movers of the motion of impeachment, in the shape of the motion itself. The joint committee tasked with drafting is working on this motion, and once their work reaches the House, the 'bill of impeachment' becomes public property, just as does any bill in the USA.
Unlike the USA, where there is a clear Representatives-Senate division, Pakistan allows the impeachment to originate in either House moved by half of that House, and then for it to come before a joint sitting for consideration.
At the joint sitting, there may be an investigation, but only if there is, will the president get the right to legal representation. The motion of impeachment must be passed by two-thirds of the senate (in the USA, and the chief justice does not have a vote) or two-thirds of the total membership of the joint sitting (in Pakistan).
In short, considering that American senators and Pakistani members of parliament (both MNAs and senators) are both political animals, this vote is devoted to whether they like the face of the president or not. They are supposed to apply their minds to whether the incumbent violated the constitution or not, but they will not bother. In the USA, they will vote according to how it will sound in their next election, and in Pakistan, according to the party whip, which is crucial for the National Assembly and all-important for the senate.
Yet Musharraf has a way out, though only if the agency chiefs cooperate. If members abstain, they are voting for the sitting president.
The motion does not require a majority-against to be defeated, but will be defeated if it fails to attract the requisite number of votes, which is two-thirds of the total membership. Since the agencies have ensured the election of many of those on the Treasury benches (at least, to them), the agencies can make them abstain, and thus vote for the president.
Such a presidency would be double-edged. Already, Pervez Musharraf is going to set a record, as a president who was the first to be impeached. Both of the presidential impeachment's in the USA that went to the senate, that of President Andrew Johnson in 1868 and of Bill Clinton in 1998, failed, while Richard Nixon resigned in 1974 rather than face impeachment, in which he was a virtual certainty to be convicted, not because he was guilty (which he was), but because the senators were under constituency pressures.
Impeachment is no defence against further trial, and it is not clear in Pakistan what the status is of the evidence adduced. The pension rights of the president are sacrificed, though it is hoped that Musharraf would avoid this loss of what is a generous package, including free accommodation and transport by resigning. However, even if he loses these rights because he has been impeached, as a former chief of army staff, he gives up nothing, and this is a sufficiency for him.
It must be said that the nation is going through a trauma as severe as the president, who is a mere channel. Just as a president is impeached only once, a nation witnesses a presidential impeachment for the first time only once. Pakistan is undergoing a stressful time, and it is to be hoped that it comes through successfully.
E-mail: maniazi@nation.com.pk
The coalition partners finally seem to have reconciled their positions, as is supposed to be done in all good coalitions. The PML-N insisted that its core position included the restoration of the judiciary to its pre-Emergency position.
The PPP did not spell out, but made clear from its behaviour, that it did not want the president to suffer any embarrassment, which he insisted he would suffer in the event of a full restoration, so it avoided the restoration, leaving the PML-N to do its second worst and leave the Federal Cabinet (the worst was leaving the Punjab government, which it did not do).
The solution was to impeach the president, which has not just been announced, but has been recommended by three provincial assemblies, and will be recommended by the fourth. The equation was simple: find a president who will not be embarrassed by the restoration of the judiciary. For that, it was necessary to create a vacancy in the office, which meant the removal of the incumbent.
Since the incumbent had been re-elected only last year and thus had virtually the whole of the five years of his second term to run, this meant impeaching him. The PPP decided purely according to the logic of the situation, and there is no malignity towards the president visible in the move, at least from the PPP.
This is not the case with the PML-N, which on the other hand, saw an opportunity to fulfil another of its agenda items. The removal of the president is actually on the PPP to-do list, and after the February 18 election, which was more or less a referendum against Musharraf, it probably made sense to the PPP to place itself at the head of the movement for his removal.
It appears that the foreign powers and the military have decided to remain neutral, but the president is determined to tough it out. He has to ensure the semblance of support from them, not necessarily actual support, if he hopes to defeat the move.
The foreign powers have a historical record of letting down their Third-World allies when they lose support among their own people, and thus the number of American surveys appearing, that showed Musharraf as enjoying little support, assume significance, as does Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani's meeting both with the British PM and the US President. The Americans in particular will not support anyone who does not enjoy a plurality in a survey after being in power and office since 1999, yet it is American support that Musharraf has been courting ever since 9/11.
The president appears determined to go through with the impeachment, which follows a quasi-judicial procedure, as in the American model on which it is based. The big difference is in the voting. In the USA, an impeachment's framing is done by the lower House of Congress, the House of Representatives, but the impeachment itself is heard by the Upper House, the Senate, with the Chief Justice of the United States presiding.
In Pakistan, there is no role for the chief justice, and the charges are determined by the federal government, or the movers of the motion of impeachment, in the shape of the motion itself. The joint committee tasked with drafting is working on this motion, and once their work reaches the House, the 'bill of impeachment' becomes public property, just as does any bill in the USA.
Unlike the USA, where there is a clear Representatives-Senate division, Pakistan allows the impeachment to originate in either House moved by half of that House, and then for it to come before a joint sitting for consideration.
At the joint sitting, there may be an investigation, but only if there is, will the president get the right to legal representation. The motion of impeachment must be passed by two-thirds of the senate (in the USA, and the chief justice does not have a vote) or two-thirds of the total membership of the joint sitting (in Pakistan).
In short, considering that American senators and Pakistani members of parliament (both MNAs and senators) are both political animals, this vote is devoted to whether they like the face of the president or not. They are supposed to apply their minds to whether the incumbent violated the constitution or not, but they will not bother. In the USA, they will vote according to how it will sound in their next election, and in Pakistan, according to the party whip, which is crucial for the National Assembly and all-important for the senate.
Yet Musharraf has a way out, though only if the agency chiefs cooperate. If members abstain, they are voting for the sitting president.
The motion does not require a majority-against to be defeated, but will be defeated if it fails to attract the requisite number of votes, which is two-thirds of the total membership. Since the agencies have ensured the election of many of those on the Treasury benches (at least, to them), the agencies can make them abstain, and thus vote for the president.
Such a presidency would be double-edged. Already, Pervez Musharraf is going to set a record, as a president who was the first to be impeached. Both of the presidential impeachment's in the USA that went to the senate, that of President Andrew Johnson in 1868 and of Bill Clinton in 1998, failed, while Richard Nixon resigned in 1974 rather than face impeachment, in which he was a virtual certainty to be convicted, not because he was guilty (which he was), but because the senators were under constituency pressures.
Impeachment is no defence against further trial, and it is not clear in Pakistan what the status is of the evidence adduced. The pension rights of the president are sacrificed, though it is hoped that Musharraf would avoid this loss of what is a generous package, including free accommodation and transport by resigning. However, even if he loses these rights because he has been impeached, as a former chief of army staff, he gives up nothing, and this is a sufficiency for him.
