Adil Ahmad

Of the many TCS characters, colorful or otherwise, that it has been my privilege and pleasure to make the acquaintance of, let me start with JJ, Jamil Janjua, who is readying himself for open heart surgery in Dubai as I write this, and I wish him a speedy recover to his former hale and hearty self, ameen. (ED – Since I last wrote, JJ has experienced a successful surgery, is out of the ICU and back in his room, and engaging with his physiotherapist, Allah be thanked). JJ is a high flyer, and once captained the old warhorse of the aviation industry, the Boeing 707, before being grounded on medical grounds from PIA. He formed the first interesting twist that I noticed at TCS. As captain of an airliner, JJ was the commander of his airship, and in that capacity could even solemnize marriages. For a flyer there can be nothing worse than being grounded, and contemplate in midlife a brand new career away from the deep blue skies. After an adjustment period that I am sure too...

JJ, Jamil Janjua, my friend and mentor in many ways, has provided me with valuable food for thought on the first ten chapters that I have reeled out and published on the blog. My friend and IBA mate Asif Mayat has also provided an invaluable critique both on the blog and on the telephone, in a half hour long transcontinental conversation that happened after many years. But the connection with Asif was instantaneous, and we were back in the old days, reliving life, and ticking off with great satisfaction our successes in the greater scheme of things. Farrukh Hasan, Shahid Shafiq and Akbar Khan, all IBA-ites, have chipped in with encouragement over the email and on the blog, with Farrukh in full support of JJ’s feedback, and Akbar joining me in demonizing Prof. A.G. Saeed! Shahid offered very tongue-in-cheek feedback, but it was evident that he was enjoying the read. JJ has posed for me the following questions. “ Who are you writing the book for?  Who do you imagine r...

Instilling extra-curricular in a book wormish environment My introduction to squash I have already given an account of in chapter six. My pinnacle of amateur playing excellence was achieved in 1976 when the Institute of Business Administration’s (IBA) squash team won the Karachi University’s (KU) Inter-Collegiate Squash Championship, beating archrivals the NED Engineering University in the Final.  The Final was played at the historic PIA Squash Complex on Kashmir Road, in its # 1 Championship Court that seated over 200 spectators. That evening double that capacity crammed into it, rendering the air-conditioning quite ineffective. That Final has gone down in the annals of both IBA history, as well as the historic PIA Squash Complex’s. It was the first time in its illustrious life that academia and the corporate world, indeed the entire country, were speaking about the IBA for reasons other than academic excellence in business management. Play squash, or for that ...

Counterproductive controversy over Secretary-General Issue at Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (PPMA) There is news of a full blown power struggle between PPMA members in Rawalpindi and the elected representatives of the PPMA over the appointment of the PPMA secretary-general, a paid position decided upon by the PPMA Central Executive Committee.  Through a proper process advertised in the national media, candidates were shortlisted and the appointment made. The PPMA members in Rawalpindi have revolted against this appointment because the new candidate does not meet with their approval.  It is said that the former PPMA secretary-general spent more time running personal errands of the PPMA members in Rawalpindi, being absent from work on a regular basis and not attending to the duties of his office. The state of affairs in Pakistan’s pharmaceutical sector is quite pathetic. T he Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP), responsible fo...

MAP RE-THINKS THE PLOT; STRESSES SHARPENING OF BOTH BRAIN AND BRAWN (Report filed by Adil Ahmad) While the emphasis will always be on getting it right first time every time, there is clearly a lot of merit in declaring a time-out and revisiting established premises with an open mind and search for space to rethink, reinvent and innovate with a view to leaving this world a better place. The Management Association of Pakistan, MAP for short, put on its 16 th Convention with the father of mind-mapping Tony Buzan as the main draw. Voice coach Lucy Cornel and life coach Dr. Zsu Fajcsak were the other two who braved scary travel advisories to grace our shores. On the Pakistani front the list of speakers was impressive as well. Veteran marketing man Syed Masood Hashmi, MAP’s Vice President, played the host in the absence of the MAP President Saadia Naveed. Representing English Biscuit Manufacturers (EBM), the ‘Founding Partner’ of the MAP Convention, was Dr. Zeelaf Mu...