February 2012.indd - World Memon Organization Pakistan Chapter

IMMORTAL PERSONALITIEScharpoy in Mithadar, manages a chain of trustsand foundations and personally supervises reliefwork whenever he receives a message of distress.At great personal risk he reaches the spot wheresomeone is lying in an inaccessible area wheretwo rival groups are exchanging fire. He doesnot hesitate to carry a stinking dead body or adecomposed and unmanageable corpse, lyingin a ditch. It seems that a call from the needy becomesirresistible for him and he rushes to theirrescue. All this he is doing without any assistancefrom the government. People having faithin his integrity, donate to his trusts and foundationsgenerously. He is adored and respected bythe people of Pakistan for his untiring, selflessand fearless services to the cause of humanity.One unique thing about this legendary man isthat he works with his own hands. He preferspersonal supervision in the relief work. He leadsby example, whether it be the last Islamic bathto a dead body, wrapped in shroud and even intemperatures soaring to 120 deg. F with ice slabskept in the pick-up since he does not have facilityof air-conditioned ambulances, or taking thedead body to its native graveyard. In Karachi itis next to impossible that if you go out of yourhome and travel on the main roads for somedistance without coming across a fleet. He hasestablished orphanages, hospitals, homes forthe destitute (Apna Ghar), cancer hospital andblood bank. In addition, he along with his forceof volunteers, and his wife, is always there on thespot whenever an S.O.S. is received. It is a tributeto his selfless services that the people of thecalamity hit area look up to him for help ratherthan the Government.It is rather strange that he has not receivedthe kind of recognition on internationalscale that he deserves except RamonMalagasy Award, Philippines. For theservices rendered to the victims of Armeniaearthquake, the Government of USSR alsoawarded him a medal. He also maintains anumber of air ambulances.AHMED E.H. JAFFERThe above name in fact represents a familytree and includes Ahmed, his father SirEbrahim, his grandfather, Haroon and hisgreat grandfather Jaffer. All of them werevery well-known Kutchi Memons.Jaffer started his business empire in 1861in Pune, near Bombay, which was then oneof the main cantonments of the Britisharmy. Jaffer was not only the leader of theMuslims, but he was a well known philanthropistalso.Jaffer’s son, Haroon, also kept the familytradition alive and was well knownin the Bombay Presidency. Ebrahim wasa noted Muslim leader and a leadingbusinessman. He became member of theBombay Legislative Assembly in 1910and in 1915. Up to 1930 he remained amember of the Council of State, NewDelhi. In 1920, he was appointed to theImperial Council of India, which actedas Advisory Committee to the Viceroy ofIndia. In 1914 he was awarded the titleof ‘Khan Bahadur and in 1926, knighthoodwas conferred on him. Sir Ebrahimtook active part in spreading educationamongst the Muslims and he presidedover the Bombay Muslim Education Conference,which was attended by Sir AkbarHydery, Sir Ghulam Husain Hidayatullah,and Dr. Ziauddin Ahmed. His educationalactivities got the patronage of the BritishGovernor of Bombay.He established a big Hall (Jaffer Hall)in Pune in the name of his grandfather.He was instrumental in getting two hours’break for the Muslims working in theGovernment departments to enable them tooffer juma prayers. He also managed to removeillegal possession by the Governmentof the Shahi Mosque of Ahmednagar. Hetook up the cause of renovating the Mazarof the Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafarin Rangoon. Though he was successfulin getting the Mazar included in the list ofhistorical monuments, the renovation workcould not be completed during his life time.He died at an early age of 50.Ahmed E.H. Jaffer was born in 1909. Aftermatriculation, he joined Deccan College,Pune, for further education. He was a veryardent sport lover. He wanted to join IndianCivil Service but his father was against itor any other service so he joined the familybusiness.He was the chairman of the ReceptionCOMMITTEE OF All India MuslimEducational Conference held in 1940. Thisconference was presided over by the ChiefMinister of Bengal Moulvi Faziul Haq andthe inauguration ceremony was performedby the then Governor of Bombay.Ahmed Jaffer was elected to the IndianLegislative Assembly while he was 24years old. The defeated candidate, HussainBhai Laijee, filed a petition that under theConstitution of India, a person below theage of 25 could not be elected as a memberof the Assembly. But very soon, in 1946, heagain defeated the same opponent from thesame constituency to become the youngestlegislator.The Quaid-e-Azam Appointed himDeputy Whip of the Muslim League Partyin the Assembly. Coming over to Pakistan,he naturally remained a member of theConstituent Assembly and Parliament andremained as such till 1954 when Governor-General Ghulam Muhammad dissolved theparliament.Ahmed jaffar is well-known as a memberfor putting the highest number of questionsin the Parliament on various aspects,particularly about the problems faced bythe Mohajirs. For the rehabilitation of therefugees he became the Chairman of theBoard of Refugees Rehabilitation, Sindh,and was instrumental in establishing theFirst Mohajir Colony in the Gizri area ofKarachi.Ahmed became a well-known industrialisthaving assumed the chairmanship ofseveral public and private limited companies,including some of his own. Hewas designated Chief-de-Mission of thePakistan Squad for the Rome OlympicGames. He remained associated witha number of foreign organizations suchas Gulf Chamber, Pak-German CulturalAssociation, Pak-Kuwait FriendshipAssociation, Foreign Affairs Council ofPakistan, Pakistan-Arab Cultural Society,Old and New Parliamentarians Association,National Playing Fields Associationof Pakistan, English Speaking Union ofPakistan and many other such organizations.He went as Pakistan’s delegate to manycountries. He was a well-known collector ofstamps and was a keen sportsman playingsquash, tennis, and golf. He was good athorse riding, and swimming. He was also amember of the Karachi Aero Club, KarachiBoat Club, Karachi Gymkhana, KarachiRace Course, Rawalpindi Gymkhana andLahore Gymkhana. He was also a memberof prestigious clubs of England.He received many awards such as Sitarae-Pakistanand foreign awards from Spain,Brazil, Jordan and the Government ofU.K. At the age of 81, he was invited toIslamabad to attend a meeting which wasconvened by the Government to discuscelebrating the Pakistan Golden Jubilee ina befitting manner. But he died there of amassive heart attack.MEMON ALAM FEBRUARY 2012 11