Intro
In 1943, the late Mr. Shah Nawaz (died in 1990) founded Shahnawaz Ltd. (PSX: SHEZ) in Agra and Delhi (British-India) under the Trade Marks Act of 1940. He is also called Chaudhry Shahnawaz (see by Mirza Masroor Ahmad in 2013)(he was mentioned in a Friday sermon by Mirza Tahir Ahmad in Oct-3-1997, Mirza Tahir Ahmad praised Shah Nawaz and gave him his story as an example of someone who showered the Khalifa with kickbacks).
In 1948, Zafrullah Khan was married to Badar Begum, however, after partition, Badar Begum seems to have filed for divorce and then married the famous Shahnawaz (see also “Zafar Ullah Khan Qadyani” by Muhammad Tahir Abdul Razzaq). Dr. Syed Holy Spirit claims that the grandson of Zafrullah Khan was famously married to the daughter of Mirza Tahir Ahmad which ended in a quick divorce.
In 1948, after partition, the Shahnawaz Ltd registered Head Office is located in the port city of Karachi, Pakistan.
In the late 1950‘s, Shezan was very much a family affair, owned by the family only, they also owned 2 restaurants, “Shezan Continental” and “Shezan Clay Oven”, both on the lower mall in Lahore. This was a time when there weren’t many dining options available to a rising upper middle-class. The lower mall was a swanky area surrounded by both government and private offices, which made restaurants that provided good, familiar food in a place with a fashionable ambiance a thriving business. When the Ahmadiyya family that owned Shezan decided to sell, Chaudhry Meher-ud-Din decided to buy both restaurants from them also. Chaudhry Meher-ud-Din was a shrewd businessman who owned automobile showrooms in Lahore, Meher-ud-Din recognised the potential of Shezan. It was a recognisable brand name, had a legacy, and had been built over the years over solid business fundamentals and catered to a specific need. He also knew that inside the restaurant was a bakery as well, which he could separate and expand the business. Meher-ud-Din’s ambitions extended beyond this. He also wanted to acquire a third asset that Shahnawaz Ltd had — the Shezan International factory which produced and packaged products like the iconic Shezan Mango juice, squashes, pickles, jams, marmalades, ketchup etc. This is where things get a little complicated. While the two restaurants were sold to the Chaudhry family, Shahnawaz Ltd decided to keep Shezan International Factory. The family had put in a lot of work to build up the business and while the threat to their lives and property was very real, they got many reassurances from the government of Pakistan and decided to keep this side of their business. This resulted in a situation where there were two different entities operating under the Shezan name. There were the restaurants and bakery owned by Chaudhry Meher-ud-Din and the factory owned by Shahnawaz Ltd. The restaurants were in the fine dining and bakeries business, and the factory produced and packaged the iconic Shezan Mango juice, squashes, pickles, jams, marmalades, ketchup and other such products.
In 1964, Shezan International was incorporated on May 13; conceived as a joint venture by the Shahnawaz Group, Pakistan and Alliance Industrial Development Corporation, United States in 1964. Via Tahrik e Jadeed, there were some other Ahmadi companies, see here. It seems that the Ahmadiyya movement might have funded Shezan from its inception and a layman Qadiani was given charge. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) provided a loan of 2.5 million US dollars to support the purchase of necessary equipment (See “Corporate finance in Pakistan: Case studies from an emerging market”. [Karachi]: Oxford University Press: Lahore University of Management Sciences. 13 May 1999 – via Internet Archive).
In 1984, Mr. Shah Nawaz donated heavily to the Russian mis-translation of the Quran that the Ahmadiyya group published.
In 1990, Mr. Shah Nawaz died on March 23rd, 1990 and his life was covered in the Al-Fazl. The Al-Fazl tells us that in 1984, he donated heavily to the russian translation of the Quran that the Ahmadiyya group published.
In 2012, campaigns by traditionally conservative Islamic groups found a more liberal voice, amongst these were lawyers from Lahore Bar Association.[5] Soon thereafter, The Lahore Bar Association also banned Shezan products from its premises and subordinate court complexes, threatening tough actions against anyone found buying the drink. The move came as 100 lawyers unanimously voted for the ban on Shezan drinks and products.[6]
In 2013, Mirza Masroor Ahmad mentioned Chaudhary Shah Nawaz in a Friday sermon and explained how Chaudhary Shah Nawaz helped Sheikh Rehmatullah, who recently passed away on 12 September after brief illness at the age of 94. He had accepted Ahmadiyyat in 1943 at the age of 24. He worked in Delhi and later Lahore. He then relocated to Karachi and worked with Chaudhry Shahnawaz Sahib in pharmaceutical import.
In 2015, Chaudhry Shah Nawaz of Karachi was mentioned in an official Ahmadiyya book about financial sacrificing. Chaudhry Shah Nawaz of Karachi was listed as someone who bore all the costs to get the Quran mis-translated into Russian and Japanese.
In 2022, Shezan International (Qadiani company) has won in court vs. Shezan Bakers and Confectioners (muslim company) over use of the word “Shezan”.
Even in 2024, a video was posted online of a Muslim man complaining about Shezan being served as he returned from Hajj.
Continue reading “The Shahnawaz group, Shezan and other Ahmadi companies in Pakistan” →
