Mian Muhammad Rafique Saigol (1 September 1933 – 10 December 2003) was a Pakistani

businessman A businessperson, also referred to as a businessman or businesswoman, is an individual who has founded, owns, or holds shares in (including as an angel investor) a private-sector company. A businessperson undertakes activities (commercial ...

and

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

who served as a member of the

National Assembly of Pakistan The National Assembly of Pakistan, also referred to as ''Aiwān-ē-Zairīñ'', is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Pakistan, with the upper house being the Senate of Pakistan, Senate. As of 2023, the National Assem ...

in 1965. He also served as a

chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...

of the

Pakistan International Airlines Pakistan International Airlines, commonly known as PIA, is the flag carrier of Pakistan. With its primary hub at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, the airline also operates from its secondary hubs at Allama Iqbal International Airport ...

Biography

Rafique Saigol was born on 1 September 1933 in

Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

to Mian Yousuf Saigol, who founded

Saigol Group The Saigol Group ( ) is a group of companies headquartered in Lahore. It was founded by Ameen Saigol in the 1930s with a small shop that eventually developed into the Kohinoor Rubber Works. Ameen Saigol had four sons: Yousaf, Sayeed, Gull and Ba ...

. He received his early education at

The Doon School The Doon School (informally Doon School or Doon) is a Selective school, selective all-boys Private school, private boarding school in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India, which was established in 1935. It was envisioned by Satish Ranjan Das, a lawyer ...

and

Aitchison College Aitchison College is an elite private, boarding school, boarding Junior School, Secondary School for boys in Lahore, Pakistan. It has educated Prime Minister of Pakistan, prime ministers, including Imran Khan, Feroz Khan Noon, president of Pakist ...

. Later, he attended

Clemson University Clemson University () is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university near Clemson, South Carolina, United States. - The blue-shaded pattern denotes university property. This shows Clemson University is ''out ...

, where he studied

economics Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...

and

textile management Textile management is an interdisciplinary research subject where management issues in the textile and fashion industry (i.e. the value chain of textile products from concept to customer) are studied. Textile management can be described as studies o ...

, graduating in 1953. After completing his education, Saigol became the

managing director A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

of Kohinoor Textile Mills in

Lyallpur Faisalabad, formerly known as Lyallpur, is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, second-largest city and primary List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, industrial center of the Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan ...

(now Faisalabad). Later, he also served as the

of the All-Pakistan Textile Mills Association and as the president of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce. In 1965, Saigol entered politics and was elected to the

, representing

. During his time in the National Assembly, he served as the parliamentary secretary to the Ministry of Communications. He also acted as an adviser to

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (5 January 1928 – 4 April 1979) was a Pakistani barrister and politician who served as the fourth president of Pakistan from 1971 to 1973 and later as the ninth Prime Minister of Pakistan, prime minister of Pakistan from 19 ...

. During the nationalization period in Pakistan, Saigol was appointed as a chairman of

in 1972. Saigol was also one of the founders of the

Lahore Stock Exchange LSE Group, formerly known as Lahore Stock Exchange is a Pakistani investment company based in Lahore, Pakistan. LSE Group consists of three companies: LSE Capital, LSE Financial Services, and LSE Ventures, all of them are listed on the Pakistan ...

and

United Bank Limited United Bank Limited (often abbreviated as UBL) is a Pakistani bank headquartered at I.I. Chundrigar Road in Karachi. It is a subsidiary of British multinational conglomerate, Bestway Group. Founded by Agha Hasan Abedi in 1959, UBL saw its firs ...

. One of his younger brother was

Azam Saigol Azam Saigol (17 November 1951 – 24 January 2018) was a Pakistani businessperson and politician. He held executive positions at Kohinoor Industries, Saritow Spinning Mills, Pak Elektron, and Azam Textile Mills. He was on the Pakistan Internatio ...

. His sister Naz Saigol is married with Mian Mansha.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saigol, Rafique 1933 births 2005 deaths Pakistani industrialists Pakistani MNAs 1965–1969 The Doon School alumni Aitchison College alumni Clemson University alumni Saigol Group