Brief Profile: Lt Gen ® Syed Arif Hasan

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Lieutenant General Syed Arif Hasan was elected as the President of the Pakistan Olympic Association in 2004. He was re-elected to the post for another term of four years in 2008. Having had a very long association with sports, he was also elected unopposed as the Vice President of the Olympic Council of Asia in 2007.

At the national level he has advocated for professional management besides talking of upgrading, enabling and empowering the federations which are the constituents of the Pakistan Olympic Association which remained under fire for some reason or the other throughout its turbulent history.

He established the Pakistan Sports Trust with the objective of becoming the marketing arm of the Pakistan Olympic Association. It was envisaged to let the federations set up proper offices to promote their disciplines and improve their working in line with the entities functioning in the developed countries.

General Arif Hasan had succeeded in raising substantial funds through Hero cards but the cherished goal of bringing about a revolution in Pakistan sports could not be accomplished due to a combination of factors. Quite of a few of his plans, if executed, could have led the turnaround but the dreams have remained unfulfilled, apparently, for reasons beyond his control.

** Lt Gen ® Syed Arif Hasan has contributed foreword to Reflections

Brief Profile: Wasim Akram

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Wasim Akram is regarded as the greatest-ever left-arm fast bowler in the cricket history. He had literally taken the world by storm in his maiden international season, having started as a teenaged sensation. He remained one of the leading all-rounders in the world throughout his career spanning nearly two decades.

His elusive ability of generating enormous pace while operating from a shortened run up caught even the most prolific of batsmen by surprise. He swung the ball both ways with almost identical action and he forced the batsmen to submission with teasing bouncers and toe-crushing yorkers. His slower deliveries were very well disguised too.

He played in104 Tests scoring 2898 runs at 22.64 and claiming 414 wickets at 23.62 while he amassed 3717 runs at 16.52 and captured 502 wickets at 23.52 in 356 One-day Internationals. He remains the only bowler to take 500 wickets and perform more than one hat-trick in ODIs.

He captained Pakistan for a long time, leading the country in the World Cup in 1996 and 1999. He was Man of the Match in the final of the 1992 World Cup. He also played in the 2003 World Cup. He has become one of the most sought after television commentators after calling it a day.

**Wasim Akram has contributed foreword to Cricket Milestones

Brief Profile: Aamir Sohail

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Aamir Sohail was a fearless left-handed opening batsman who took the fight to the camp of the opponents with his aggressive instincts. He was not afraid to go down the wicket and hit over the top while confronting the deadliest of fast bowlers. He was also a partnership-breaker with his left-arm spin.

He formed a lethal opening pair with Saeed Anwar, also a left-hander. They were instrumental in having laid the foundation for some of the famous conquests achieved by Pakistan including the 1992 World Cup.

He scored 2,823 runs at 35.28 in 47 Tests while he amassed 4,780 runs at 31.86 in 156 One-day Internationals, hammering five centuries each in both formats of the game. He picked up 25 Test wickets while his tally in ODIs stood at 85 that reflected his all-round abilities. The total span of his career was exactly a decade (1999-2000) during which he also captained Pakistan.

Aamir Sohail has been the chairman of the national selection committee besides having been associated with the Pakistan Cricket Board in the role of Director Media and Marketing. He earned instant recognition in the role of a commentator and analyst primarily because of his courage to call a spade a spade on air.

**Aamir Sohail has contributed foreword to Fiasco

Brief Profile: Mushtaq Mohammad

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Mushtaq Mohammad has been acclaimed as the most inspirational captain to have led the Pakistan team in the cricket field. One of the four Mohammad brothers having played for the country with distinction, he became the youngest Test player at the age of 16, a record broken by Hasan Raza many years later.

Besides being a prolific middle-order batsman, he was a more than useful leg-spinner. He made his Test debut against the West Indies in 1958-59. He galvanized the team into a well-knit unit after taking over as the captain in 1976-77 enabling Pakistan to win Tests abroad besides registering victories at home more frequently than before.

