Ahmed E. H. Jaffer Commemoration. (2000-7)

JAFFER, Ahmed Ebrahim Haroon, worthy son of a leading business tycoon, the Hon’able Sir Ebrahim Haroon Jaffer Mr. Ahmed Jaffer was born in Poona (India) on 9th August, 1909 and he breathed his last at Islamabad on 3rd February, 1990 while in the service of Pakistan. Almost all his life, he had been travelling extensively all over the world making friends among elite of every county he visited.

Mr. Jaffer was educated at the Anglo-Urdu High School, Poona and later at the Deccan College, Poona. His high calibre can be gauged from the fact that at the young age of 25 he was first elected a member of the Indian Parliament (Indian Central Legislative Assembly) in Delhi in 1934 from Bombay Province which had two Muslim seats. One seat was occupied by Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and the other by Mr. Ahmed Jaffer which provided him a rare and unique opportunity to work in close association with the Quaid. He was reelected to the Indian Parliament in 1945 and was appointed Deputy Whip of the Muslim League Parliamentary Party of which Quaid-e-Azam was the leader and continued until the establishment of Pakistan on August 14,1947.

Mr. Ahmed Ebrahim Haroon Jaffer (popularly known as Ahmed E. H. Jaffer), S.Pk., C.B.E., a close associate of Quaid-e-Azam, was a leading citizen, businessman and a distinguished parliamentarian with long standing. He was a seasoned leader of exceptional qualities in politics, trade, industry, sports, culture, national and international affairs. Immediately after partition of the subcontinent, Mr. Ahmed Jaffer, migrated to Pakistan in August 1947 and settled down in Karachi. He was elected to the first Constituent Assembly of Pakistan tO represent one million refugees who had migrated to Pakistan and settled down in Sindh Province where he served till 1954 when the Assembly was dissolved.

In September 1948, Mr. Ahmed Jaffer was elected Member of the Council of World Movement for one World Government and a Member of the International Steering Committee of the People\'s World Government Conference. An active Rotarian, he was elected President of Karachi Rotary Club in 1951 for a two-year term. He was the founder President of Sindh Karachi Refugee Board and All Pakistan Mohajir Board. He established the first ever well planned refugee colony at Gizri near Clifton in Karachi which provided shelter to thousands of homeless Muslim migrants. He was appointed Advisor to the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Refugee Rehabilitation, during the course of the Conference of lndo-Pakistan Prime Ministers, held in Karachi in 1953. He led Pakistan Contingent to the World Olympic Games, London in 1948 and the next year he was elected Life Member of International Olympic Committee.

Mr. Ahmed Jaffer was a Member of the first Pakistan Trade Delegation to West Germany and Czechoslovakia in 1949. He was a delegate to the Inter-Parliamentary Union Conferences held in Dublin (1950); Berne (Switzerland in 1952) and Vienna (Austria 1953). He was a Leader of Pakistan Parliamentary Delegation to World Government Parliamentary Conference held in London in 1954 and delegate to the United Nations in 1975. He was a keen philatelist who had a rich collection of postage

stamps from all over the world. He collected rare stamps from several countries in exchange of Pakistan postage stamps as he was a member of Philatelic Associations in various countries. Thus Mr. Ahmed Jaffer introduced Pakistan postage stamps the world over bringing name and fame to his country.

Mr. Jaffer was awarded high decorations by the President of Austria, His Majesty King of Belgium, President of Brazil, Her Majesty Queen of England, President of Finland, President of Italy, His Majesty King of Jordan, His Highness the Amir of Kuwait, President of the Republic of Spain and President of Pakistan, for his contribution towards development of trade and cordial relations.

Courtesy: - Abdul Kadir Jaffer

To commemorate the Birth Anniversary of Ahmed E.H. Jaffer Pakistan Post Office is issuing a commemorative postage stamp of Rs. 10/- denomination on August 9, 2000.