It must be said that the nation is going through a trauma as severe as the president, who is a mere channel. Just as a president is impeached only once, a nation witnesses a presidential impeachment for the first time only once. Pakistan is undergoing a stressful time, and it is to be hoped that it comes through successfully.
E-mail: maniazi@nation.com.pk
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Understanding Iqbal's 'dream' of Pakistan
By DR RIFFAT HASSAN
Allama Muhammad Iqbal is the spiritual and intellectual founder of Pakistan. No poet or philosopher in the history of the world has inspired and energised millions of people as Iqbal did. He was the last and greatest thinker of the historic Aligarh Movement which brought about a paradigm shift in the consciousness of the Muslims of India, and transformed their destiny. But Iqbal's place in history is not limited to his role as a modernist, reformist Muslim thinker in India. He is the most outstanding poet-philosopher of the world of Islam, and of the world in general, since the death of Jalaluddin Rumi in 1273.
Poet, philosopher, educationist, lawyer, political activist, social reformer, Iqbal is unmatched in his versatility and the breadth of his knowledge and vision. His message is more relevant and important to contemporary Muslims than the message of any other Muslim thinker of the past or present. This is due not only to the fact that Iqbal faced the challenges of both traditionalism and modernity fearlessly, but also - and more importantly - because he had a profound understanding of the integrated vision of the Qur'an which he made the basis of his philosophy.
What is unique about Iqbal's philosophy is that it offers concrete guidance about how a Muslim can attain "the good life" which is the goal set before humanity whom God has created "in the best of moulds" (Surah 95: At-Tin: 4). The opening line of Iqbal's Preface to his famous Lectures on The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam points out that "The Qur'an is a book which emphasises 'deed' rather than 'idea'." Likewise, Iqbal's philosophy, rich as it is in ideas and concepts, is fundamentally action-oriented.
It is often proclaimed by Pakistanis that Pakistan was Iqbal's "dream" but few know that this "dream" was the outcome of a lifetime of deep thinking and feeling, of study, of creativity, and of prayer. Iqbal died in 1938, nine years before the creation of Pakistan, but his role in the Pakistan Movement was so pivotal that it is not an exaggeration to say that if there had been no Iqbal, there might well have been no Pakistan.
The influence that Iqbal wielded was phenomenal. His personal reputation - not only as an outstanding poet and philosopher - but also as a person of unswerving conviction and incorruptible honesty, had contributed greatly to the rallying of Muslims under the banner upheld by the Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. All these facts notwithstanding it must be kept in mind that Iqbal was a visionary philosopher and not a politician. Politics constitutes the primary interest of many politicians who are often driven by motives of political expediency. However, Iqbal's interest in politics was secondary, not primary. He explained his reasons for becoming involved in politics, in his Presidential Address delivered at the Annual Session of the All-India Muslim Conference at Lahore in 1932: "Politics have their roots in the spiritual life of man. It is my belief that Islam is not a matter of private opinion. It is a society, or if you like, a civic Church. It is because present day political ideals as they appear to be shaping themselves in India, may affect its original structure and character that I find myself interested in politics."
Iqbal's "dream" was that the Muslims of India have a State in which they could preserve "the culture of Islam inspired by a specific ethical ideal." It is important to note here that to Iqbal "the culture of Islam" was not the cultural practices of Muslims. To him it was an ideal value-system, "a system of life and conduct," which was based upon the ethical principles of normative Islam.
In his memorable Presidential Address at the All-India Muslim League at Allahabad in 1930, Iqbal reiterated that Islam was "an ethical ideal plus a certain kind of polity," and said, "I would like to see the Punjab, North West Frontier Province, Sindh and Balochistan amalgamated into a single State. Self-government within the British Empire or without the British Empire, the formation of a consolidated North West Indian Muslim State appears to me to be the final destiny of the Muslims, at least of North West India."
Deeply conscious of the multi-faceted challenges and difficulties with which Indian Muslims were faced at that time, Iqbal pointed out in the Allahabad Address, "Never in our history has Islam had to stand a greater trial than the one which confronts it today." However, his faith in the efficacy of his faith remained steadfast amid this grim realisation and he affirmed that he was "a man who is not despaired of Islam as a living force...who believes that religion is a power of the utmost importance in the life of individuals as well as States, and finally who believes that Islam is itself Destiny and will not suffer a destiny."
Refuting the idea that religion is "a private affair" of an individual, Iqbal went on to put some rhetorical questions to the Muslim Assembly that he was addressing. "Would you like to see Islam, as a moral and political ideal, meeting the same fate in the world of Islam as Christianity has already met in Europe? Is it possible to retain Islam as an ethical ideal and to reject it as a polity in favour of national polities, in which religious attitude is not permitted to play any part?"
Iqbal believed that in Islam it was not possible to bifurcate ethics and politics and he contrasted the separation of the spiritual and the temporal that he saw in Christianity with "the nature of the Prophet's religious experience, as disclosed in the Qur'an." Referring to this experience, Iqbal said that it was "creative of a social order. Its immediate outcome is the fundamentals of a polity with implicit legal concepts whose civic significance cannot be belittled merely because their origin is revelational. The religious ideal of Islam, therefore, is organically related to the social order which it has created. The rejection of the one will eventually involve the rejection of the other. Therefore, the construction of a polity on national lines, if it means a displacement of the Islamic principle of solidarity, is simply unthinkable to a Muslim."
Here it is useful to note that the failed rebellion of 1857 had made the Muslims the particular target of the wrath of the British rulers who instituted openly discriminatory policies against them. This resulted in Muslim fortunes reaching their lowest ebb in the 1860s and 1870s. The disturbing events of 1857-58 were a turning point not only in the thought and life of Sayyid Ahmad Khan who founded the Aligarh Movement, but also of many other Muslims who became wary of associating Islam with politics and limited it to a practice of personal piety and righteous behaviour.
Iqbal was deeply concerned about this state of affairs and considered it extremely important to demonstrate to his fellow Muslims that Islam could not be limited in such a way, and that its religious and ethical teachings necessitated the emergence of a social and political order which was based upon them. Ironically, if Iqbal was alive today his challenge would be to persuade many Pakistanis that Islam cannot be limited to politics which is disconnected from the religious and ethical principles of their faith.
In the light of Iqbal's views stated in the above-quoted passages, it is clear that his "dream" of Pakistan was of a Muslim State in which there would be an integral or organic relationship between the religious and ethical foundational principles of Islam and the political system which derived from them. If the latter was not an outcome of the former, it would lead to unbridled injustice and brutal oppression, as Iqbal pointed out in his well-known lines from Bal-e-Jibril: "Whether it is the pomp of monarchy or democracy's show, if religion is separated from politics, what results is the tyranny of Changez!"
