Justice (R) Wajihuddin Ahmed

The Honourable Justice (R) Wajihuddin Ahmed (born December 01, 1938; Delhi) is one of the most respected members of Pakistan's judiciary. He served as the Chief Justice of the Sindh High Court and then, as a judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

He gained more honor and respect when he resigned from the Supreme Court of Pakistan instead of taking oath of the office according to Gen. Pervez Musharraf's Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO).

He has also been nominated by the lawyers community as a presidential candidate against Pervez Musharraf in 2007 elections in Pakistan. It is said that he could have become the Chief Justice of Pakistan had he not resigned against PCO.

Huma Yusuf

Huma Yusuf is the Features Editor of Dawn.com, the website of Pakistan’s leading English-language daily Dawn. She also contributes articles on a freelance papers to papers in the US and India, including The Christian Science Monitor, The Boston Globe, and Indian Express. A graduate of MIT’s Comparative Media Studies program (MSc), Huma is interested in the social impact of media trends. She has written extensively about new media and democracy in Pakistan and is currently researching the role of community radio stations in Pakistan’s northern and tribal areas. She is also currently launching a first-of-its-kind webzine, the goal of which is to provide an alternate forum where journalists and academics can publish articles on Pakistani society and culture that lie at the intersection of reportage and scholarly research.

Previously, Huma graduated from Harvard in 2002 with a degree in English and American Literatures and Languages, and returned to Pakistan to work as a journalist with the monthly Herald magazine. She specializes in human rights reporting and has addressed subjects such as low-income housing, ‘honour’ killings, gang wars and the state’s ineffective prosecution of rape cases. Her writing garnered the UNESCO/Pakistan Press Foundation ‘Gender in Journalism 2005′ Award and the European Commission’s 2006 Natali Lorenzo Prize for Human Rights Journalism. Huma is also interested in investigating trends in media consumption, online environments, and the interface between media, local politics and global trends - an intersection that she explores through her research and journalism.

Mehdi Hassan

Mehdi Hassan was born in the village of Luna in Jhunjhunu district in Rajasthan, India in 1927 into a Shia Muslim family of traditional musicians. He claims to be the 16th generation of hereditary musicians hailing from the Kalawant.
He received his musical training under his father, Ustad Azeem Khan and his uncle Ustad Ismail Khan who were classical musicians, well-versed in the dhrupad style of singing. They instructed him in classical music and voice production within the framework of classical forms of thumri, dhrupad, khayal and dadra, from the age of eight.
Hassan started to perform at a young age and the first concert of dhrupad and kheyal with his elder brother is reported[by whom?] to have been held in Fazilka Bungla near Ferozepur[1]. After the Partition of India, 20-year-old Hassan and his family migrated to Pakistan and suffered severe financial hardships. To make ends meet, Hassan began working in a bicycle shop and later became a car and diesel tractor mechanic.
The struggle ended when Mehdi Hassan was given the opportunity to sing on Radio Pakistan in 1952, primarily as a thumri singer, which earned him recognition within the musical fraternity. At the time, Ustad Barkat Ali Khan, Begum Akhtar and Mukhtar Begum were considered the stalwarts of ghazal gayaki.

He also had a passion for Urdu poetry and began to experiment by singing ghazals on a part-time basis. He cites radio officers Z.A. Bukhari and Rafiq Anwar as additional influences in his progression as a ghazal singer.

Following a severe illness in the late 80s, Mehdi Hassan stepped down from playback singing. Later due to severity of his illness he completely departed from music. He now lives a secluded life in Karachi which he has made his permanent residence. Nevertheless he often visits Lahore where he spends most of his time with his children and other family members.
While he was singing in the Court of Nepal's King Shah Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev, he forgot the lines of his song "Zindagi mein to sabhii pyar kya kerte hain". Shah, then stood from his seat and start singing the next line.
He has been the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions: the Tamgha-i-Imtiaz granted to him by Gen Ayub Khan; the Pride of Performance bestowed on him by Gen Ziaul Haq; and the Hilal-i-Imtiaz conferred by Gen Pervez Musharraf. Besides the Nigar Film and Graduate Awards from Pakistan, he was presented the Saigal Award in Jalandhar, India, in 1979, whereas the Gorkha Dakshina Bahu Award was given to him in Nepal in 1983. Recently, he travelled to Dubai to receive yet another award.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Dr Jamil Jalibi

Dr Jamil Jalibi was born in 1929, he is an author of many books, on Critique and Lexicography. He also enriched the Urdu literature by adding some marvelous translation to its account He was awarded Hilal-e-Imtiaz, besides other awards, in 1994 as recognition of his services for Urdu literature.

Apart from his literary services he also proved his worth as practical man during his four-year tenure as Vice Chancellor of University of Karachi. His most recent and splendid work is in the history of Urdu Literature.

Stephen G. Fakan, U.S. Consul General

Stephen Fakan assumed his duties as the U.S. Consul General in Karachi in December 2008.

Prior to his assignment to Karachi, Mr. Fakan served in Fallujah, Iraq as the team leader of one of the ‘surge' embedded reconstruction teams formed to work with local tribal and civilian leaders to foster political and economic development.

Mr. Fakan joined the U.S. Foreign Service in September 1985. His assignments abroad have included Tegucigalpa, Honduras; Sana'a, North Yemen; Djibouti, Djibouti; Algiers, Algeria; Khartoum, Sudan; Monrovia, Liberia; Peshawar, Pakistan; Kabul, Afghanistan and Canberra, Australia.

