Ch. Mohammad Tufail Shaheen

One of the major figures in Glasgow is Ch. Mohammad Tufail Shaheen, MBE who is well known for his work with the Pakistani community. He had worked so hard and achieved so much for the community that few words hardly seems enough to fully represent his achievements. One could write a book on the life and work of Ch. Shaheen.

He was born in Kapurthala, India. He joined the British India Army in January 1943 and was promoted to Quartermaster before he left in 1948.

The following year he began his business career by becoming a Cotton Merchant, and was the President of the Mian Channun Chamber of Commerce in Pakistan between 1952 until 1957. Even at this early stage in his life he was involved with voluntary work and was the founder of three schools in his area.

He arrived in the UK in 1958 and by 1965 he had established a major Cash and Carry Warehouse in Glasgow, Scotland. Three years later He began an Import and Export business. He became a founder and Patron of the Islamic World Business Forum in London in 1980, and was the chairman of the UK-Pakistan Overseas Chamber of Commerce and Industry from 1982 until 1986, then again between years 1987-1988, and from 1990-1992. In 1982 he was a member of an international team lead, by HRH Prince Mohammed AI Faysal Al Saud, which visited Nigeria to help with economic development.

Throughout this busy and successful business career Ch. Shaheen has always left time for voluntary work which he believes is as important as running a sound commercial enterprise. He was instrumental, between 1968 till 1984, in the committee, which organized the building of the Central Mosque in Glasgow and was President there from 1986 until 1992. In 1981 he was an Executive Member of the Islamic Council of Europe. The following year he was President of the Islamic Council of Scotland as well as being an Executive Member of the Committee of the Council of Mosques for the UK and Eire.

In 1984 he became the Vice President of the UK-Pakistan Cultural Foundation in London. In the following years he was a Member of the Board of Governors of the International Centre for Islamic Studies, a Member of the High Council of Islamic Affairs in Cairo, Chairman of the AI Shafa Trust in the UK, a Member of the Fund Raising Committee of the Medical Aid Foundation, Cancer division, in Karachi, a member of the Fund Raising Committee of Edhi International, in Pakistan. He was a Member of the Advisory Council to the Home Office on race relations from 1988 until 1992.

Throughout the years Ch. Shaheen had welcomed many distinguished visitors including Prince Mohammad AI Faisal AI Saud in London in 1986, in 1987 the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mr. Junejo in 1992 he welcomed Mian Nawaz Sharif who was then Prime Minister of Pakistan; he also welcomed Ahmad Bin Bella, and he had the honour of welcoming Imam Kabah.

In addition, he had attended numerous world conferences and has presented numerous papers on major subjects both in the UK and in Pakistan. He has also been closely involved in the restoration of relations between Britain and Libya.

Ch. Shaheen had established himself as a vital figure in the Pakistani community both in Scotland and in the rest of the world. He has been involved in major decisions both at home and abroad in bettering the lives of Pakistanis and becoming involved at all levels in improving conditions for the community. He had managed to combine the dual roles of business and community leader and had, in the process, become a role model for the community.