Mohammad Ali Habib

A member of the well reputed Habib family. Mohammad Ali Habib is running the Local operations for the Habib group. They are known for there roll in the financial and engineering sectors of the country. " In Pakistan who has the money to buy Habib Bank, but the House of Habib", the representative of Habib group told reporters at the Privatization Commission in Islamabad in 1992 before submitting bid for the privatization of Habib Bank. The boast was justified but uncharacteristic of the Habib family which is known to make conscious efforts to appear small and stay out of the limelight by " hiding the light under the bush in the religious belief that to win the pleasure of Allah is worth infinitely more than to seek the plaudits of the public".

Habibs have spread their wealth over a large number of private and public companies and a profile of Rafiq Habib in Economic Review, Novemer 1984 (P 59) said that Habib group had 90 companies it its fold. I could identify only half of them.

The history of House of Habib goes back to middle of the last century when Esmail Ali of Jam Nagar, India set up a small utensil factory in Bombay. A son born to him in 1878 was given the name Habib who was to found the dynasty of House of Habib. Habib Ismaeel lost his father at an early age and circumstances forced him to join the business of his uncle-Cassum Mohammad, owner of Khoja Mithabai Nathoo, merchant and manufacturer of copper and brass utensils. It was because of his association with Mithabai Nathoo that Habib Ismaeel came to be known as Seth Habib Mitha.

The House of Habib hold many distinctions in Pakistan's history. Habib Bank was shifted to Pakistan on the personal bidding of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah and came to the help of the nascent state " even before the Govt of Pakistan was ready to issue appropriate govt paper", with a Rs 80 million loan when the Rserve Bank of India failed to deliver Pakistan share of Rs 750 million held by it. It is said that Mohammad Ali Habib had presented a blank cheque on Llyod Bank to Quaid-e-Azam who wrote Rs 80 million in it. (An article in Habib Bank Golden Jubilee Presentation and a letter to the Editor in daily Dawn, September 11, 1991).

The Habib family is known to have set up offices in Vienna and Geneva as early as 1912 and incorporated Habib and Sons in 1921 which was dealing in brass, metal scraps and gold with " Lion of Ali " embossed on it which is till today the insignia of the Habib Bank.

www.hoh.net www.habibbank.com

Their companies include Habib Bank AG Zurich, and Indus motors Limited, which is a JV with the Toyota motor corporation.