Concluding his Presidential Address at the All-India Muslim League Annual Session at Allahabad, Iqbal said, "One lesson I have learnt from the history of Muslims. In critical times in their history it is Islam that has saved Muslims and not vice versa. If today you focus your vision on Islam and seek inspiration from the ever-vitalising idea embodied in it, you will be only reassembling your scattered forces, regaining your lost integrity, and thereby saving yourself from total destruction."
Iqbal's words spoken in 1930 are profoundly relevant to contemporary Pakistanis who refer to Pakistan as Iqbal's "dream." The first step toward actualising this "dream" is to understand Iqbal's vision of Islam which gave birth to this "dream."
His message to us today would be the same as the one he delivered to the Allahabad Assembly. The only way that Iqbal's "dream" can be made a reality is by striving to live up to the highest ethical ideals and the best ethical practices of Islam."
The writer is a leading hyperlink "/wiki/Islamic_feminist"Islamic feminist scholar, professor of Religious Studies in USA, and president of The Iqbal International Leadership Institute (Lahore)
Allama Muhammad Iqbal is the spiritual and intellectual founder of Pakistan. No poet or philosopher in the history of the world has inspired and energised millions of people as Iqbal did. He was the last and greatest thinker of the historic Aligarh Movement which brought about a paradigm shift in the consciousness of the Muslims of India, and transformed their destiny. But Iqbal's place in history is not limited to his role as a modernist, reformist Muslim thinker in India. He is the most outstanding poet-philosopher of the world of Islam, and of the world in general, since the death of Jalaluddin Rumi in 1273.
Poet, philosopher, educationist, lawyer, political activist, social reformer, Iqbal is unmatched in his versatility and the breadth of his knowledge and vision. His message is more relevant and important to contemporary Muslims than the message of any other Muslim thinker of the past or present. This is due not only to the fact that Iqbal faced the challenges of both traditionalism and modernity fearlessly, but also - and more importantly - because he had a profound understanding of the integrated vision of the Qur'an which he made the basis of his philosophy.
What is unique about Iqbal's philosophy is that it offers concrete guidance about how a Muslim can attain "the good life" which is the goal set before humanity whom God has created "in the best of moulds" (Surah 95: At-Tin: 4). The opening line of Iqbal's Preface to his famous Lectures on The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam points out that "The Qur'an is a book which emphasises 'deed' rather than 'idea'." Likewise, Iqbal's philosophy, rich as it is in ideas and concepts, is fundamentally action-oriented.
It is often proclaimed by Pakistanis that Pakistan was Iqbal's "dream" but few know that this "dream" was the outcome of a lifetime of deep thinking and feeling, of study, of creativity, and of prayer. Iqbal died in 1938, nine years before the creation of Pakistan, but his role in the Pakistan Movement was so pivotal that it is not an exaggeration to say that if there had been no Iqbal, there might well have been no Pakistan.
The influence that Iqbal wielded was phenomenal. His personal reputation - not only as an outstanding poet and philosopher - but also as a person of unswerving conviction and incorruptible honesty, had contributed greatly to the rallying of Muslims under the banner upheld by the Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. All these facts notwithstanding it must be kept in mind that Iqbal was a visionary philosopher and not a politician. Politics constitutes the primary interest of many politicians who are often driven by motives of political expediency. However, Iqbal's interest in politics was secondary, not primary. He explained his reasons for becoming involved in politics, in his Presidential Address delivered at the Annual Session of the All-India Muslim Conference at Lahore in 1932: "Politics have their roots in the spiritual life of man. It is my belief that Islam is not a matter of private opinion. It is a society, or if you like, a civic Church. It is because present day political ideals as they appear to be shaping themselves in India, may affect its original structure and character that I find myself interested in politics."
Iqbal's "dream" was that the Muslims of India have a State in which they could preserve "the culture of Islam inspired by a specific ethical ideal." It is important to note here that to Iqbal "the culture of Islam" was not the cultural practices of Muslims. To him it was an ideal value-system, "a system of life and conduct," which was based upon the ethical principles of normative Islam.
In his memorable Presidential Address at the All-India Muslim League at Allahabad in 1930, Iqbal reiterated that Islam was "an ethical ideal plus a certain kind of polity," and said, "I would like to see the Punjab, North West Frontier Province, Sindh and Balochistan amalgamated into a single State. Self-government within the British Empire or without the British Empire, the formation of a consolidated North West Indian Muslim State appears to me to be the final destiny of the Muslims, at least of North West India."
Deeply conscious of the multi-faceted challenges and difficulties with which Indian Muslims were faced at that time, Iqbal pointed out in the Allahabad Address, "Never in our history has Islam had to stand a greater trial than the one which confronts it today." However, his faith in the efficacy of his faith remained steadfast amid this grim realisation and he affirmed that he was "a man who is not despaired of Islam as a living force...who believes that religion is a power of the utmost importance in the life of individuals as well as States, and finally who believes that Islam is itself Destiny and will not suffer a destiny."
Refuting the idea that religion is "a private affair" of an individual, Iqbal went on to put some rhetorical questions to the Muslim Assembly that he was addressing. "Would you like to see Islam, as a moral and political ideal, meeting the same fate in the world of Islam as Christianity has already met in Europe? Is it possible to retain Islam as an ethical ideal and to reject it as a polity in favour of national polities, in which religious attitude is not permitted to play any part?"
Iqbal believed that in Islam it was not possible to bifurcate ethics and politics and he contrasted the separation of the spiritual and the temporal that he saw in Christianity with "the nature of the Prophet's religious experience, as disclosed in the Qur'an." Referring to this experience, Iqbal said that it was "creative of a social order. Its immediate outcome is the fundamentals of a polity with implicit legal concepts whose civic significance cannot be belittled merely because their origin is revelational. The religious ideal of Islam, therefore, is organically related to the social order which it has created. The rejection of the one will eventually involve the rejection of the other. Therefore, the construction of a polity on national lines, if it means a displacement of the Islamic principle of solidarity, is simply unthinkable to a Muslim."
Here it is useful to note that the failed rebellion of 1857 had made the Muslims the particular target of the wrath of the British rulers who instituted openly discriminatory policies against them. This resulted in Muslim fortunes reaching their lowest ebb in the 1860s and 1870s. The disturbing events of 1857-58 were a turning point not only in the thought and life of Sayyid Ahmad Khan who founded the Aligarh Movement, but also of many other Muslims who became wary of associating Islam with politics and limited it to a practice of personal piety and righteous behaviour.
