Note: The following list and its subsequent descriptions are arranged in alphabetical order, with the exception of family members, which have been grouped together. Names with an asterisk (*) denote person is still around. This page is always being updated.
Abdul Ghani bin Sher Ibrahim
Abdul Kayom bin Ghulam Jalani
Stricken with gastritis problems, Abdul Kayom together with his family returned to Pakistan in 1965 and remained there for about 16 years. He came back in Dec 1981 to enrol his grown up sons for the National Service.
A hardworking businessman, he lived humbly all his life choosing to use his earnings to help the poor and needy in Singapore as well as those in his village in Pakistan. He was easily recognised by his white salwar kameez and was a popular name among the Malay community where he resided, Kampong Siglap. Selling textiles and carpets, he remained active in his work and only retired when his gastritis problems worsened.
In 2003, he made his final journey back to his homeland for traditional treatments. He passed away in 2005 among his kith and kin.
He is survived by 3 sons and 5 daughters.
Contributed by: Faizunnisa Abdul Kayom
Abdul Kayom bin Ghulam Jalani
Abdul Kayom came to Singapore with his father Ghulam Jalani bin Sitar Mohd in the 1930s/40s. He was born in Attock, Pakistan in the 1920s, in a village called Sarwana. In his late teens, he accompanied his father to Singapore for a business trip and eventually settled here. He started his business by selling textile in villages, going around on a bicycle. He married Alsiah bte Abdul Rahman, the daughter of another Pakistani settler.
Stricken with gastritis problems, Abdul Kayom together with his family returned to Pakistan in 1965 and remained there for about 16 years. He came back in Dec 1981 to enrol his grown up sons for the National Service.
A hardworking businessman, he lived humbly all his life choosing to use his earnings to help the poor and needy in Singapore as well as those in his village in Pakistan. He was easily recognised by his white salwar kameez and was a popular name among the Malay community where he resided, Kampong Siglap. Selling textiles and carpets, he remained active in his work and only retired when his gastritis problems worsened.
In 2003, he made his final journey back to his homeland for traditional treatments. He passed away in 2005 among his kith and kin.
He is survived by 3 sons and 5 daughters.
Contributed by: Faizunnisa Abdul Kayom
Abdul Karim Bagho
Abdul Rahman bin Shahzaman
Abdul Rahman bin Shahzaman
Abdul Rahman was from a village called Yasin in Attock. Not much is known about his early life in Singapore. He married a local Malay lady by the name of Kalsom. He drove taxi for a living. According to one of his daughters, he also looked over some plantations during the Japanese Occupation.
He had 4 sons and 2 daughters.
Contributed by: Faizunnisa Abdul Kayom
Abdul Rahman bin Yaar Ali Khan
With the assistance of his elder brother, he managed to find work in the Police Cantonment at Tanjong Pagar (Sepoy Lines) with the contractors. With this experience, Abdul Rahman managed to secure a contract with the British Army to supply Halal meat for the Muslim sepoys before the Second World War.
Subsequently, he received the contract to provide transportation services at RF Changi and later RF Seletar to ferry the men and families of workers to, from and around the bases for more than 22 years.
Ahmad Khan (CID)
Amir Mohamed Khan s/o Gul Mohamed Khan
Due to an honour feud in his ancestral village of Gali Mehran in Rawalpindi, Abdul Rahman was brought to Singapore by his elder brother Fateh Mohammed in 1932 at the age of 16.
With the assistance of his elder brother, he managed to find work in the Police Cantonment at Tanjong Pagar (Sepoy Lines) with the contractors. With this experience, Abdul Rahman managed to secure a contract with the British Army to supply Halal meat for the Muslim sepoys before the Second World War.
Subsequently, he received the contract to provide transportation services at RF Changi and later RF Seletar to ferry the men and families of workers to, from and around the bases for more than 22 years.
Abdul Rahman was married to Zeenat Nissa bte Nassir Ali Khan - the daughter of another Pakistani settler and Azizah bte Abdullah - an adopted daughter of the Alsagoff family. They lived a prosperous life together in Sandy Lane (Katong) initially and moved to Kovan Road (Serangoon Gardens) in 1957. Abdul Rahman passed away on 31st December 1976. He left behind 20 children.
