Faisalabad – As Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif was handing over the keys of 106 new houses built in Basti Mulla Miran, Muzaffargarh, among the flood victims last week, a man in Faisalabad sitting hundreds of miles away watching the ceremony on TV channels was humbled and elevated both at the same time. Humbled because he had tried to share with the residents of Basti Mulla Miran inestimable bounties showered upon him by Allah. And a sense of elevation gripped his mind because he had a strong sense of inner satisfaction for helping those in need.
The man behind this noble mission is Musaddaq Zulqarnain, chief executive officer (CEO) of Messrs Interloop Limited, Faisalabad, a leading hosiery manufacturing company of global repute. Out of 106 housing units built by Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) and Punjab Rural Support Programme (PRSP) at Mulla Miran village, 90 units were financed by Interloop at a huge cost of Rs 28 million. No words can describe the high degree of generosity and patriotism invested in this trailblazing project completed within a record short span of time of just five months only.
The kind gesture is undoubtedly a practical example of a famous phrase: “Do not ask what your country has done for you; just say what you can do for your country”.
Relief and rehabilitation efforts of the company were stamped with a seal of acknowledgement at the highest level when Shahbaz Sharif awarded a medal to the company in recognition of its outstanding community services. The medal was received by Interloop Director Saeed Jabal who was invited to attend the handing over ceremony at Basti Mulla Miran, Muzaffargarh. The housing project was launched by Interloop as a part of their Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR) programme under the theme of ‘rebuilding Pakistan brick by brick’.
The modern village project also comprised a school; a TEVTA centre for technical and vocational training programme, a recreational park and cattle sheds. Interloop was one of those few humanitarian organisations that immediately launched their relief operations in South Punjab. The operation that continued for many weeks in which the company’s relief teams under the supervision of senior executive Col (retd) Ejaz Nasir distributed 300,000 meals to the victims. During the relief work, 12 trucks carrying more than 100 tonnes of food items containing 5,000 family packs of ration worth Rs 8.543 million were distributed among the flood victims through army helicopters, boats and vehicles.
The most distinguished feature of Interloop’s charity profile is that it has announced to employ 50 residents of Basti Mulla Miran in its factory at Khurrianwala Road, Faisalabad. This kind gesture is testimony to the fact that after rendering a paramount national duty of providing a dignified shelter to the victims, Interloop has still not left them alone. The company’s policy is to make them self-reliant through employment opportunities that will surely bring back the smiles on the frowned faces of those who lost their homes, belongings, livestock, grains and standing crops in the worst calamity of Pakistan’s history.
It goes to the credit of the company, especially the painstaking efforts of CEO Musadaq Zulqarnain and his younger brother Chief Operating Officer Navid Fazal (the owners of the company) that hope has returned to the hearts of hundreds of people who are now gearing up to take a new start of their lives. The precedent of Basti Mulla Miran has distinguished the Interloop among its contemporaries. It has kindled a tiny flame of hope and inspiration in the hearts of those devoted to the service of the community. The fact of the matter is that there might be many individuals and organizations in the country having a fortune much bigger than Interloop but they opted to stay away from the sacrifice chosen by the company to comfort its countrymen.
The flood relief campaign is just a glimpse of the philanthropic posture of Interloop that has fast emerged as a leading export company over the recent years, thus contributing a substantial amount of foreign exchange to the national economy. “Well done, Interloop”, keep up the good work that is self-rewarding as well as spiritually satisfying. As a true ambassador of love and care, you have made a difference in the lives of voiceless segments of Pakistan.
Bringing back smiles on flood victims’ faces