Iqbal was deeply concerned about this state of affairs and considered it extremely important to demonstrate to his fellow Muslims that Islam could not be limited in such a way, and that its religious and ethical teachings necessitated the emergence of a social and political order which was based upon them. Ironically, if Iqbal was alive today his challenge would be to persuade many Pakistanis that Islam cannot be limited to politics which is disconnected from the religious and ethical principles of their faith.
In the light of Iqbal's views stated in the above-quoted passages, it is clear that his "dream" of Pakistan was of a Muslim State in which there would be an integral or organic relationship between the religious and ethical foundational principles of Islam and the political system which derived from them. If the latter was not an outcome of the former, it would lead to unbridled injustice and brutal oppression, as Iqbal pointed out in his well-known lines from Bal-e-Jibril: "Whether it is the pomp of monarchy or democracy's show, if religion is separated from politics, what results is the tyranny of Changez!"
Concluding his Presidential Address at the All-India Muslim League Annual Session at Allahabad, Iqbal said, "One lesson I have learnt from the history of Muslims. In critical times in their history it is Islam that has saved Muslims and not vice versa. If today you focus your vision on Islam and seek inspiration from the ever-vitalising idea embodied in it, you will be only reassembling your scattered forces, regaining your lost integrity, and thereby saving yourself from total destruction."
Iqbal's words spoken in 1930 are profoundly relevant to contemporary Pakistanis who refer to Pakistan as Iqbal's "dream." The first step toward actualising this "dream" is to understand Iqbal's vision of Islam which gave birth to this "dream."
His message to us today would be the same as the one he delivered to the Allahabad Assembly. The only way that Iqbal's "dream" can be made a reality is by striving to live up to the highest ethical ideals and the best ethical practices of Islam."
The writer is a leading hyperlink "/wiki/Islamic_feminist"Islamic feminist scholar, professor of Religious Studies in USA, and president of The Iqbal International Leadership Institute (Lahore)
61st Independence Day: the Hindu mindset
By R.A. KHAN
This year Pakistan's 61st Independence Day has come at a time when the country is faced with a number of challenging issues: restoration of judiciary, good governance, galloping inflation, energy crisis, militancy in FATA, NATO threats, US demands and Indo-US nuclear deals. While the issues cited above will be resolved in the foreseeable future, there is one issue that defies resolution; The Kashmir Issue. And all because of the hostility, fear and distrust that lie buried deep in the psyche of the Hindu community. No wonder Bharat has always failed to reach an understanding with Pakistan. All Pak- Bharat summits - General Ayub Khan: Jawaharlal Nehru, Benazir Bhutto: Rajiv Gandhi, Nawaz: I K Gujral, General Musharraf: Atal Behari Vajpayee - have failed or remained inconclusive.
Pakistan's 61st Independence Day should remind us that the Hindu mindset has not changed. Hindus bitterly opposed the Pakistan idea when it was first enunciated. They called it a " vivisection of their motherland." They refused to acknowledge that the Muslims of South Asia constituted a nation. Gandhi said, "I find no parallel in history for a body of converts and their descendants claiming to be a nation apart from their parent stock. If India was one nation before the advent of Islam, it must remain one in spite of the change of faith of a very large body of her children."
The Congress also gave ample evidence of its hostility towards the Muslims. The excesses of the Congress provincial governments of 1937-39, the Pirpur Report and Fazlul Haq's "Muslims suffering under Congress rule" unveiled the true face of this so-called national party. Quaid-e-Azam saw through the malice and duplicity of the Congress." The Congress", he said, "is a Hindu organisation and wanted the Muslims to come within the ken of the Congress and Hindu Raj."
Most Hindu leaders spoke publicly of driving the Muslims from India as the Spaniards have driven the Moors from Spain. Such threats aroused feelings of deep insecurity among the Muslims and were convinced that they would never get a fair deal at the hands of Hindus.
The arrogance of the Congress, its rapport with the militant forces of Hindu revivalism and its deep animus towards Muslim history and culture compelled the Quaid to take a fresh look at the Hindu- Muslim question. He was convinced that in a United India, Hindu philosophy would reduce the Muslims to an abject state of slavery. He was convinced that the Muslims could save themselves from Hindu domination only by establishing an Independent and sovereign state.
It was hoped that with the division of the sub-continent things would fall into place and the legacy of hatred would fade away. But that was not to be. The Hindu psyche remains as twisted today as it was yesterday. The Hindu leadership has not reconciled itself to the creation of Pakistan .As a big neighbour and as a senior partner in SAARC, it is Bharat's task to remove past suspicions and give credible evidence of its good intentions. But Bharat's record in this respect is not very inspiring. It has repeatedly flouted UN Declarations and refused to recognize the legality of Pakistan's stand. It has waged three wars against Pakistan and spared no means to destroy the very existence of this country. In 1971, it succeeded in mutilating Pakistan and separating its eastern wing. Even today it is trying to crush the defenceless Kashmiris and deprive them of their right to self-determination. Of late, especially after the INDO-US deal, Hindu leadership has become more arrogant and pontifical in its tone.
Behind Bharat's inflated self-assessment lie its ago-old dreams of a Greater Bharat, the revival of the ancient Hindu civilisation and its emergence as a dominant country on the political horizon of the world. That these dreams have not faded and are very much alive can be gauged from a book Defending India, written not long ago by Jaswant Singh. In his view, the South Asian subcontinent-minus China is a distinct strategic unity, comprising countries, as far apart from Delhi as Afghanistan, Tibet and Myanamar. Pakistan and Bangladesh need not be mentioned, as they are two sons of the same soil. In fact, Pakistan is only technically foreign.
Bharat subscribes to a double-faced policy; on the one hand it goes through the motions of negotiating with Pakistan while on the other hand it pursues anti-Pakistan polices and foments trouble in Balochistan and FATA. With its delusion of grandeur, hegemonic ambitions and craving for regional supremacy, Bharat will not descend from its pedestal to parley as an equal with Pakistan. Bharat's syndrome is not new. The Quaid had spotted it 60 years ago. To a question by a Swiss journalist on whether there was any hope of India and Pakistan coming to a peaceful settlement, the Quaid replied, " Yes, provided the Indian government will shed the superiority complex and will deal with Pakistan on an equal footing."
The crucial question is: will Pak-Bharat relations ever become friendly? No, not in the true sense. There may be a semblance of normalcy, a veneer of cordiality but nothing more. The psychic chasm is too wide to be bridged. The Kashmir stalemate will persist. Bharat will continue to drag its feet and offer the flimsiest justification for doing so. Recall its knee-jerk reaction to last months attack on its embassy in Kabul. It promptly accused Pakistan of the crime and warned that provocations could scuttle the peace process. Bharat, in fact, wants Pakistan to freeze the issue! But Pakistan cannot do so. Kashmir is etched on its heart. It cannot erase it at will.