Contributed by: Yusoff bin Abdul Rahman, Shahnawaz Abdul Hamid
Ahmad Khan (CID)
Amir Mohamed Khan s/o Gul Mohamed Khan
Amir Mohamed Khan was born on 28th August 1889 in Afghanistan. He was from the Sardozai clan and a descendant of Shuja Shah Durrani, the fifth Emir of Afghanistan, who ruled from 1803 to 1809 and 1839 to 1842. He was known to be a political activist and took part in the Ghadr movement, one of the earliest serious agitations against British rule.
He arrived in Singapore in 1915, at the age of 26. Six years later in 1921, he founded the carpet shop Amir & Sons. Today, the carpet shop in Kandahar Street is officially recognised by the Singapore History Museum as being the oldest carpet shop in Singapore, having opened it's doors for over 89 years.
Amir Mohamed Khan passed away in 1971 and was buried in Bidadari Muslim Cemetery. His son, Mr. Taher Amir Khan runs the business, having been in the trade for over 41 years now.
Source: http://www.amirandsons.com/p/about-amir-sons_01.html
Ayoob Khan bin Akbar Khan
Ayoob Khan came from Mansehra at the age of 18. He was the eldest of 7 children from a land-owning family. He came to Singapore to accompany his sister and her husband who have volunteered in the British Army during the Second World War.
Ayoob Khan worked with the Singapore Traction Company (STC) as a bus conductor. He married Begum, the elder daughter of Bostan Khan and had 7 children. They lived in various locations including Dunman Road, Jalan Alsagoff (Geylang) and finally at Marine Drive. He passed away in 1979 while his wife passed away in 2002.
Contributed by: Miranggis Ayoob Khan
Bostan Khan bin Lala Khan
Born in 1881 in (then) British India, Bostan Khan migrated to Singapore from Campbellpur (present day Attock City).
Not much is known about his early life here. He married a lady named Rahimah from a North Indian Muslim family and had 5 children. The eldest, Mohammed Yusof, was born in 1920, when he was 39 years of age.
By the early 1940s, he had amassed considerable wealth and owned numerous cars and buses which he leased out. He also welcomed men from his home country looking for jobs here. He taught them to drive and many went on to become successful entrepreneurs in the transportation service.
Sadly this wealth of his depleted by the mid 1950s due to a number of factors, including a major robbery at the end of the Japanese Occupation in which much of his assets were looted by a gang of renegade soldiers from the Indian Army.
He lived much of his life in Old Upper Thomson Road - where the Grand Prix used to be held in the 60s. He passed away in January 1967, at the age of 87 in a house at Lorong Marzuki.
Contributed by Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusoff, Fatimah Mohd Yusoff, Miranggis Ayoob Khan
Contributed by Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusoff, Fatimah Mohd Yusoff, Miranggis Ayoob Khan
Fakir Mohammed bin Mir Mohammed
Gulam Sarwal
Hakim Din bin Rahim Baksh
Hakim Din was serving the British in England before coming to Singapore two to three years before his son (Sardar Muhammad) did in 1940. He was a tailor at Selarang Barracks and Nee Soon Camp before opening a shop in Geylang.
Initially, he had planned to return back home but the war in the Pacific disrupted their intentions. The ship to which he had bought the tickets was eventually bombed during the war.
Contributed by Sardar Muhammad bin Hakim Din
Contributed by Sardar Muhammad bin Hakim Din
Sardar Muhammad bin Hakim Din*
Hayat Shah bin Mahmood Shah
Sardar Muhammad was 14 years old when his father called for him to come to Singapore in 1940. With about six to seven people from his village in Sialkot, he travelled overland to Lahore and then to Calcutta in a journey that took three days and three nights. After a month of waiting, they boarded the ship that would bring them first to Burma and then to Penang. The journey from Calcutta to Burma took 15 days and from Burma to Penang, another 14 days. The ship that would bring them to Singapore, from Penang never arrived leaving them stranded there for over 14 days. They then took the train to Singapore at a cost of 10 Ringgit.
He joined his father at Selarang Barracks and learnt to sew from him there. He also worked at Nee Soon Camp. Eventually they opened a shop in Geylang, where many Pakistani men would meet.
Today he and his wife stays with his son's family in Tampines. He still meets up with his friends every Wednesday afternoon in Bedok.
