House of Habib

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The House of Habib is a prominent family in Pakistan.

The Habibs have spread their wealth over a large number of private and public companies, and a profile of Rafiq Habib in Economic Review, November 1984 (P 59), said that Habib group had 90 companies in its fold.

[edit] History

The history of the House of Habib goes back to middle of the previous-to-last century when Esmail Ali of Jamnagar, India, set up a small utensil factory in Bombay. His son Habib Esmail, born in 1878, founded the House of Habib. Habib was very young when his father died, forcing 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 holds 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 aid of the nascent state "even before the Govt of Pakistan was ready to issue appropriate government paper" with a Rs 80 million loan when the Reserve Bank of India failed to deliver Pakistan share of Rs 750 million held by it. It is said that Mohammad Ali Habib gave a blank cheque on Llyod Bank to the 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 set up offices in Vienna and Geneva as early as 1912 and incorporated Habib and Sons in 1921, which dealt in brass, metal scraps and gold with "Lion of Ali" embossed on it. The Habib Bank still uses this as its insignia.

Habib companies include Habib Metropolitan Bank, Habib Bank AG Zurich, Indus Motors Company, a joint venture with the Toyota Motor Corporation, Agri Auto, Shabbir Tiles and Ceramics, Thal jute, AuVitronics,Thal Engineering,DYNEA Pakistan Limited, Baluchistan Laminates, Noble (PVT) Limited, Bank AL Habib, Pakistan Papersack Corporation Ltd., Horn Plastics Canada, Makro Habib Limited, Habib Insurance Limited and Noble Computer services.