Raja Mohammed Khan.

Jamil Khan, Senior Reporter

The leaders of the UAE, from the day of its unification, have been outstanding visionaries. They had the foresight to transform the nation into a haven of peace, progress and prosperity. It is a country where many residents realise their dreams and live extremely comfortable lives they could not dream of, thanks to the emulative stewardship of the Rulers. This was stated by a Pakistani expatriate and long-time UAE resident for 48 years, Raja Mohammed Khan, chairman of the Khan Group of Companies. His is a success story of a young boy who started his career as a helper and is now successfully running seven companies in this country.

As a young 23-year-old man, Khan completed his Higher Secondary Examination from Mirpur, Azad Kashmir in Pakistan and decided to pursue his career in business in the Gulf. “When I completed the matriculation exams, my elder brothers wanted me to join the Air Force and continue the legacy of my father who served and retired from the Royal British Army. But fate had something different in store for me as I was overaged for the forces.

I then told my elders that I have to establish my own business as our family was running a wood business,” he said. He had some relatives and family friends already living in Dubai and wanted to join them. “I left my home in 1973 for Karachi to embark on a cruise ship journey for Dubai as that was a common mode of travel those days. I was received by my relatives who were already in Dubai for over a decade. With their help, soon I got a job as a helper in a local transport firm in Dubai, but within six months I joined my cousin who was working in an aluminium factory as there were no restrictions then on switching jobs frequently,” he added. His time at the aluminium factory charted a new path for him as his sharp business mind hatched new ideas.

“Within 2 years and with experience in different fields of the aluminium factory I decided to quit the job and set up a small business in Ajman to acquire a general trade licence. My initial jobs were maintenance work to establish my contacts with other aluminium plants based in Dubai,” he added. Recalling the early days, he said that during the 70s and 80s, there were hardly any highrises. “There were a majority of 3-5 floor residential buildings and we had enough work to live a suitable life. It was around 1975 when work on the first tallest building of Dubai, World Trade Centre, started on the directives of Sheikh Rashid.

Later in the 80s, new buildings emerged. Doing business was easy as there were no hard restrictions or many rules for foreigners to set up new businesses and get benefits from the local government’s offers,” he added. He saw the extensive growth in every sector and admired the vision of the Rulers for making their country a global financial and trade destination. “Earlier only three to four aluminium plants were fulfilling the local demands but with the passage of time, the UAE had thousands of such plants to cater for the local needs besides exporting aluminium products to other countries,” he said. He gladly admired the local authorities, especially the Dubai Government, for taking revolutionary steps by setting a higher standard and benchmark for aluminium products.

“The authorities have set a higher standard for aluminium plants as our wide range of products are easily acceptable anywhere in the world. The high quality and standard benefit everyone and we are happy to have such diligent officials maintain the high quality of products in every sector,” he added. The hard work as a helper helped him evolve to a technician and learning the skills over the years. The fruit of his labour is that he now helms seven companies in different aluminium related products. Khan resides in Dubai with his wife Ruqia Bibi and three children: Misbah, Mubasher and Hamza.

“We are grateful to this country for providing us the unlimited opportunities to grow and facilities to give the best education to our children,” he said. His two elder children graduated from the American University of Sharjah while the younger one got his degree from the United States. All three are now running the aluminium business which is now a family affair. “These days I just oversee some small things as the whole business expanded into seven factories, from manufacturing to retail, being taken care of by my children. Now they are planning to expand into real estate and IT as they have their interest in these,” he added. The group has seen potential in the Saudi market and is planning to set up an aluminium factory there as the business-friendly environment is expected to grow. Jamil Khan, Senior Reporter Raja Mohammed Khan started his career as a helper and is now successfully running seven companies in the UAE