Jahangir Moghul hails Collector Customs for honouring Jalaluddin

Jahangir Moghul, one of the eminent social figures and a known sports patron, has hailed the recent decision of the Pakistan Customs of dedicating the coming year (2015) to Jalaluddin, a household name in the cricket circles. 

“It’s a matter of pride for the entire sports community that the Pakistan Customs will be celebrating 2015 as a tribute year to Jalaluddin in a big way and quite a few programmes have been planned to make it count,” Jahangir Moghul observed while talking to the representatives of the media during the launching ceremony of ‘2015: Jalaluddin’s Tribute Year’ at the Karachi Gymkhana Banquet Hall on November 27. 

Jahangir Moghul, who was recognized during the ceremony for being the presidential candidate of the Karachi Gymkhana in the coming elections due to be held on December 21, showered Jalaluddin with praise for his overwhelming contribution to the game of cricket in the role of a cricketer, coach and administrator. 

“Jalaluddin has set very high standards. He has become a role model in the field of cricket coaching. He has been working hard with a missionary zeal and he’s engaged in community service with great passion. It’s an honour for all us that he’s a member of the Karachi Gymkhana, the club which holds a special place in the history of Pakistan cricket,” Jahangir Moghul noted. 

“Let me place on record my appreciation for the top functionaries of the Pakistan Customs for taking this landmark decision of declaring 2015 as Jalaluddin’s Tribute Year. Nazim Saleem, Chief Collector Enforcement, South, and Nasir Masroor, Chief Collector Appraisement South, deserve to be complimented in particular while Khalil Masood, Ex-member Customs and former Chairman, Corporate Law Authority, also merits special mention in this regard,” he added. 

Pakistan Customs has decided to pay tribute to Jalaluddin in a befitting manner in view of his overwhelming contribution to the game of cricket. A grand gala dinner in his honour will be organized at a five-star hotel while an exhibition T-20 match between Pakistan Stars-XI and Pakistan Customs-XI, dedicated to him, will be staged at National Stadium, Karachi. 

Some other side events like the launching of a book on the history of Pakistan Customs cricket and conducting a seminar on cricket coaching are also planned to be a part of the programme to be held in January-February 2015.

Jahangir Moghul considers Ashraf Tai as Bruce Lee of Pakistan

Jahangir Moghul, a renowned social figure and philanthropist, has compared Pakistan’s most famous Grand Master Mohammad Ashraf Tai to Bruce Lee, the legendary Hong Kong American martial artist and martial arts instructor. 

“Grand Master Ashraf Tai has remained an iconic figure throughout the country for decades and his students and trainees have taken bando karate, introduced in Pakistan by him in 1971, to different corners of the world. He commands the same kind of respect in Pakistan which Bruce Lee had earned for his exploits in martial arts,” Jahangir Moghul, elected as District Governor of Rotary International for the year 2015-16, remarked during his recent visit to the headquarters of Tai’s Karate Centre, housed at the KGA Gymkhana in Karachi. 

He has also proposed Lifetime Achievement Award for the legendary martial artist, Grand Master Ashraf Tai, in recognition of his meritorious services in the promotion of karate. 

Credited to have introduced bando karate, the Burmese style of martial arts, in Pakistan way back in 1971, Grand Master Ashraf Tai earned worldwide fame with his accomplishments against the top-notchers of the sport. 

Jahangir Moghul, who has been proactively involved in community service and social work over a number of years, besides doing justice to his various portfolios in the managing committees of the Karachi Gymkhana, has remained an ardent supporter of Grand Master Ashraf Tai. 

“He’s an icon of marial arts and a role model for the youngsters of the country. It has been a privilege visiting the Tai’s Karate Centre and watching the Grand Master in action imparting training to the keen learners of different age-groups. It’s quite extraordinary that he has not lost the intensity despite the bouts of illness during the last couple of years. Let’s pray for his long life with immaculate health,” Jahangir Moghul observed. 

“Grand Master Ashraf Tai is a deserved winner of the Pride of Performance Award which was bestowed upon him by the President of Pakistan more than a decade time. Heroes like him need to be recognized again and again. He should be considered for a Life Achievement Award at the highest level now,” Jahangir Moghul reckoned. 

He recalled that Grand Master Ashraf Tai had created a sensation by overpowering Stanley Michael of Malaysia in the final of the Afro-Asia Championship in 1978 and he confirmed his superiority in the continent by outwitting Japan 's Koha Yash a year later. 