He played in 57 Tests in a career spread over a period of two decades, scoring 3,643 runs at 39.17 with the help of 10 centuries. He also took 79 wickets at 29.22. He got the opportunity of playing only 10 One-day Internationals in which he scored 209 runs at 34.83.

He has had quite a few stints as manager and coach of the national cricket team. He has also brought out his autobiography. Having played county cricket for Northamptonshire for a number of years, he has been living with his family in England for the past many decades.

**Mushtaq Mohammad has contributed foreword to Cricket Fever

Brief Profile: Iqbal Qasim

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Iqbal Qasim was an orthodox left-arm spinner whose forte was control over his line and length. Besides taking the crucial wickets he was mostly very accurate and gave little away to create pressure in the ranks of the opposing teams.

Although he is remembered as the ‘Bangalore Hero’ for having scripted that famous win that helped Pakistan to record their only Test series victory on the Indian soil in 1986-87 he was also the saviour of the team on his Test debut against Australia at Adelaide in 1976-77 where he had hung with the bat on for hours to allow Asif Iqbal to turn it around with flurry of strokes.

He played in 50 Tests, claiming 171 wickets at 28.11. He, however, got limited opportunities in the shorter version of the game, getting to play in only 15 One-day Internationals. He played first-class cricket until 1992-93 while he last played for Pakistan in 1988-89.

He has remained actively involved with the administration of the game after hanging his boots. Besides being the chairman of the national selection committee he has held various other positions over the years. The 57-year-old Iqbal Qasim has been the executive incharge of the sports division of National Bank of Pakistan for a number of years.

**Iqbal Qasim has contributed foreword to Mission Caribbean

Brief Profile: Mansoor Akhtar

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Mansoor Akhtar was a flamboyant top-order batsman whose grace and poise are still talked about with awe. He was held in very high esteem by Imran Khan, who was hugely impressed by his batting skills.

He first came in prominence by having featured in a world record opening partnership of 561 in first-class cricket in 1976-77. Still a teenager, his contribution in the monumental stand was an unbeaten 224 while his partner, Waheed Mirza, scored a triple century.

After having blunted the fearsome West Indian pace battery in a side game, he was rewarded with the Test cap against the same opponents in 1979-80. He went on to play 19 Test matches and 41 One-day Internationals for Pakistan but his record was deemed as modest and many people thought that he didn’t do justice with the loads of talent he possessed.

Although he played his last Test and ODI in 1989-90 but he continued playing first-class cricket for United Bank Limited until 1997-98. He has lost none of his hunger for runs and the 53-year-old Mansoor Akhtar is still scoring heavily in veterans cricket at all levels. He has been the head of sports department of United Bank for over a decade.

**Mansoor Akhtar has contributed foreword to Top of the Charts

Brief Profile: Jalaluddin

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Jalaluddin was a lively fast-medium bowler who struck the deck hard and extracted extravagant movement on the most docile of pitches in Karachi and rest of the country. His entry in the international arena was delayed due to injury but he didn’t take long in hitting headlines after wearing the Pakistan cap.

On September 20, 1982, he recorded the first-ever hat-trick in the history of One-day Internationals by dismissing Australia’s trio of Rodney Marsh, Bruce Yardley and Geoff Lawson on successive deliveries on a flat track of Niaz Stadium, Hyderabad, to help Pakistan win the game.

He made his Test debut against Australia at Qaddafi Stadium, Lahore, in the same winter and returned the impressive match figures of five for 92. He could play only four more Tests in the next two years despite consistent performance in national tournaments. He played his last in 1985-86 and that was the end of his international career rather prematurely. He continued playing for Pakistan Customs until 1988-89.

He returned to the scene with a bang after taking various coaching courses. He established Customs Cricket Academy in 1999 where he groomed youngsters besides fine-tuning first-class cricketers. The 51-year-old Jalaluddin is recognized as the highest qualified coach in the country, having undertaken various assignments.

**Jalaluddin has contributed foreword to Spotlight on World Cup 2003

Brief Profile: Farhana Kousar

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Farhana Kousar is a practicing librarian, having done Masters with first division in Library & Information Science from University of Karachi in 1989. She has remained associated with prestigious institutions throughout her professional career.

