SRINAGAR: The Federation of Chambers of Industries Kashmir (FCIK) has paid tribute to veteran entrepreneur Khwaja Mohammad Khalil, co-founder of the Saifco Group, who passed away on Thursday, describing his death as the loss of a pioneer whose contribution to Kashmir’s industrial development and employment generation spanned several decades.
In a condolence statement, FCIK said Khalil and his brother, Khwaja Saif-ud-Din, built one of Kashmir’s most diversified business groups through investments in manufacturing, hospitality, real estate and other sectors.
The group’s ventures, ranging from cement manufacturing at Khunmoh to the Taj Vivanta overlooking Dal Lake, demonstrated the capacity of indigenous entrepreneurship to build enterprises of national standing, the Federation said.
FCIK observed that the brothers sustained and expanded their businesses despite more than three decades of turmoil, shutdowns, disrupted markets and financial uncertainty in Kashmir. It said their achievements reflected the resilience of local entrepreneurs operating in an environment marked by considerable economic challenges.
“Their success must be measured not merely by assets or turnover, but by the industries they sustained, livelihoods they created, confidence they inspired and entrepreneurial legacy they passed on,” the Federation said.
The Federation also acknowledged the role of the founders’ children and grandchildren in carrying forward and diversifying the family businesses, describing the continuation of the enterprises across three generations as a significant achievement.
Head of the FCIK Advisory Committee Shahid Kamili said Khalil’s death, following that of his brother Saif-ud-Din some years ago, marked the end of an important chapter in Kashmir’s entrepreneurial history.
He said societies often remember political leaders, scholars and reformers but must equally recognise those who establish industries, generate employment and strengthen economic self-reliance.
Kamili called for documenting and preserving the contributions of the Saifco founders for posterity. He said creating an enabling environment for future generations of Kashmiri entrepreneurs would be the most meaningful tribute to such pioneers.
Former FCIK president Shakeel Qalander said the contribution of the two brothers should be assessed in terms of what their enterprises gave back to Kashmir’s economy.
He said their investments strengthened local productive capacity, reduced dependence on supplies from outside and created employment opportunities for families.
Qalander said the founders had demonstrated that Kashmir could be more than a market for goods manufactured elsewhere and could emerge as a centre of production, investment and enterprise.
“Acknowledging such pioneers is not an act of generosity but a debt society owes to those who helped build its economic foundations,” he said.
Former FCIK presidents Meraj-ud-Din Qureshi, Zahoor Ahmad Bhat and Mohammad Ashraf Mir, along with presidents of industrial associations representing various industrial estates and districts, also paid tributes to Khalil, recognising his contribution to entrepreneurship, industrial development and employment generation.
FCIK expressed condolences to the bereaved family, particularly Manzoor Ahmad, Altaf Ahmad, Parvez Ahmad and Suhail Manzoor, and prayed for eternal peace for the departed soul.
