One feature of the lives of Pakistanis in Britain is the way they have been able to recognize developing fields, new businesses, and bright ideas and to bring their own skills and expertise to bear to make companies which encourage anddevelop these innovations in a practical and profitable way.
lkram Khan is just such an individual who has built up a hugely successful medical equipment company, which has traded for over 30 years. He belongs to cricketing Khan Family from Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur and was born in Khanpur. After graduation his parents wanted him to do accountancy in Pakistan. Instead, he came to the UK in 1961 and joined the Honorable Society of Lincoln's Inn because of its' historic association with Quaid-e-Azam.
In 1973 he joined a company dealing in surgical instruments as a shareholder and director. Pan Servico (Surgical) Ltd, began in 1972 and has been active ever since in the medical field as distributors of surgical and dental instruments, diagnostic equipment, aids for handicapped, hospital supplies, all of which are manufactured by a variety of reputable companies. In the late 1970’s the company expanded into manufacturing the "Pans co" brand of surgical, dental and veterinary instruments. By which time Mr. Khan was the Managing Director and the company had spread into Europe and he developed the business into a medical operation by equipping hospitals, laboratories, clinics, nursing homes, surgeries and specializing in water purification systems.
Ikram Khan is a member of the British Institute of Management and a Fellow of the Institute of Executive Management. He is president of the Pakistan UK surgical trade association and is an executive director of the Pakistan UK Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Through his business, social and community life Mr. Khan has always tried to help people as much as he can.
He is a member of the Muslim Parliament and Secretary of the Muslim Business Institute. Through his work for these various organizations he is able to provide some assistance to people in the community, which he believes is an important part of one's day to day life.
Mr. Khan has two sons and one daughter. His eldest Son is Shehzad who has completed his BSc in nuclear engineering and looks after the scientific and laboratory side of the business. His daughter, Naseem Mariam, has done an MSc in Industrial Chemistry at Imperial College. She is married and living in Pakistan and continuing her life in education by teaching at Atchison College and Convent, Naveed is the youngest son.
Mr. Khan has been able to combine the cultures of East and West effectively by taking the time and the effort to show his children the reasons for his beliefs and their practical application.
He has brought up his children without any conflict between Eastern and Western culture but with an ability to appreciate both countries.
The result is that his daughter now lives happily in Pakistan without any problems but having been brought up in Britain. Mr Khan appreciates the merits of both societies and has brought up his children to recognize the worth of each without disparaging one against the other. Only by doing this, he believes, can a happy marriage of cultures and societies be achieved. In accordance with his views on culture and society Mr Khan is very interested in reading philosophy and particularly enjoys the work of Plato, Aristotle, and Bertrand Russell but feels that Dr Iqbal's work has led him to concentrate his attentions on studying the Quran.
His life has been very successful and he has combined innovation with hard work and determination to produce a winning formula. He has developed his business and his life in such a way that he has been able to combine all of the best elements of Western life - the innovations, the access to new technology, the immediacy of business and the quality of education in Britain - with the culture of Pakistan and his religion of Islam.
The social and cultural values which are embodied in Islam have led him to participation and activity within the community, to the shared beliefs and values which make Pakistani culture so strong and so vibrant and which he has managed to pass on the next generation through his children.
By combining the best elements of both he has succeeded and brought good fortune to himself and to his family.