He is the recipient of the Department's award for valor and has been featured in a History Channel program for his role in rescuing journalists trapped by fighting during the civil war in Liberia.

Mr. Fakan was born in Shreveport, Louisiana. He graduated from The American University (Washington, DC) with a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations.

He is married to Elizabeth Victoria Fakan.

Nadia Munawwar Siddiqui

Nadia Munawwar’s rise to the top of Pakistan’s corporate sector is an inspirational story of commitment, hard work and determination. Having reached the top echelons of a traditionally male dominated sector, Nadia has recently been appointed chairperson Business & Professional Women (BPW), an international organisation dedicated to women in the workplace; a cause that is close to her heart.

At just fourteen-years of age, Nadia Munawwar became a professional working woman. She went against the grain and took up a position as a copywriter in an advertising agency, not for the money, but because it was something she wanted to do. This was an invaluable learning experience for Nadia and gave her a head start when she finally entered the job market full-time.

In Islamabad, Nadia gained renown as the creative director of Adgroup Pvt. Ltd. When she moved to Karachi, she started working for Jahangir Siddiqui, now known as JS, thanks to her successful rebranding of the company. In fact, the transition was so smooth that it has been a source of great inspiration to many other businesses who are trying to rebrand.

Munawwar has recently been appointed a chairperson in BPW, an organisation that is actively working to give women opportunities to become more visible, and to wield greater power in their jobs and careers. The organisation is present in over ninety countries worldwide, and provides support and resources to professional women across a variety of fields. She shares her insights with Blue Chip about her career and how to promote and encourage working women through BPW.

(Source: Blue Chip Mag)

Zakir Mahmood, President Habib Bank

Mr. Zakir Mahmood holds MBA and Masters of Engineering Degrees from University of California, Los Angeles. He has extensive experience of over 28 years in international banking with two of the largest banks in the World. He has extensive banking experience in Pakistan, Middle East and European Markets. He is President and CEO of HBL since February 2000. Mr. Zakir played a major role in restructuring and shaping up HBL for privatization.

Mufti Muneeb -ur-Rehman

Professor Mufti Muneeb -ur-Rehman Born on February 08, 1945, Prof. Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman completed his Masters in Islamic Studies. Besides doing Bachelors in Law and Education, he also received education in Arabic Languages. He holds various positions which mainly include :
President Tanzim ul Madaris Al Arbia Pakistan,President,Darul-Uloom Naeemia Karachi,Chairman, Central Roet-e-Hilal Committee Pakistan, Professor, Jinnah University for Women, Karachi.
Prof. Muneeb-ur-Rehman serves as a member board of studies Federal Government Urdu University and Board of Intermediate Education, Karachi. He has also served as a member board of studies, Faculty of Islamic Learning, and Arabic Department at the Karachi University. He also has more than 30 years experience of teaching Tafseer,Hadith, Fiqah, Arabic Literature and other Islamic subjects to graduate and post-graduate levels. Prof. Muneeb-ur-Rehman has also authored a number of books including Tafheem -ul-Masail, Qanoon-e-Shariat, Usool-e-Fiqah Islam, and so many others.
Prof. Muneeb -ur-Rehman was a member of the Pakistani delegation which visited the UK in February – March 2006 to gain firsthand knowledge as to how Madrassas and Islamic schools operate within a state-regulated system in the UK. He has also attended a number of international conferences in the USA, UK, Norway, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and so many other countries.

Ghazi Salahuddin

Ghazi Salahuddin is one of the most prolific journalists of the country, having earned fame and recognition also in the role of a columnist and an anchorman.
His columns in Dawn, where he worked as Assistant Editor, were widely read and admired. He was the founding editor of The News, launched in February 1991.
He teamed up with Obaidullah Baig and won renown for the famous Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV) quiz show of the 1990s, Kasouti.
Lately he has been playing a significantly role in developing the much needed book culture by doing a popular programme by the name of "Kitaab" on Geo TV.
He has continued writing for The News besides doing gracing various news programmes of Geo TV as an expert. He is also engaged in many social activities, having been unanimously elected as President of the Karachi Press Club a few years ago.

Jahangir Khan

Jahangir Khan, HI, (born December 10, 1963, in Karachi, Pakistan) is a former World No. 1 professional squash player from Pakistan, who is considered by many to be the greatest player in the history of the game.During his career he won the World Open six times and the British Open a record ten times. Between 1981 and 1986, he was unbeaten in competitive play for five years. During that time he won 555 matches consecutively. This was not only the longest winning streak in squash history, but also one of the longest unbeaten runs by any athlete in top-level professional sports. He retired as a player in 1993, and has served as President of the World Squash Federation since 2002.

Taher A. Khan Chairman Interflow Group

Mr. Taher A. Khan founded the Interflow Group in 1983 by starting an advertising agency called Interflow Communications. 25 years later, the Interflow Group has evolved into a communications and media force in Pakistan, with 14 companies providing services on a 360 degree platform. Today, Mr. Taher A. Khan heads the Interflow Group as Chairman and Founder, and enjoys acclaim as the advertising veteran of Pakistan. He is actively involved with all the Group Companies, and strives hard to help them become leaders within their work discipline. His experience, expertise and network gives him a strong grasp in all facets of business. He excels in building and developing brands. He is a patron of the Cancer Society, a trustee of the Fatimid Foundation, a member of the Board of Governors of Dr. Ziauddin Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, a member of the Young Presidents' Organization and the International Advertising Association (IAA) to name a few.