By Kazi Zulkader Siddiqui, 671/Latif

Ghiasuddin Sidiqi, kit no. 964/Qasim House joined Cadet College Petaro in 1967 in 11th Class and left the college in 1969 after completing his Intermediate.

He was born on 16 October 1952 at Karachi, and was married to Mrs. Galina in Moscow, USSR, on 25 October 1978. They have 2 children.

Ghias was a success story in this world that is rare. Coming from a humble background, he built one of the largest business empires after the defunct USSR.

After leaving Petaro, Ghias joined NED Engineering College in 1969. Two years later, he got a scholarship from the USSR government to study Metallurgical Engineering at Moscow University under training for the for the newly established Pakistan Steel Mills which had been funded by the USSR. Thus, in 1971, he moved to Moscow.

Over the years, Ghias decided to stay back in Moscow, fell in love and got married to a Russian lady. During those years, he worked for the Urdu Service of Radio Moscow. He also started a modest business in Moscow to sustain himself.

With the demise of the USSR in 1988, the world changed for Ghias. He took advantage of the opportunities opening up in the new Russia, and acquired ships and properties. Over the years, he became the owner of nearly 15-20 cargo ships, several hotels and properties in Europe and Russia. He moved his headquarters and home to the Netherlands. At the same time, he established offices in Belgium, Malta and Pakistan in addition to his offices in Russia. His company was known as Grid International BV. He also built a summer home for himself in Malta.

Ghias had great love for his Petarian friends and for Petaro. When the Class of 1964-69 gifted an international standard squash court to Cadet College Petaro in 2001, Ghias became the biggest donor by giving Rs. 10 lacs as his contribution out of the total cost of Rs. 37 lacs.

A couple of months before the completion of the squash court, Ghias died of a massive heart attack in Moscow on Saturday, October 11, 2003. His body was transported to Malta where he is buried.

In memory of Ghias, the 1964-69 batchmates decided to name the newly built squash court at Petaro as the Ghias Squash Court.

We Petarians are proud to have Ghiasuddin Sidiqi as a colleague of ours.

In Memory of Ghiasuddin Sidiqi

By Prof. Mohammad Nauman Ozair, 556/Ayub

I think it is never too late to share my feelings about Ghias. I never realized he was such a close a friend that his memories will always haunt me.

In Petaro, though his stay was not long but he was able to be recognized as a friendly personality with literary taste and as a person who preserved his self respect against all odds. He left marks of his friendship on so many of us.

At NED engineering college we were together for less than two years when he left for Soviet Union under Pakistan Steel Mills training program. Ghias, like me, could never reconcile with the status quo in the country and the prevailing state of affairs among the fellow students. So we decided to launch a new organization that later emerged with the name of Progressive Students' Front (PSF). The Front was not associated with any political party and it dominated NED's students Unions and politics for a decade till the gun culture was introduced by the rulers. Many students thought I was the mastermind behind the Students' Front, but in reality, it was Ghias who had clearer vision and more input in the embryonic stage of the organization.

Ghias is not a personality who could be contained under the discipline of any organization and where he doesn't have a creative, dynamic and commanding role. In the Soviet Union, he carried out many adventures, the greatest being to fall in love with a Russian girl. That was the time of "Iron Curtain", and foreigners were not supposed to move outside some of the limited boundaries or face prison/deportation. KGB was all the time chasing Ghias in the "no go areas" and tried to closely monitor his movement and activities. But finally, they had to concede to the power of their true and they got married.

Ghias decided to start business (I don't think any of his close relative was a businessman), because this was the only means Ghias could stay in Soviet Union and and visit Pakistan also. He was able to understand the Russian pshyche and its bureaucracy. He was a sharp businessman. With no seed money, he competed with other Pakistani businessmen who were playing in billions. He then expanded his business to other countries.

I remember, during the peak of Afghan war in the 1980s when Pakistan was fighting a proxy was for the USA in the name of Jehad, Ghias came with the proposal to supply electricity to Pakistan from Central Asian part of Soviet Union, through Afghanistan. It was in the great interest of Pakistan and Afghanistan. It was the initial phase when Pakistan was facing power shortages. Later Pakistan had to sign agreements with IPPs that have very adversely affected Pakistan's economy because of extremely high rate of electricity. The transmission line could have also supplied electric power to Kabul and northern parts of Afghanistan. But this required a political will. Imagine, if the Pakistan's rulers could understand the logic of economic development and tried to reach some settlement, the history would have been different for this whole region.

During early 90s, when Soviet Union started disintegrating, Ghias realised the gravity of crises and developed Grid's off-shore offices at various places. Knowing my keen interest in the dynamics of social systems and their transformation, Ghias invited and ensured my stay at Moscow for nearly a month, in his hotel. I had the great opportunity to meet people from all walks of life and specially the academia. The business activities and busy life could never stop Ghias from intellectual pursuits and love of literature and arts. Ghias did finance some conference in Holland. In 1995, when I was technical advisor to the Administrator Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, Ghias agreed to provide a certain amount as donation for the construction of City Library of Karachi. But the approved architectural plan (approved as a result of competition in 1992) is such that the whole building structure is to be made in one go. It is not modular, and has no demarcated blocks. Ghias's proposed funding of Rs.80 lacs could not have completed any part to make it functional. This is the reason that even today the Library project has not taken-off.

At one time, Ghias was also keenly interested in developing alternative sources of energy in Pakistan. But the government polices were not conducive in that direction. Now, when the Petarian like Brigadier Nasim are at the helm of affairs, Ghias was caught up in bad health and other business problems. With his untimely death, I wonder, who else would come in this venture.

Ghias had to actively involve himself in resolving many problems and issues of his family and relatives, which he did successfully. It is my personal opinion that Ghias could have done much more for Pakistan and Petaro, had he not been caught in domestic problems.