It may be recalled that Grand Master Ashraf Tai is also credited to have founded the Pakistan Karate Federation (PKF) and succeeded in having the body affiliated to the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) as well as the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB).  Having received numerous awards in various continents of the world during his illustrious career, he was declared the International Grand Master of the Year in 2000 by an institution based in the United States . 

The Tai's Bando Karate Centre has trained thousands of martial artists. The branches of his centres have not only been functioning with great success all over the country but the students trained by him have also been operating the centres named after him in quite a few countries like the United States of America (USA), England, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, France, Holland and Bangladesh. 

Grand Master Ashraf Tai holds the distinction of claiming the highest degree (8th Dan) in the martial arts history of the country. Only a handful of martial artists have matched his feat worldwide. He had started karate at the age of nine with his master Lee Phow Shin while he received black belt at the age of 16. He started participating in a lot of local tournaments, most of which were professional. 

Less than a year after migrating to Karachi from Chittagong in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) in 1970, he started the first-ever martial arts school in Pakistan by the name of Tai’s Karate Centre which was located at the Hill Park. He then shifted the centre to its present premises at the KGA Gymkhana. 

The Tai’s Karate Centre expanded gradually. In the beginning when he started teaching karate at the Hill Park, there are hardly six to seven students and the Grand Master had to persuade people to come and learn karate. The students trained by him spread the word around in a few years time the growth became phenomenal and the rest is history.

Jahangir Moghul felicitates record-breaking Misbah-ul-Haq

Jahangir Moghul, a noted social figure and philanthropist, has felicitated Misbah-ul-Haq on becoming Pakistan’s most successful Test captain after having equalled world record of the fastest century just a days ago.

“Well done Misbah. Your resilience and will power have made the whole country proud. We salute you. You have led by example and the odd setbacks didn’t deter you from losing your focus. You have proved to be a worthy leader and you thoroughly deserve the records coming your way,” Jahangir Moghul, who has been a known supporter of sports, acknowledged. 

With the latest win over New Zealand in the first Test, Misbah now has 15 victories, having moved ahead of Imran Khan and Javed Miandad, both of whom had led Pakistan to 14 wins apiece. More creditably Misbah has achieved 15 wins in 33 Tests where Javed Miandad and Imran Khan had needed 34 and 48 Tests respectively for 14 victories each.

“It’s very heartening indeed to find Pakistan recording their third successive Test win in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as the victory over New Zealand has followed the whitewash of the Australians just the other week. The aggressive manner in which Misbah is leading from the front the remaining two Tests against New Zealand should also produce victories for Pakistan,” Jahangir Moghul, who has headed the Karachi Gymkhana’s Sports Committee with distinction for a number of years, hoped. 

“Misbah, better known for his cool and calm attitude, has not let go the opportunity of cashing in when he found the opponents floored. It was during the second Test at Abu Dhabi where Misbah equalled the 28-year-old record for the fastest Test century off 56 balls after having smashed the fastest Test half-century off just 21 balls. The master blaster was absolutely unstoppable that day,” he added.

Jahangir Moghul, having been elected as the District Governor for of the Rotary International’s District 3271 for the year 2015-2016, believed that the blockbuster performance of Pakistan’s team augurs well for the future of the country. 

“The youth of the country in particular looks forward to our cricketers. They are the role models for our youngsters. Let’s hope that this momentum is sustained for a longer time and we are able to capitalize on it,” he concluded.

Jahangir Moghul hails Commissioner’s initiatives for polio vaccinators' security

Jahangir Moghul, one of the top personalities of Karachi, has hailed the recent initiatives of Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui, Karachi Commissioner, aimed at driving polio out of the country.

Having been elected as the District Governor for the Rotary year 2015-2016, Jahangir Moghul was referring to the Commissioner’s letter to the provincial police chief, Ghulam Hyder Jamali, to ensure that the 700-man special force for polio vaccinators’ security was formed and equipped at the earliest. 

In a letter to the Inspector General Police (IGP ), the Commissioner has stressed the need for effective anti-polio efforts and highlighted the importance of the special security force, as directed by the Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Qaim Ali Shah, for successful proper eradication campaigns.  

Jahangir Moghul, who heads Rotary’s District Polio Plus Committee, agreed with the Commissioner that the concerned authorities cannot afford to waste any more time in putting their acts together and the process has to be expedited. 

