Ismaili.NET - Heritage F.I.E.L.D.

The buyers of Habib Bank Ltd have decided to retain its senior officials including President Zakir Mahmood. They will take over the bank management after paying for 26 per cent of the bank shares in the middle of next month.HBL sources told Dawn the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development Fund (AKFED) that bought 51 per cent HBL shares last month had asked Mr Mahmood to continue as its president with his present team. They said the Fund had apprised the State Bank of its decision to retain Mr Mahmood, and the central bank had approved it.

Presiding over the 18th Convocation of Aga Khan University, the Chancellor of the University, His Highness the Aga Khan announced the retirement of the first president of the University, Shamsh Kassim-Lakha. The Chancellor also introduced to the Convocation, Mr Kassim-Lakha's successor, Firoz Rasul, who will assume the presidency on May 1, 2006.

Canada will convert around 2 billion dollars of debt into fresh aid for education promotion in Pakistan which would translate into around 100 million dollars for education.
This was announced by outgoing Canadian High Commissioner in Pakistan, Mrs Margaret Huber, at a reception arranged for her under the aegis of the English Speaking Union at a local hotel Monday evening.

The Aga Khan University (AKU) in collaboration with the University of Alabama (UAB) at Birmingham, USA, has been awarded a grant from the Fogarty International Centre of the United States National Institute of Health, to co-develop research training courses in Karachi and abroad for Pakistani health professionals wishing to advance their expertise in occupational and environmental health.

Sindh Governor Dr. Ishratul Ebad Khan has announced allotment of 500 acre land in Karachi for the educational projects of Aga Khan Foundation (AKF).
He made the announcement at a reception he hosted on Saturday night at Governor House here in honour of Prince Karim Aga Khan, the spiritual leader of Ismaili community. The Governor appreciated the contribution of and services of AKF in the field of health and education. He assured all assistance on behalf of Governor of Sindh to the Foundation.

In his address at Aga Khan University's (AKU) Convocation 2005, the Chief Guest, His Excellency Shaukat Aziz, Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, said, 'I am privileged to be in this centre of excellence, which is an icon of quality education all over the world.' Observing that unhealthy nations can never progress, he reiterated that in order to become global competitive players, it is necessary to acknowledge a new paradigm and education systems need to change.

Prince Karim Aga Khan, the spiritual head of the Ismaili community, held a meeting with Sindh Governor Ishratul Ibad Khan at the Governor?s House on Friday. Views were exchanged on various matters of importance including rehabilitation of earthquake-hit people and ongoing measures for the promotion of health and education facilities in the province. The governor appreciated the assistance and cooperation extended by Aga Khan for the relief and rehabilitation of quake-hit people. He welcomed the visit of Aga Khan to Pakistan to express his solidarity at this hour of trial.

His Highness the Aga Khan, Chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) and Chancellor of Aga Khan University (AKU) today inaugurated the US $8.4 million Ibn Zuhr Building for Oncology Services at AKU?s Karachi campus.

Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali on Saturday told journalists at the 16th convocation of Aga Khan University (AKU) that the government was committed to reforming education because it was critical to Pakistan?s economic and social development.New education initiatives were being implemented that would enhance primary school enrolment, training opportunities for teachers and school administrators, spread literacy and encourage public-private partnership in education, Mr Jamali said.

When people of a distinctive faith or culture feel economically powerless or inherit clear injustice from which they cannot escape, or find their traditions and values engulfed culturally, and their societies maligned as bleak and unjust ...they risk becoming the victims of those who would gain power by perverting an open, fluid, pluralistic tradition of thought and belief into something closed and insular.'
'It would be wrong to see this as the future of the Ummah.'

President Gen Pervez Musharraf on Saturday launched three major projects for Karachi which will be completed within two years at a cost of over Rs443 million.

Philanthropists donate Rs20m for oncology facilityKARACHI, Feb 2: The Aga Khan University took a big step towards realizing its dream of setting up a well-equipped oncology services facility when it managed to raise Rs20 million at a dinner on Saturday night , bringing the total amount collected from philanthropists to Rs220 million.
The facility is expected to cost Rs456 million, about Rs216 million of which will be given by the university. This means that only about Rs20 million remains to be raised which, according to the university administration, will be raised soon.

This speech was delivered at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Hyderabad by H.R.H. The Agakhan in December, 1964.

I am grateful and honoured by your kind invitation to me to-night, and I am sincerely thankful to you for having given me this occasion to meet the industrial and business elite of this historical and beautiful city.

His Royal Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan inaugurated the Urdu University at Karachi. 80 years old, Dr. Molvi Abdul Haq in his address of welcome recalled the historic occasion which happened 64 years ago at Aligarh when Sir Sayyed Ahmed Khan who was as old as he himself, presented an address of welcome to His late Royal Highness Sir Sultan Muhammed Shah Aga Khan III, who was as young as the present Aga Khan.

In his address, His Royal Highness said:

I shall begin by saying how well I am aware of your needs and necessities in this particular school. I do feel that if we are going to proceed on a fairly large scale of development in the future in our education institutions, we must proceed according to certain plans and standards, and for this reason I will probably advise the City Education Board, not to proceed with any development of this building until we know the result of the negotiations which are taking place at this moment.

It is a very happy occasion to open this hospital today and I hope that it will continue to serve My community and other Pakistani residents in this area as it had been doing in the past. I take this occasion to add a point of extreme importance. Dr. Alidina kindly mentioned the hospital in Nairobi and those of you who have been to Nairobi and have seen the institution there know that we have not taken into account expenses in terms of opening first class service.

Mr Chairman, Mr Commissioner, Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen

First let me say how honoured I feel by the reception you have given me this afternoon. I have been most moved by the kindness of your remarks today and by the warmth of this city's welcome to myself and my family throughout our stay in Karachi.

The city of Karachi, as you have observed, has some very special and very beloved associations for me. It has given me the greatest pleasure, therefore, to find the remarkable developments which have taken place since I was here in 1954.

Mr Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen

I would like to begin by expressing my very real appreciation of the honour you have shown me by inviting me to address you here this afternoon.

The Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development has submitted the names of four directors, Iain Cheyne, Sajid Zahid, Sultan Allana and Zakir Mahmood, as its nominees on the Board of Directors of Habib Bank Limited, to be inducted after handing over of the bank to the AKFED.
Sultan Allana will be the Chairman of the Board, while Zakir Mahmood will continue as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the bank.

Business Recorder understands that the ceremony of completing the privatisation transaction will take place some time in mid-February.

Following the recent privatization of Habib Bank Limited (HBL), the bank's top level executives are hot on the trail of finding out who the next CEO is likely to be.
In discussions with Daily Times, HBL executives say current President Zakir Mahmood is unlikely to stay on at the bank and instead Sultan Allana, a director of the recently formed NIB (NDLC-IFIC Bank), Shams Qasim Lakha, president Aga Khan University Hospital and Safar Ali Lakhani, president Soneri Bank limited, are in the running for the top slot.