IoBM family remembers his vision of excellence in a memorial webinar
A memorial webinar on the third death anniversary of Late Founder President, IoBM, Shahjehan Syed Karim (SSK) was held on Friday, July 17, 2020. The Keynote Speaker was Mr. Shahid Amin, Pakistan’s former ambassador to Saudi Arabia, France, the Soviet Union, Nigeria, and Libya. The topic of his speech was “Pakistan-Saudi Arabia relations: A historical overview”, a talk based on his book “Pakistan’s Relations with Saudi Arabia”.
Present in this webinar were IoBM’s Talib S. Karim, President; Ms. Sabina Mohsin, Executive Director; Mohammad Basheer Janmohammad, Chancellor; Mr. Mohsin Furqan, Dr. Arshad Karim, Mr. Mehboob Karim, Dr. Mehtab Karim, and Mr. Irshad Karim. During this memorial webinar, fond memories were shared by Mr. Ashraf Janjua, Former Deputy Governor, State Bank of Pakistan; Dr. Asima Faisal, IoBM alumni and HoD Health and Hospital Management Department; Mr. Farhan Ahmed, President, IoBM Alumni Association, and Mr. Talha Karim, son of Late SSK and a banker by profession.
Mr. Talib Karim shared that Late Shahjehan S. Karim had requested Mr. Shahid Amin to author a book discussing Pakistan’s relations with Saudi Arabia and Iran. His book, “Pakistan’s Relations with Saudi Arabia”, therefore, has been published from the platform of IoBM. Mr. Amin discussed Pakistan-Saudi Arabia relations that include among others the dimensions of politics, economy, military, strategy, manpower, and diplomacy. He touched upon the many aspects of Pakistan-Saudi Arabia’s relationship during the 1950s until the present era. He said that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses and the two countries will continue to have such a special relationship.
Mr. Ashraf Janjua talked about his long association with Late SSK. He referred to Late SSK as a man of gold who conducted all official matters amicably. Mr. Janjua’s mentioned in his talk about the time he spent with Late SSK as a friend and later as the Advisor to the President (Late SSK) and Dean CBM, IoBM. This was the time when his bond with Late SSK grew when they regularly attended meetings and casually met on campus. During this webinar, Mr. Talib Karim specially thanked Mr. Basheer Janmohammad for being a close friend of Late SSK ever since he decided to establish IoBM. Mr. Talib Karim said that after the passing away of Late SSK, Mr. Janmohammad has been a father figure and has played an instrumental part not only in providing advice and direction to the IoBM Management but also for his financial support with regards to IoBM’s scholarships and endowment fund.
While sharing her association with Late SSK, Dr. Asima Faisal remembered him as a torchbearer, a supporter, and a father figure. Late SSK encouraged Dr. Faisal to initiate programs and events for her Health Management Program. He guided her on how to best utilize her resources. She said that Late SSK made her become a courageous person and his guidance made Dr. Asima confident enough to stand by her views. Mr. Farhan Ahmed said that Late SSK had a powerful aura and possessed a calm personality. He said that after retiring from a successful career in the civil service, Late SSK envisioned creating a center of excellence in the form of IoBM. He said that Late SSK had the ability and the drive to achieve his dream of establishing IoBM.
Mr. Talha Karim talked about the strong relationship his parents, Late SSK and Late Ms. Shama Karim, cherished and shared. Mr. Talha talked about how his parents instilled in their children and grandchildren the ability to accept diversity and to appreciate human values. Mr. Talha mentioned how Late SSK wanted to give back to society, especially the underprivileged population. He mentioned that IoBM’s Outreach Program was an important part of Late SSK’s philosophy. This ideology is now being followed and implemented in letter and spirit by the President and Executive Director of IoBM. The Outreach Program has been facilitating students from underprivileged areas to acquire education at IoBM. Adding to this point, Mr. Talib Karim said that the SSK Village in Tharparkar, being set up by Ms. Sabina Mohsin and Mr. Mohsin Furqan, is our way of giving back to society. This is the very principle Late SSK proudly embraced and followed during his lifetime. Mr. Talib Karim shared that his nephews have contributed to this noble cause and that Tharparkar’s largest masjid will be constructed in this village.
Mr. Mehboob Karim, while presenting the concluding remarks said that he was moved by the stories and memories shared in the memory of Late SSK during this memorial webinar. He said that the heartwarming, emotional accounts shared at this memorial do speak volumes of Late SSK’s gallant character and valiant personality that will surely be a guiding light for the IoBM family.