He also praised the Commissioner for the measures he announced to be taken in collaboration with World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) to make Karachi polio free. 

Rotary had launched its PolioPlus program, the first initiative to tackle global polio eradication, in 1985. Since then, Rotary and its partners have helped reduce the number of annual cases from 350,000 to fewer than 250 and remain committed until every child is safe from the disease.

Rotary’s focus has been on advocacy, fundraising, volunteer recruitment and awareness-building. The disease remains endemic in three countries, Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan, although other countries remain at risk for imported cases. 

Rotary has contributed more than US$1.2 billion and countless volunteer hours to protect more than 2 billion children in 122 countries. 

In addition, Rotary’s advocacy efforts have played a role in decisions by donor governments to contribute billions of dollars. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative, was formed in 1988. 

It is a public-private partnership including Rotary, the World Health Organization, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and governments of the world. 

More than one million Rotary members have been participating in the ‘This Close’ Campaign’ as it has a growing roster of public figures and celebrities participating in the public awareness campaign, including Bill Gates, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Archie Panjabi, Jackie Chan, Shahid Khan Afridi and Jack Nicklaus. These ambassadors have bee helping educate the public about polio through public service announcements, social media and public appearances.

Brief introduction of JAHANGIR MOGHUL

Jahangir Moghul is acclaimed as one of the leading entrepreneurs of the country, having made monumental contribution in the social sector as well. He has been elected as the District Governor of Rotary International’s District 3271 for 2015-16.

He was born at Karachi on January 5, 1956. After having completed his education, besides furthering the interests of his family business, he carved a niche for himself in the community service from a young age. 

He has been recognized as one of the most prominent social figures and philanthropists, having gone out of way for the cause of humanity. He has supported numerous individuals and bodies quietly who remain eternally grateful to him for the timely and generous help.

He had made the country proud by facilitating the visiting teams from England and South Africa in a splendid manner during the Cricket World Cup 1996. As the Convener Sports of Karachi Gymkhana he had organized their week-long practice and training sessions at the club, having handled the foreign and local media very efficiently.

He has been a Patron of the famous Tai’s Karate Centre for the past many years besides being the President of the Sindh Softball Association. Jahangir Moghul has actively participated in many welfare projects too.

Besides contributing to Rotary proactively and generously for over quarter of a century now, he has lent support to various welfare organizations. He has been elected to the Managing Committee of Karachi Gymkhana on a number of occasions. He has also served the club as Honorary Treasures besides having headed its Sports Committee. Currently he heads Karachi Gymkhana’s Vigilance Committee.

He has had outstanding record in his scholastic career having studied at the most prestigious of educational institutions. After doing Senior Cambridge from the Karachi Grammar School, he did graduation in science from DJ College.

He did post graduation at the Institute of Business Administration before undertaking courses in collateral services, through Bank of America, at San Francisco and Los Angeles.

After completing education he joined the family-owned enterprise, Moghul Group, having interests in cotton, commodities, ginning, textile, finance, steel, oil and petroleum, having been in business since 1947. He has attended innumerable workshops, symposia and seminars besides taking various short courses from time to time.

Jahangir Moghul has been elected to the sub-committees of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) over the years having looked after matters relating to Foreign Affairs, Finance and Law & Order. He has also served in the Board of Directors of Karachi Cotton Association, Pakistan Yarn Merchants Association, Karachi Customs Group and Karachi Seed Merchants Association and Pakistan Banks Association.

He has been an active Rotarian since 1984. Having been elected to various positions in Rotary Club of Karachi Mehran, including its President in 1995-96, he was elected as the Charter President of Rotary Club of Karachi Darakhshan in 2004. He has served the cause of Rotary at the district level consistently for more than 30 years.

His district assignments have included Coordinator Health & Literacy (1991-92), Governor’s Group Representative (1992-93), Chairman Conference Home Hospitality (1993-94, 2003-04, 2005-06, 2007-08), Chairman International Youth Exchange, Chairman Club Service (1995-96), Chairman GML Committee (1999-00), Chairman Roster of Filled & Unfilled Classification (2004-05), Chairman Sports & Recreation (2005-06, 2007-08) and Chairman Rotary Volunteers (2009-10).

He served as an Assistant Governor (2008-09) after having been the District Secretary (1998-99, 2001-02). He also served as a member of the nominating committee for DGN (1996-97). He has been the zonal coordinator of numerous committees. He is a Paul Harris Fellow and a Major Donor Level-I.