Hayat Shah bin Mahmood Shah
Hayat Shah was born in Hado Bandi, a village in Mansehra in 1917. He arrived in Singapore with the British and was with the Royal Navy as a policeman at the HMS Sembawang (Singapore Naval Base). However by 1954, he had left the service. He spent another two years with the Army Depot Police and the next 13 years holding various jobs. His lasting and final job was at Connell House - a rest house and club for Christian sailors located at 1 Anson Road - as a watchman. He suffered a stroke while at work and passed away a few days later, in March 1969.
For most of his life after leaving the Naval Base police at Seletar and the Army Depot Police Headquarters at Alexandra Road, Hayat Shah lived in a small dirt house in Geylang Lorong 3 built by an elderly Chinese neighbour who took pity on him. His life was simple and revolved around his children who he loved dearly. He later moved in to Upper Thomson Road to be with his family and it was here that he passed away, at the age of 52. He was married to Halimah bte Syed Nadar Shah and had seven children.
Contributed by: Gulam S. Shah, Jamilah Hayat Shah
Contributed by: Gulam S. Shah, Jamilah Hayat Shah
Younis Shah bin Mahmood Shah
Yunos Shah was the younger brother of Hayat Shah. He came to Singapore after his elder brother and while in Singapore, he served in Police Force under the Reserve Unit. He married Zaiton, the adopted daughter of an Indian Muslim man named Abdul Hamid. He stayed at the married quarters at Mount Vernon.
Younis Shah's first child was born in 1965. By the time he retired in 1972, he had four children. He returned home to Pakistan in 1972 together with his wife and four children. His other 5 children were born in Pakistan. He passed away in 1994 but his wife Zaiton, is still alive, living amongst family in Mansehra, Pakistan. She has occasionally visited her family here in Singapore since.
Contributed by: Jamilah Hayat Shah, Ali bin Abdul Hamid, Noor Jehan Younis Shah
Younis Shah's first child was born in 1965. By the time he retired in 1972, he had four children. He returned home to Pakistan in 1972 together with his wife and four children. His other 5 children were born in Pakistan. He passed away in 1994 but his wife Zaiton, is still alive, living amongst family in Mansehra, Pakistan. She has occasionally visited her family here in Singapore since.
Contributed by: Jamilah Hayat Shah, Ali bin Abdul Hamid, Noor Jehan Younis Shah
Kokah Khan bin Bahadur Khan
Kokah Khan's story is a unique story of Pathan diaspora. He father is said to have migrated to Dewal, in Mardan, from Afghanistan. However, Kokah Khan himself was born in Africa in 1894 - with some sources saying Kenya and other sources South Africa.
He married a native of Uttar Pradesh, India before travelling to Trinidad & Tobago. Three daughters remain in these two countries.
In 1950, Kokah Khan came to Singapore, to possibly join both of his sons who had settled here. He stayed at Lorong Melayu in one of the two family houses built by his younger son, Sher Khan.
Kokah Khan was a deeply religious man who never missed his tahajjud prayers. He would spend hours in devotion and supplication for his family. He passed away in 1966 at the age of 72 and was buried in Bidadari Muslim Cemetery.
Contributed by: Ahmad Khan Sher Khan
Akbar Khan bin Kokah Khan
Sher Khan bin Kokah Khan
Sher Khan was born in Trinidad & Tobago and came to Singapore in 1931 at the age of 10 years with his uncle, Karam Shah. By the time he passed away in 1969, he was possibly the most renowned member of the Pakistani community in Singapore.
Sher Khan started as a taxi driver and worked tirelessly. By the mid 1950s, he had received the second contract to RF Changi, succeeding Abdul Rahman bin Yaar Ali Khan. Sher Khan was a founding member of the Singapore Taxi Owners Co-operative Society (Pte) Ltd where he was the secretary. The society was registered and controlled by the Singapore government.
In 1954, it was decided during a meeting that taxis plying private places such as British camps should be differentiated from public taxis. Hence, the "SZ" plate was introduced for these places and soon became synonymous with the men of Pakistani descent who drove them.
Sher Khan started as a taxi driver and worked tirelessly. By the mid 1950s, he had received the second contract to RF Changi, succeeding Abdul Rahman bin Yaar Ali Khan. Sher Khan was a founding member of the Singapore Taxi Owners Co-operative Society (Pte) Ltd where he was the secretary. The society was registered and controlled by the Singapore government.
In 1954, it was decided during a meeting that taxis plying private places such as British camps should be differentiated from public taxis. Hence, the "SZ" plate was introduced for these places and soon became synonymous with the men of Pakistani descent who drove them.
