Pakistan hotelier to launch book in Dubai

Dubai: A prominent Pakistani businessman whose hotels were bombed in his homecountry is launching his memoirs on his 75th birthday in Dubai on Thursday.

Titled Truth Always Prevails, the 248-page book published by Penguin Random House India chronicles the life and times of Sadruddin Hashwani, chairman of the Hashoo Group whose businesses range from cotton and rice trading to oil and gas exploration and hospitality.

Dubai-based Hashwani says his autobiography is a reflection of the many struggles he has faced in his lifetime -- “from sleeping in the back of trucks in the cold deserts of Balochistan to now owning a brand of luxury hotels and numerous other businesses” – which he hopes will inspire the young generations of his country. to survive against odds and build a better tomorrow.

Among other things, the book recounts the author’s shock and grief during the 2008-09 bombings on Islamabad Marriott and Pearl Continental Peshawar hotels, both of which he runs.

“There had been 2,000 people in the hotel when the bombing happened. Sixty people had died, close to 300 injured. We found bodies of our dear guests, colleagues, friends: faces I recognised, I had worked with and smiled at. The sight that stunned me the most was the crater – 60 feet wide and 20 feet deep. It had been created by over 1,000 kg of RDX … I had thought myself as a hardened man who had seen violence and grisly sights—but what I saw that day will be engraved in my memory for the rest of my life,” writes Hashwani of the September 20, 2008 attack on Marriott Islamabad.

Similarly, he talks of the June 2009 bomb attack on Pearl Continental Peshawar when 17 people were killed.

A well-known philanthropist, Hashwani also touches upon the work of the Hashoo Foundation, which he says gives him the “greatest satisfaction”. He says the foundation has worked in education, public health, dairy development, honeybee farming and skill development of Afghan refugees, helping about half a million people in their fight against poverty.

“I am not flattered by the achievements of the Hashoo Foundation. Indeed, I am thankful for the privilege that the Almighty has accorded me to help my fellow human beings and my Pakistani brothers and sisters,” he notes.

The book launch, to be held at Grand Hyatt on February 19, will be followed by a Sufi concert by Abida Parveen.