Meet Dubai resident who arrived by ship before UAE was born
A visa stamp from 1964 and a Rs102 ticket: Introducing a local of Dubai who came to the UAE long before the country was even formed. He started out in the construction industry, earning a respectable Rs150 per month, which was a tidy sum for his day.
In preparation for a remarkable life achievement, Sher Akbar Afridi is getting ready to celebrate 60 years of residency and employment in the United Arab Emirates. It all started in 1964, when he boarded the MV Dwarka Ship from Karachi with a meager Rs102 in his pocket.
We had to take a three-day voyage by ship because there was no way to fly to the Trucial States. Afridi added that the Gulf region used Indian currency back then.
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Afridi was sponsored by his father, who arranged for a visa for him. "The passport was also missing from me. Afridi, who was only seventeen years old at the time, applied for the passport upon arriving in Karachi from her hometown. A Dubai visa, stamped in 1964, is in his passport.
The events of his arrival brought back memories of the times Afridi had seen various Trucial States from the water. Dubai appeared on the horizon after I had seen the mosque in Deira, which belonged to Kuwait, from a distance. According to Afridi, even from space, Dubai's growth is visible today.
"When I first arrived, Dubai was walkable," Afridi says, looking back on Dubai's development. Thanks to development and world-class infrastructure, even short distances seem far now.
The voyage commences
After Afridi arrived in Dubai, he asked for help finding a job and ended up working in construction. Even though he had a rough go of it at first, an engineer took him under his wing and started using him for everything. Afridi made around Rs150, which was a substantial amount back then, for his work. "If I worked overtime, I could earn about Rs400," Afridi stated.
Afridi has meticulously planned Dubai's future, beginning with the construction of the first concrete road in the UAE. It paid off, even though I worked hard for very little money. Speaking about his involvement in the construction of the first concrete road in the UAE, Afridi mentioned the road connecting Baniyas to the old Airport and the road that led from Sheikh Rashid's Palace.
Meeting the former monarchs
Afridi became an assistant to the engineer tasked with supervising the construction when he was unable to endure the heat owing to a health problem. He went by the name Luiji. The late Sheikh Zayed, Sheikh Shakhbout (who was the ruler of Abu Dhabi at the time), Sheikh Rashid, and countless others were among the many UAE rulers I met through him.
On one occasion, he spent more than four hours in the car with the engineer as they drove to Abu Dhabi to obtain approval for a concrete airstrip. In order to enter Abu Dhabi, Afridi recounted the fact that, "there was barely any population along the way" and that visa stamps were required.
We had to pull over and get our car fixed because it had a problem. As we continued our journey, Sheikh Zayed graciously offered us water, demonstrating his warm hospitality. Afridi recounted the moment he and his team received approval for Abu Dhabi's first concrete airstrip contract upon arriving at the palace of Sheikh Shakhbout.
Shifting to the retail sector
When Afridi left his job at the construction company, he went into retail.
I was offered a job at Majid Al Futtaim's business. The shop sold watches and electronics. Whenever I needed water, I would stop by Sheikh Rashid's office, and the late ruler would graciously offer me Arabic coffee. He called me Khan quite a bit. If Afridi was correct, he was a leader of the people.
Afridi followed in his father's entrepreneurial footsteps, starting a string of successful businesses in the textile, watch, and other industries. He tried again, this time with the goal of opening a car wash, but this time he was unsuccessful.
Afridi is taken by his father. Image: Provided
Afridi is taken by his father. Image: Provided
But it wasn't until 1998 that he broke into the travel business by starting a travel agency that he truly found his calling. Despite the passage of twenty years, Afridi is still very much involved with running the agency. He goes to the office four times a week to personally oversee all operations.
Helping those in need
Social service is still very important to Afridi. I've helped hundreds of inmates in Dubai get home safely and earthquake victims in Pakistan. It is essential to give back, Afridi said.
Quite a large family
All six of Afridi's sons take great pride in being UAE nationals, demonstrating the strong familial ties that run through his family. Three of his sons are now serving in government positions, where they are making important contributions to the growth and prosperity of the country.
The presence of Afridi's 23 grandchildren brings her joy, she said.
Afridi considers his impact as his loved ones get ready to celebrate his 60th anniversary. This place was the home for my children and grandkids. This nation is now being led by the fifth generation, carrying on the work that my father began.
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