This year Pakistan's 61st Independence Day has come at a time when the country is faced with a number of challenging issues: restoration of judiciary, good governance, galloping inflation, energy crisis, militancy in FATA, NATO threats, US demands and Indo-US nuclear deals. While the issues cited above will be resolved in the foreseeable future, there is one issue that defies resolution; The Kashmir Issue. And all because of the hostility, fear and distrust that lie buried deep in the psyche of the Hindu community. No wonder Bharat has always failed to reach an understanding with Pakistan. All Pak- Bharat summits - General Ayub Khan: Jawaharlal Nehru, Benazir Bhutto: Rajiv Gandhi, Nawaz: I K Gujral, General Musharraf: Atal Behari Vajpayee - have failed or remained inconclusive.
Pakistan's 61st Independence Day should remind us that the Hindu mindset has not changed. Hindus bitterly opposed the Pakistan idea when it was first enunciated. They called it a " vivisection of their motherland." They refused to acknowledge that the Muslims of South Asia constituted a nation. Gandhi said, "I find no parallel in history for a body of converts and their descendants claiming to be a nation apart from their parent stock. If India was one nation before the advent of Islam, it must remain one in spite of the change of faith of a very large body of her children."
The Congress also gave ample evidence of its hostility towards the Muslims. The excesses of the Congress provincial governments of 1937-39, the Pirpur Report and Fazlul Haq's "Muslims suffering under Congress rule" unveiled the true face of this so-called national party. Quaid-e-Azam saw through the malice and duplicity of the Congress." The Congress", he said, "is a Hindu organisation and wanted the Muslims to come within the ken of the Congress and Hindu Raj."
Most Hindu leaders spoke publicly of driving the Muslims from India as the Spaniards have driven the Moors from Spain. Such threats aroused feelings of deep insecurity among the Muslims and were convinced that they would never get a fair deal at the hands of Hindus.
The arrogance of the Congress, its rapport with the militant forces of Hindu revivalism and its deep animus towards Muslim history and culture compelled the Quaid to take a fresh look at the Hindu- Muslim question. He was convinced that in a United India, Hindu philosophy would reduce the Muslims to an abject state of slavery. He was convinced that the Muslims could save themselves from Hindu domination only by establishing an Independent and sovereign state.
It was hoped that with the division of the sub-continent things would fall into place and the legacy of hatred would fade away. But that was not to be. The Hindu psyche remains as twisted today as it was yesterday. The Hindu leadership has not reconciled itself to the creation of Pakistan .As a big neighbour and as a senior partner in SAARC, it is Bharat's task to remove past suspicions and give credible evidence of its good intentions. But Bharat's record in this respect is not very inspiring. It has repeatedly flouted UN Declarations and refused to recognize the legality of Pakistan's stand. It has waged three wars against Pakistan and spared no means to destroy the very existence of this country. In 1971, it succeeded in mutilating Pakistan and separating its eastern wing. Even today it is trying to crush the defenceless Kashmiris and deprive them of their right to self-determination. Of late, especially after the INDO-US deal, Hindu leadership has become more arrogant and pontifical in its tone.
Behind Bharat's inflated self-assessment lie its ago-old dreams of a Greater Bharat, the revival of the ancient Hindu civilisation and its emergence as a dominant country on the political horizon of the world. That these dreams have not faded and are very much alive can be gauged from a book Defending India, written not long ago by Jaswant Singh. In his view, the South Asian subcontinent-minus China is a distinct strategic unity, comprising countries, as far apart from Delhi as Afghanistan, Tibet and Myanamar. Pakistan and Bangladesh need not be mentioned, as they are two sons of the same soil. In fact, Pakistan is only technically foreign.
Bharat subscribes to a double-faced policy; on the one hand it goes through the motions of negotiating with Pakistan while on the other hand it pursues anti-Pakistan polices and foments trouble in Balochistan and FATA. With its delusion of grandeur, hegemonic ambitions and craving for regional supremacy, Bharat will not descend from its pedestal to parley as an equal with Pakistan. Bharat's syndrome is not new. The Quaid had spotted it 60 years ago. To a question by a Swiss journalist on whether there was any hope of India and Pakistan coming to a peaceful settlement, the Quaid replied, " Yes, provided the Indian government will shed the superiority complex and will deal with Pakistan on an equal footing."
The crucial question is: will Pak-Bharat relations ever become friendly? No, not in the true sense. There may be a semblance of normalcy, a veneer of cordiality but nothing more. The psychic chasm is too wide to be bridged. The Kashmir stalemate will persist. Bharat will continue to drag its feet and offer the flimsiest justification for doing so. Recall its knee-jerk reaction to last months attack on its embassy in Kabul. It promptly accused Pakistan of the crime and warned that provocations could scuttle the peace process. Bharat, in fact, wants Pakistan to freeze the issue! But Pakistan cannot do so. Kashmir is etched on its heart. It cannot erase it at will.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
A right jolly mess, what
A right jolly mess, what
By Kamran Shafi
SO then, the Commando has got us into all sorts of trouble, what, by continuing to hang on to the President’s Lodge (née Army House) by his manicured fingernails! Well, what did you expect of someone who wrote (allegedly, for the authorship of that absurd farce seems to rest more on someone else’s shoulders according to Musharraf himself — stand up Humayun Gohar) In the Line of Fire!?
Throughout the debate that has raged between the transitionists and the transformationists (among the latter’s number I proudly count myself) I have begged people to please, please read the book. “Please read the book to really know the extent of the trouble we are in,” I begged everyone.
For in it you see an adolescent in a full general’s uniform — I detest this new Americanism of one-star, three-star and so on — still proud of once being a 12-year-old young thug leading a gang of other urchins and beating people up on the streets of Karachi.
Or, indeed, of doubling up with laughter (alongside his cousins and brothers) when his “Uncle Haider”, allegedly once-upon-a-time an Air Force Academy “sword-carrier” i.e. a cadet under officer, slapped a bald man on the head, not once but twice in Frere Gardens pretending it was someone else. As an Indian reader informed me this was one of the scenes in an Indian film of the day!
Or indeed, in later years being proud of not giving a damn about the rules of behaviour under which gentlemen cadets at the Pakistan Military Academy conducted themselves, the very first being the honour system under which you ensured you did the right thing by yourself.
The instances the man quotes are gob-smacking to say the least. He even congratulates himself for having got away with cheating and taking a shortcut on the infamous nine-mile endurance test in which you had to run/walk nine miles in light FSMO (Field Service Marching Order) in under 90 minutes.
It was a cardinal sin to cheat at PMA, yet he felicitates himself for having been spared relegation to the next lower term, or indeed, being dishonourably discharged from the PMA for the very great crime he committed.
