The world knows Agha Hasan Abedi as a banker. An outstanding one at that. But he was not just a banker who was associated with three large banks directly and many more that benefitted from his knowledge and expertise in the field.
He started his banking career with Pakistan's largest private bank and went on to found United Bank Limited in Pakistan in 1959, and then Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) in Luxembourg. By 1991 Abedi had catapulted BCCI to be the seventh largest private bank by assets in the world with over 400 branches and offices in 73 countries. Such unprecedented growth was only made possible in a short span of 18 years by Mr Abedi's progressive management approach as BCC President from 1972 to 1990, which came to be known as real management that motivated and inspired the staff to share a joint vision as members of the BCC family.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"My association with Agha Hasan Abedi dates back to the early sixties. I shall always remember him as a man with an extraordinary vision, a man who dared to dream the hitherto impossible dream, a man with a magnificent obsession. His unique style of providing leadership to the people around him, his capacity to unleash the latent energy of an apparently inert entity and above all his empathy towards fellow human beings will remain forever fresh in my memory.
It is unfortunate that a true and proper evaluation of Agha Hasan Abedi's tremendous contribution to the building up of self-confidence among many developing nations will not be makers. made now because of the persistent propaganda of the Western media and other opinion I am, however, confident that in not too distant a future people of the world will be able to sift the truth from facts."
9 August 1995: Anwarul Amin, Chairman Impact Foundation Bangladesh charitable trust, former General Manager Bangladesh, Chief Representative BCC China and General Manager BCCI Tokyo, Japan.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Abedi was not just a banker. He was a social entrepreneur, a visionary, management practitioner and philosopher and a motivator of people. His focus was throughout not on building great wealth but on building people to serve the nation and the industry with their knowledge and skills. Little wonder that banking professionals and managers working with him adorn positions of high responsibility in banks all over the world.
His influence in all fields of human endeavour that he undertook went beyond everyone's wildest expectation as he moved at great speed in several directions. It is unfortunate that his life's work and achievements were mired in controversy and a conspiracy hatched to tarnish the image of this amazing person who ‘dared' to challenge the hegemony of the developed world? Who dreamt of a better life for the impoverished people of the underdeveloped world and escaped the cudgels of the rich with a Third World financial institution and come a cropper?
Can the people of conscience allow the legacy of Abedi, an outstanding human being and from Pakistan to be forgotten?"
2016: Dr Junaid Ahmed, an accomplished academician, researcher and a prominent Management Consultant of Pakistan, Chairman National Management Consultant (Pvt) Ltd (NMC), Karachi, Pakistan.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------