She is presently working as Chief Librarian at Pakistan National Shipping Corporation, having previously served FAST-National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences, College of Physician and Surgeons, Institute of Business Management, Library of Congress Consulate General of USA, NED University of Engineering & Technology and Hamdard Foundation.

She has attended and conducted quite a few workshops, seminars and symposia like National Training Workshop on Automation and Planning of Academic Libraries, Workshop on Library Education in Electronic Environment, Seminar on Virginia Technology Library Systems, Workshop on PERI Digital Library Programme and National Workshop of Medical Librarian on Resource Sharing.

She is a trustee of Widow and Orphan Trust and Global Food Bank Trust besides being a life member of Pakistan Library Association, Medical Library Association of Pakistan and Pakistan Library Club. She is also the Charter Secretary of Rotary Club of Karachi Airport.

**Farhana Kousar has reviewed Reflections

Brief Profile: A Aziz Rehmatullah

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A Aziz Rehmatullah has been acclaimed as one of the doyens of cricket statisticians in Pakistan. He appears to have set a record of sorts by authoring as many as a dozen books on cricket, understood to be the highest in the country so far.

His first book titled ‘26 Years of Pakistan Cricket’ was published in 1979, which were followed by World Cricket Annual (1980), Cricket Close Up (1981), Pakistan Test Cricketers (1981), Masters of Cricket (1982), Who’s Who in Test Cricket (1984), An Eye on Test Cricket (1986), 35 Years of Pakistan Cricket (1987), The Book of One-day Internationals (1989), Pakistan in One-day Internationals (1996), Who’s Who in One-day Internationals (2001) and Calendar Year’s Kings (2002).

He was editor of Cricket World Quarterly, launched in 1978. It was a widely respected magazine with contributions from leading statisticians and journalists from all over the world. It was instrumental in grooming some of the budding cricket writers.

He brought out another magazine by the name of Cricket Herald in 1986, whose subsequent Urdu edition also became quite popular in the following years.

**A Aziz Rehmatullah has reviewed Cricket Milestones

Brief Profile: Abdul Hamid

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Abdul Hamid is a professional trainer in the field of management, accounting and finance. He is the Chief Executive Officer of his recently founded Business Research and Management Group (BRMG), having interests in diversified fields.

After graduating in commerce he did CA (Intermediate) and MBA in Finance and Accounting besides undertaking various other senior level certificate course to enhance his skills and knowledge.

Based in Karachi, he has been engaged in the project management, companies establishment projects, feasibilities studies of projects, budgeting and projections. He has conducted training to the officers of Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).

He has been an active Rotarian since 2004, having been elected as the President of the Rotary Club of Karachi Airport for 2011-2012. He happens to be a charter member of the Rotary Club of Karachi Darakhshan as well as the Rotary Club of Karachi Airport.

He was a Coordinator of the Rotary International's Committee for Promotion of Literacy in 2005-06.

**Abdul Hamid has reviewed Fiasco

Brief Profile: Bashir Ahmad Khan

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Bashir Ahmad Khan has been acclaimed as the pioneer of cricket commentary in Urdu. He was one of the integral members of the select band of the famed Pakistan cricket commentators whose voice had the charisma and charm to keep the listeners glued to their transistors sets for hours.

He has also been hailed one of the gurus of Advertising in Pakistan. His advertising agency, Manhattan International, has remained market leader and trend-setter for a very long time. He has authored popular books like Over to Bashir Khan, Glorious Years of Pakistan Cricket, Play Better Golf and Al Islam.

Besides being the Chairman and Managing Director of Manhattan/BBDO Worldwide Pakistan, he is the President of the Delhi Anglo Arabic College & Schools Association and a member of the Board of Regents, Faculty & Staff, Wartburg College, Waverly, Iowa.

Having been an enthusiastic former cricketer, he remains an active golfer being a member of the Karachi Golf Club for a number of years.

**Bashir Ahmad Khan has reviewed Cricket Fever

Brief Profile: Prof Syed Zulfiqar Ali

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Prof Syed Zulfiqar Ali has been associated with education as well as social sector for over two decades now. Presently he is Head of the Department, Commerce, at Defence Authority Degree College, Karachi.