I write this on the early morning of Monday and have already seen some very interesting stories in this same newspaper; exactly the kind of stories you would expect in matters Musharraf. The first is that Rashid Qureshi, his press secretary, has said he is not resigning; no way. Vintage Macho Musharraf!
On the same page there is a long story on how the Americans want him to stay in the country in an “honourable” way after he resigns/is thrown out of office. Now, whilst the Americans are much practised in protecting their stooges who do their bidding — Nuri Al-Maliki in Iraq and Hamid Karzai in Afghanistan, both of whom rely on American security contractors, read under-cover CIA operatives, to provide them close security — why in God’s name should the Americans be concerned about where in the world Musharraf lives after he is made to relinquish his vice-like hold on Pakistan’s jugular?
Could it be possible that the request for “honourable” stay in Pakistan was made by Musharraf himself to his tight buddy Dubya and that the Americans were demanding of the Pakistanis to provide the man the same level of security comprising regular army troops, three diversionary motorcades and so on, as a price of his leaving office? So he can play ‘president, president’ with his buddies forever?
That is, to continue being ‘presidential’ without the responsibility?! Is this Dubya’s parting gift to his “tight” buddy whose “tightness” became ever tighter as more and more Pakistanis (and poor Afghans as reports HRW, one of them a farmer who had a dispute with his neighbour) were sold to the Americans for bounty money at $5000 per?
But why should we the people allow that? Have we forgotten how every single elected leader was seen out of office by the establishment with the active support of the Pakistan army? Have we forgotten that every single time the “bloody civilian” leaders went home they went home via jail, even the hangman’s noose? If they weren’t assassinated and the whole thing shoved under the rather humungous Pakistani carpet, that is?
Why should we forget Nawabzada Liaquat Ali Khan’s murder in Liaquat Bagh; then Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s judicial murder in Rawalpindi jail; then Nawaz Sharif’s incarceration in Attock Fort and trial in an anti-terrorism court and then exile under the pressure of those whose $s are so valuable to any Pakistani dictator; then Benazir Bhutto’s cruel murder in Liaquat Bagh again with the crime scene being so carefully sanitised within minutes of her killing?
Which reminds me. Pulitzer Prize-winning American journalist Ron Suskind’s just-published book The Way of the World: A Story of Truth and Hope in an Age of Extremism says President Musharraf phoned Benazir in Dubai and told her, “Your security is based on the state of our relationship.”
What sort of threat was that? And are we to read into it that Benazir was murdered precisely because she had become distanced from Musharraf in so many ways, even telling friends that she was a marked woman and had been “betrayed”, not only by Musharraf but by the Americans too?
Why then are they asking Musharraf be allowed to have an “honourable” stay in Pakistan? Shouldn’t the charges enumerated above not form part of the 100-page chargesheet the coalition is preparing against the man? Charges ranging from cheating as a so-called ‘gentleman cadet’ to threatening a murdered leader that she would be murdered if she strayed too far from the straight and narrow?
Stop press: on a TV programme called ‘Such to Yeh Hai’ on Monday one of the participants said that parliamentarians would vote according to their zameer on Musharraf’s impeachment motion, and another asked if they would not vote according to ‘General’ Zameer, referring to the infamous former director general of the ISI’s internal wing who was instrumental in manufacturing the PPP Patriots and other such dastardly stuff.
When it came my turn I asked a question of the present government that if it was serious about the impeachment why was it that the chief of the ISI, a man considered close to the general’s family, was still in his job. Especially when it was more than well known that the ISI buys/threatens people to change their political loyalties. The entire reference to the ISI was edited out of the programme.
So much for a free media.
P.S. What was the bounty on Dr Afia Siddqui’s head and who pocketed it please? Could someone tell us?
kshafi1@yahoo.co.uk
By Kamran Shafi
SO then, the Commando has got us into all sorts of trouble, what, by continuing to hang on to the President’s Lodge (née Army House) by his manicured fingernails! Well, what did you expect of someone who wrote (allegedly, for the authorship of that absurd farce seems to rest more on someone else’s shoulders according to Musharraf himself — stand up Humayun Gohar) In the Line of Fire!?
Throughout the debate that has raged between the transitionists and the transformationists (among the latter’s number I proudly count myself) I have begged people to please, please read the book. “Please read the book to really know the extent of the trouble we are in,” I begged everyone.
For in it you see an adolescent in a full general’s uniform — I detest this new Americanism of one-star, three-star and so on — still proud of once being a 12-year-old young thug leading a gang of other urchins and beating people up on the streets of Karachi.
Or, indeed, of doubling up with laughter (alongside his cousins and brothers) when his “Uncle Haider”, allegedly once-upon-a-time an Air Force Academy “sword-carrier” i.e. a cadet under officer, slapped a bald man on the head, not once but twice in Frere Gardens pretending it was someone else. As an Indian reader informed me this was one of the scenes in an Indian film of the day!
Or indeed, in later years being proud of not giving a damn about the rules of behaviour under which gentlemen cadets at the Pakistan Military Academy conducted themselves, the very first being the honour system under which you ensured you did the right thing by yourself.
The instances the man quotes are gob-smacking to say the least. He even congratulates himself for having got away with cheating and taking a shortcut on the infamous nine-mile endurance test in which you had to run/walk nine miles in light FSMO (Field Service Marching Order) in under 90 minutes.
It was a cardinal sin to cheat at PMA, yet he felicitates himself for having been spared relegation to the next lower term, or indeed, being dishonourably discharged from the PMA for the very great crime he committed.
I write this on the early morning of Monday and have already seen some very interesting stories in this same newspaper; exactly the kind of stories you would expect in matters Musharraf. The first is that Rashid Qureshi, his press secretary, has said he is not resigning; no way. Vintage Macho Musharraf!
On the same page there is a long story on how the Americans want him to stay in the country in an “honourable” way after he resigns/is thrown out of office. Now, whilst the Americans are much practised in protecting their stooges who do their bidding — Nuri Al-Maliki in Iraq and Hamid Karzai in Afghanistan, both of whom rely on American security contractors, read under-cover CIA operatives, to provide them close security — why in God’s name should the Americans be concerned about where in the world Musharraf lives after he is made to relinquish his vice-like hold on Pakistan’s jugular?
Could it be possible that the request for “honourable” stay in Pakistan was made by Musharraf himself to his tight buddy Dubya and that the Americans were demanding of the Pakistanis to provide the man the same level of security comprising regular army troops, three diversionary motorcades and so on, as a price of his leaving office? So he can play ‘president, president’ with his buddies forever?
