MEMORIES ARE MADE OF THIS…

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Published: Sat 15 Aug 2020, 5:32 AM

Last updated: Sat 15 Aug 2020, 7:37 AM

I studied many years in Pakistan and made good friends. On this special occasion I extend my felicitations to President Arif Alvi, Prime Minister Imran Khan (with whom I share my passion for cricket) and the government and the people.
I always look forward to every trip to Pakistan to meet friends and indeed the pandemic has delayed my next trip. However, what I cannot at present do in person has not stopped me from being cognizant of the call to help my brothers and sisters and in my little way I have done what little I could to contribute to the alleviation of the problems that came in the wake of the Covid 19 developments.
When I had the recent pleasure of meeting Sayed Zulfi Abbas Bukhari, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and HRD in Dubai recently I felt it not just my courtesy but my duty to offer a tangible hand of support. I immediately pledged Rs 10 million to repatriate stranded Pakistani workers so they could be home in time for their Independence Day with their loved ones. That is the least one can do in these circumstances. As many as 200 stranded workers were flagged off on August 10 to their homelands on two separate flights.
Much the same long term incentive is the driving force for my active interest in Prime Minister Khan’s eagerness to promote tourism of the positive kind in a land blessed by Nature and enriched by history. From the majesty of the Karakoram range to the wealth of flora and fauna and the beauty of the Hunza valley, the breathtaking beauty of Skadu and the Satpara Lake, an ideal place for leaving the madding crowd and relaxing, the serendipity of the Shimshal valley, not to mention to shopping pleasures of Clifton in Karachi and the warmth and hospitality of the people, it is the ideal country for tourism of the good kind.

Already having made tourism integral to my investments in hotels and the hospitality industry and operating a major travel agency I have very serious plans to venture into Pakistan and am keeping abreast of the 10 year plan and the integrated 5 year -action ancillary that envisions Prime Minister Khan’s blueprint for giving high priority to this sector. I have no hesitation in saying that Galadari Brothers will be integral to this exciting journey, led as this initiative is by the indomitable businessman Sayed Bukhari who is now instrumental in implementing the plan to fast track tourism in all its splendor.
And why not? For me it would be merely logical.
I have another major love that was spawned in Pakistan and nurtured over the years and one that has only grown in affection with the years.
That is the glorious game of cricket.  
My love for cricket can be traced back to early childhood and my years spent in Karachi. Every moment I got you would see me with a bat practicing and getting in a game. There is something about cricket that teaches you the values of life and if you apply those values properly you can succeed in anything. As you lay the field keeping in mind the state of the pitch, the quality of the batsman and your bowling strength so too do you apply the same tactics in life, especially in business.If you do that and do it right you will always come out a winner.  

It was no surprise that I became friends with Javed Afridi, the astute and charismatic businessman and chairman of the cricketing franchise Peshawar Zalmi and also CEO of Haier Pakistan. Selected by the UNHCR as a Youth Ambassador he has even taken his love for cricket to South Africa where his team Benoni Zalmi takes part in the T20 Global League in South Africa. 
That I am a co-owner of the Zalmi team is matter of great pride and `I enjoy it thoroughly. 
Living in Dubai I have been privileged to participate in the arts and promote creativity. The performing arts, be it cinema, theatre, music or even the dispensation of news have always had a special place in my scheme of things and the cultural aspects of life balance out the hard work in running multiple businesses. For me encouraging artistes from Pakistan comes automatically and I do not spare any opportunity to provide a platform for them in this part of the world.  
I would be remiss today if my profound good wishes on this occasion were not extended to Ambassador to the UAE Ghulam Dastgir and Ahmed Amjad Ali, Consul-General of Pakistan in Dubai.  

By by Suhail Abdul Latif Galadari - Co-Chairman, Galadari Brothers

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