He had passed his matriculation from St Cathedral High School, Lahore, while he pursued later education at Government College of Commerce and Economics. He has been a guest speaker in various sessions of different levels. He used to be a brilliant student from his early days and passed his various examinations with flying colours.

Education and social work have remained his forte and the areas of his prime interest from the outset. He has been working in particular educating the youth in their career guidance.

Having been an integral part of running The Young Champs, which was one of the most proactive youth clubs in Karachi 1980s, he has recently launched Taleem-o-Agahi Welfare Organization, being its Founder President.

**Prof Syed Zulfiqar Ali has reviewed Mission Caribbean

Brief Profile: Anwar Jabeen Qureshi

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Anwar Jabeen Qureshi is a known personality in the media and business circles. He is presently the Chief Executive Officer of A J Communications, a Karachi-based company, having interests in diversified fields.

Having done Masters in International Relations, Political Science and Mass Communications, L.L.B. and short courses of MBA, he served the country’s leading bank Habib Bank, as General Manager, Publicity & Public Relations Division, having had the opportunity to work with as many eight Presidents of the bank directly including the former Financial Adviser to the Prime Minister, Shaukat Tareen. He played a pivotal role in promoting the image of Habib Bank.

He has had an illustrious career in the field Public Relations, Marketing, Mass Media and Event Management. He is a famed speaker, having delivered lectures at various forums locally and abroad. He has conducted a lot of programmes, having had long stints with radio and television.

He has had a very actice social life as well. Having been associated with quite organizations he was one of the charter members of the Rotary Club of Karachi Airport of which he has been the President since July 2009.

**Anwar Jabeen Qureshi has reviewed Top of the Charts

Brief Profile: Prof Dr Nasim Fatima

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Prof Dr Nasim Fatima served as the Chairperson of the Library & Information Science department of University of Karachi until 2004. Since then she has been working as the Principal Research Investigator at the Sindh Archives in Karachi.

She has won numerous awards in her career, having authored and co-authored more than 30 books, the majority of whom are classified as worthy reference books all over the world.

Prof Dr Nasim Fatima holds the distinction of being the first lady lecturer to be appointed in the Library & Information Science department of University of Karachi besides being the first lady to earn the doctorate degree in her field from any university of Pakistan.

A 480-paged book with the majority of the pages in Urdu titled ‘Professor Doctor Nasim Fatima: Shakhsiat aur Kaam’ and compiled by Huma Mannan Butt, a Research Assistant at Sindh Archives, was published in 2010. The book covers in detail the monumental contribution made by her in an illustrious career.

**Prof Dr Nasim Fatima has reviewed Spotlight on World Cup 2003

Jumbo Publishing joins hands with Kitabain.com

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Jumbo Publishing, the market leaders in sports publishing in the region, have recently joined hands with Kitabain.com, an online books marketplace, having made great strides in a rather short span of time.

Kitabain.com has been founded by two highly talented young engineers, Usman Siddiqui and Jawad Yousuf, with a mission to connect booksellers/bookstores all over Pakistan with book lovers across the country.

Usman has a degree in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research, with highest distinction, from Purdue University, Indiana, USA, while Jawad has a degree in Actuarial Sciences from Purdue University and a Masters degree in Statistics from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign.

Kitabain.com is a centralized platform where individual sellers or bookstores can instantly make their inventory available online using our automated system and where buyers can browse for and purchase books put up by numerous booksellers all in one place.

Their overriding goal is to make access to books easier for readers across Pakistan. They have reckoned that the prices of new books are generally on the higher side, access to old books is limited since there are a limited number of old bookstores which are not always accessible to everyone and the old books that are available at these bookstores or weekly bazaars are poorly catalogued and hence difficult to find.

They have come up with the solution in the shape of www.kitabain.com where properly catalogued and searchable database of thousands of used/new books at deeply discounted prices are showcased, providing an opportunity for small bookstores/book sellers to make their inventory available to a potentially much larger audience than the traffic at their stores and anyone in Pakistan can be their customer.