That is, to continue being ‘presidential’ without the responsibility?! Is this Dubya’s parting gift to his “tight” buddy whose “tightness” became ever tighter as more and more Pakistanis (and poor Afghans as reports HRW, one of them a farmer who had a dispute with his neighbour) were sold to the Americans for bounty money at $5000 per?
But why should we the people allow that? Have we forgotten how every single elected leader was seen out of office by the establishment with the active support of the Pakistan army? Have we forgotten that every single time the “bloody civilian” leaders went home they went home via jail, even the hangman’s noose? If they weren’t assassinated and the whole thing shoved under the rather humungous Pakistani carpet, that is?
Why should we forget Nawabzada Liaquat Ali Khan’s murder in Liaquat Bagh; then Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s judicial murder in Rawalpindi jail; then Nawaz Sharif’s incarceration in Attock Fort and trial in an anti-terrorism court and then exile under the pressure of those whose $s are so valuable to any Pakistani dictator; then Benazir Bhutto’s cruel murder in Liaquat Bagh again with the crime scene being so carefully sanitised within minutes of her killing?
Which reminds me. Pulitzer Prize-winning American journalist Ron Suskind’s just-published book The Way of the World: A Story of Truth and Hope in an Age of Extremism says President Musharraf phoned Benazir in Dubai and told her, “Your security is based on the state of our relationship.”
What sort of threat was that? And are we to read into it that Benazir was murdered precisely because she had become distanced from Musharraf in so many ways, even telling friends that she was a marked woman and had been “betrayed”, not only by Musharraf but by the Americans too?
Why then are they asking Musharraf be allowed to have an “honourable” stay in Pakistan? Shouldn’t the charges enumerated above not form part of the 100-page chargesheet the coalition is preparing against the man? Charges ranging from cheating as a so-called ‘gentleman cadet’ to threatening a murdered leader that she would be murdered if she strayed too far from the straight and narrow?
Stop press: on a TV programme called ‘Such to Yeh Hai’ on Monday one of the participants said that parliamentarians would vote according to their zameer on Musharraf’s impeachment motion, and another asked if they would not vote according to ‘General’ Zameer, referring to the infamous former director general of the ISI’s internal wing who was instrumental in manufacturing the PPP Patriots and other such dastardly stuff.
When it came my turn I asked a question of the present government that if it was serious about the impeachment why was it that the chief of the ISI, a man considered close to the general’s family, was still in his job. Especially when it was more than well known that the ISI buys/threatens people to change their political loyalties. The entire reference to the ISI was edited out of the programme.
So much for a free media.
P.S. What was the bounty on Dr Afia Siddqui’s head and who pocketed it please? Could someone tell us?
kshafi1@yahoo.co.uk
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Thailand reprise
By Kamran Shafi
FIRST the positives. We go on comparing the strides the Thais have made with us stuck in a time warp, without looking at the fact that Thailand has long hence crossed the first hurdle that developing countries confront: that of the psychological barrier that separates an organised people who belong to the developed world from the disorganised people who inhabit the developing world.
Quick example: a Thai electrician or mechanic will wear a tool-belt around his waist with the screwdriver, the pliers, the wire-cutter, the what-have-you, securely fastened in their own housings on the belt — easily reached by the user who then hooks them right back.
Recall the last time that a Wapda lineman came to your house to repair a fault. Whilst Wapda issues each of its linemen with tool-belts none of them wear it. Neither will he deign to wear the safety harness/belt which is also issued to him, and will climb up the pole using the ladder he has just borrowed from you.
Once he is up, hanging on for dear life with one arm and trying to work with his free hand, there is a constant stream of requests: “Please pass me the screwdriver” (which has just fallen from his shirt pocket); “Please pass me the pliers” (which have just fallen from the side-pocket of his shirt).
Second example: Pass by a Thai used spare-parts establishment and you will see neatly stacked shells of cars, trucks, motorcycles; the spare parts will be displayed on shelves by model and year and so on. Just go to Lahore’s famous Bilal Gunj and you will see what I mean.
It is another matter of course that my friend Minoo Marker, who in the year 1974 went crashing through the closed Sariab Road railway crossing in friend Anwar Ali Khan (RIP)’s 1926 Studebaker (driven out without Anwar’s permission who was out of Quetta at the time, of course), Minoo’s attentions being lavished on his fellow lady-passenger rather than on the closed crossing, actually found the exact same headlight which was smashed as a result in Bilal Gunj.
It must also be said in defence of Minoo that, one, he was driving home after an evening at the great Munir Afridi’s (later senator, now sadly deceased too); and two, that the accelerator of that car was in the middle, between the brake and the clutch, rather than on the right in latter-day models. So Minoo pressed the accelerator rather than the brake! None of this is to say, indeed, that there wasn’t a rather pretty girl in the car with him at the time!
Back to Thailand. Prapa tells me there is an economic crisis on the way, things are getting expensive and so on. But you can still buy a very decent Thai meal for four, complete with a sherbet or two(!) for something like 400 baht! Which is 13 US $s! Not street food, but in the Food Hall of Siam Paragon, one of the finest shopping malls in the world with probably the most varied Gourmet Food Market and best bookshop within 5,000 miles of Bangkok.
I spoke about the Novotel Siam Square last week. Well, Siam Paragon is a mere two-minute walk from the hotel, which at US$110 is a steal. Why, the lobby manager, a charming Iranian-British girl actually saw Zainab and I off as we were leaving! I can recommend the Novotel to all comers, any time.
But back to the Thai embassy in Islamabad the Beautiful, the one high hurdle you must cross before you can set foot in what I call the Gentle Kingdom. What criteria does it apply when it issues visas, say, to the hundreds of pheri-wallahs that one sees aboard every flight to Bangkok and back and most of whom cannot read nor write so you have to fill their arrival cards for them? Pheri-wallahs are young men who go to Thailand and come back laden with cheap toys and trinkets which they then sell to retailers across the country. Indeed, Islamabad the Beautiful has several such outlets.
These young men are usually uncouth yahoos who make a nuisance of themselves from the time they board the flight to the time they get off. They start by making a noise about the weight of their baggage, to demanding they be allowed to take more than is permitted on board the aircraft. Invariably their cabin baggage is made up of radio-controlled cars, the latest craze in the Fatherland. Note please, that all of their merchandise is contained in white garbage bags, I kid you not.
The soothing manner of the Thai crew and several glasses of sherbet (but only several) help calm them down until the aircraft doors open in Islamabad the Beautiful and they revert to their loutish ways: making remarks about the physical attributes of the foreign women on the flight — they would never about Pakistani women for fear of being thrashed soundly(!) — and then guffawing loudly and generally being a bloody pain, pushing and shoving their way out of the aircraft.
So then, while it asked for a letter from my editor for little rhyme and less reason before it issued my visa, what criteria does the Thai embassy apply in the louts’ case who seem to get theirs in very short order indeed: one of them told me it took him just one day. My daughter and I got our passports back on the day of our flight, putting us to very great distress.
Importantly, when I tried to telephone the embassy someone picked up and disconnected the line eight times, finally answering my call on the ninth try. THIS is how Pakistanis are treated by the Embassy of Thailand in Pakistan. Will someone do something about it, please? Our Foreign Office? The Thai foreign ministry? Someone? Anyone?
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, things are what they would be when Naek, Khosa, Awan & Company are the new supreme leaders of the PPP: the dismissed-by-a-COAS judges languish where they do; the ‘extra-legally’ elected Commando with the highest SQ in the world is sharpening his Commando knife for another assault on democracy; and the Kings Party that was thrashed merely six months ago is preparing for another stint in untrammelled power, Mushahid ‘Mandela’ Hussain leading.
Good; go for it, lads. The PPP deserves you; you deserve the PPP.
As for Nawaz Sharif, there is only one piece of advice one can give him. Leave the coalition before it is too late and let the PPP make an unholy alliance with the PML-Q (“Qatil League” according to Asif Zardari, two days after Benazir’s horrific death) and the MQM and Musharraf. Then just sit back and watch the fireworks! Most of the country’s people will be laughing with you.
kshafi1@yahoo.co.uk
FIRST the positives. We go on comparing the strides the Thais have made with us stuck in a time warp, without looking at the fact that Thailand has long hence crossed the first hurdle that developing countries confront: that of the psychological barrier that separates an organised people who belong to the developed world from the disorganised people who inhabit the developing world.
Quick example: a Thai electrician or mechanic will wear a tool-belt around his waist with the screwdriver, the pliers, the wire-cutter, the what-have-you, securely fastened in their own housings on the belt — easily reached by the user who then hooks them right back.
Recall the last time that a Wapda lineman came to your house to repair a fault. Whilst Wapda issues each of its linemen with tool-belts none of them wear it. Neither will he deign to wear the safety harness/belt which is also issued to him, and will climb up the pole using the ladder he has just borrowed from you.
Once he is up, hanging on for dear life with one arm and trying to work with his free hand, there is a constant stream of requests: “Please pass me the screwdriver” (which has just fallen from his shirt pocket); “Please pass me the pliers” (which have just fallen from the side-pocket of his shirt).
Second example: Pass by a Thai used spare-parts establishment and you will see neatly stacked shells of cars, trucks, motorcycles; the spare parts will be displayed on shelves by model and year and so on. Just go to Lahore’s famous Bilal Gunj and you will see what I mean.
It is another matter of course that my friend Minoo Marker, who in the year 1974 went crashing through the closed Sariab Road railway crossing in friend Anwar Ali Khan (RIP)’s 1926 Studebaker (driven out without Anwar’s permission who was out of Quetta at the time, of course), Minoo’s attentions being lavished on his fellow lady-passenger rather than on the closed crossing, actually found the exact same headlight which was smashed as a result in Bilal Gunj.
It must also be said in defence of Minoo that, one, he was driving home after an evening at the great Munir Afridi’s (later senator, now sadly deceased too); and two, that the accelerator of that car was in the middle, between the brake and the clutch, rather than on the right in latter-day models. So Minoo pressed the accelerator rather than the brake! None of this is to say, indeed, that there wasn’t a rather pretty girl in the car with him at the time!
Back to Thailand. Prapa tells me there is an economic crisis on the way, things are getting expensive and so on. But you can still buy a very decent Thai meal for four, complete with a sherbet or two(!) for something like 400 baht! Which is 13 US $s! Not street food, but in the Food Hall of Siam Paragon, one of the finest shopping malls in the world with probably the most varied Gourmet Food Market and best bookshop within 5,000 miles of Bangkok.
I spoke about the Novotel Siam Square last week. Well, Siam Paragon is a mere two-minute walk from the hotel, which at US$110 is a steal. Why, the lobby manager, a charming Iranian-British girl actually saw Zainab and I off as we were leaving! I can recommend the Novotel to all comers, any time.
But back to the Thai embassy in Islamabad the Beautiful, the one high hurdle you must cross before you can set foot in what I call the Gentle Kingdom. What criteria does it apply when it issues visas, say, to the hundreds of pheri-wallahs that one sees aboard every flight to Bangkok and back and most of whom cannot read nor write so you have to fill their arrival cards for them? Pheri-wallahs are young men who go to Thailand and come back laden with cheap toys and trinkets which they then sell to retailers across the country. Indeed, Islamabad the Beautiful has several such outlets.
These young men are usually uncouth yahoos who make a nuisance of themselves from the time they board the flight to the time they get off. They start by making a noise about the weight of their baggage, to demanding they be allowed to take more than is permitted on board the aircraft. Invariably their cabin baggage is made up of radio-controlled cars, the latest craze in the Fatherland. Note please, that all of their merchandise is contained in white garbage bags, I kid you not.
The soothing manner of the Thai crew and several glasses of sherbet (but only several) help calm them down until the aircraft doors open in Islamabad the Beautiful and they revert to their loutish ways: making remarks about the physical attributes of the foreign women on the flight — they would never about Pakistani women for fear of being thrashed soundly(!) — and then guffawing loudly and generally being a bloody pain, pushing and shoving their way out of the aircraft.
So then, while it asked for a letter from my editor for little rhyme and less reason before it issued my visa, what criteria does the Thai embassy apply in the louts’ case who seem to get theirs in very short order indeed: one of them told me it took him just one day. My daughter and I got our passports back on the day of our flight, putting us to very great distress.
Importantly, when I tried to telephone the embassy someone picked up and disconnected the line eight times, finally answering my call on the ninth try. THIS is how Pakistanis are treated by the Embassy of Thailand in Pakistan. Will someone do something about it, please? Our Foreign Office? The Thai foreign ministry? Someone? Anyone?
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, things are what they would be when Naek, Khosa, Awan & Company are the new supreme leaders of the PPP: the dismissed-by-a-COAS judges languish where they do; the ‘extra-legally’ elected Commando with the highest SQ in the world is sharpening his Commando knife for another assault on democracy; and the Kings Party that was thrashed merely six months ago is preparing for another stint in untrammelled power, Mushahid ‘Mandela’ Hussain leading.
Good; go for it, lads. The PPP deserves you; you deserve the PPP.
As for Nawaz Sharif, there is only one piece of advice one can give him. Leave the coalition before it is too late and let the PPP make an unholy alliance with the PML-Q (“Qatil League” according to Asif Zardari, two days after Benazir’s horrific death) and the MQM and Musharraf. Then just sit back and watch the fireworks! Most of the country’s people will be laughing with you.
kshafi1@yahoo.co.uk
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