Sher Khan was the proprietor of Sher Khan Motor Garage Company and at its peak, had over 300 workers - 200 drivers alone - under him.
During his years, Sher Khan was also an active social worker who sought to improve the lives of Pakistani families in Singapore. He was active in the Overseas Pakistani League and even purchased a site in Geylang for its use. In 1965, Sher Khan returned to Pakistan to visit his ancestral village of Dewal. He passed away four years later in 1969.
During his years, Sher Khan was also an active social worker who sought to improve the lives of Pakistani families in Singapore. He was active in the Overseas Pakistani League and even purchased a site in Geylang for its use. In 1965, Sher Khan returned to Pakistan to visit his ancestral village of Dewal. He passed away four years later in 1969.
Contributed by: Ahmad Khan Sher Khan
Kushal Khan
Lal Muhammad
Mohammed Ismail bin Momamed Baksh
Mohamed Aslam bin Jahandad Khan
Mohamed Aslam came from Basal a village near Attock, where his father was the village chief (Nambardar). A British Army Officer who was close to his father told him to send the young Mohamed Aslam to Singapore as there were good job opportunities then. He came to Singapore alone at the age of 16 leaving his family behind to tend the family land.
Guided by members of the community who had come to Singapore earlier, he managed to find a job with the Singapore Traction Company as a bus conductor. He rose to the rank of manager some 35 years later, having taken English lessons while working.
Guided by members of the community who had come to Singapore earlier, he managed to find a job with the Singapore Traction Company as a bus conductor. He rose to the rank of manager some 35 years later, having taken English lessons while working.
After starting his own family, Mohamed Aslam lived in Dunman Road (Katong) where there were other Pakistani family staying nearby before staying at Marine Parade. Four years before he passed away, he was encouraged by his grand-daughter to write back to his family who he had not been in contact with for more than twenty years. He managed to pay a visit to his family back home before he passed away here in Singapore.
Having passed over the role of the Nambardar, the position of village chief was passed to his younger brother and then to his younger brother's son when he passed away.
Contributed by: Amir Afzal Khan, Iqball Mohd Aslam.
Having passed over the role of the Nambardar, the position of village chief was passed to his younger brother and then to his younger brother's son when he passed away.
Contributed by: Amir Afzal Khan, Iqball Mohd Aslam.
Hj Mohd Ayub Mohd Yusoff*
Haji Mohd Ayub was the owner of Karachi Restaurant located at Geylang. He is also known affectionately known as "Mullah Satu Mata" by the elderly in the Pakistani community. His shop served as a meeting point for men from the Pakistani community for many years.
Mulladad Khan
Nassir Ali Khan
Haji Nur Muhammad
Haji Nur Muhammad
Rahim Shah bin Kalandar Shah
Shariff Khan
Omar Khan bin Shariff Khan
Siraj Din
Syed Abbas Ali Shah
Siraj Din
Syed Abbas Ali Shah
Syed Ahmad Shah
Syed Ahmad Shah was a darjiwala (tailor) in a British Camp at Transit Road (Nee Soon Camp). He momentarily married Bibi bte Syed Nadar Shah. He then moved over to RAF Changi.
Syed Ali Akbar Shah
Syed Atar Shah
Syed Atar Shah came to Singapore in his teens and served in the Police Force. He married the daughter of a Pakistani settler. They had their first son and soon Atar Shah brought his wife and child back to Pakistan. He continued to work in Singapore and visited his family once a year for a couple of months - usually in the period of May to July. Syed Atar Shah's village is in Islamabad.
When the Second World War reached the shores of Singapore, Atar Shah did not return back home for 5 years. He married the daughter of Syed Nadar Shah during this time. After the war ended, he continued his visits back home.
Syed Atar Shah was a very strict man who had his own unique ways of showing love to his children and grandchildren. He loved watching Hindi films and singing to Hindi songs.
After his retirement from the Police Force, Atar Shah drove a taxi which he owned himself. He continued to stay in Singapore where he passed away. He passed away in 1990, leaving behind family in both Singapore and Pakistan.
Syed Fateh Ali Shah
Syed Iman Shah
Syed Gulab Shah bin Qurban Hussain Shah Al-Bukhari
Syed Gulab Shah bin Syed Madad Shah
Detective (Special Grade) Syed Gulab Shah came from Mansehra and served the Singapore Police Force for over 24 years. He was credited for being responsible for breaking up the notorious gangs that used to loot thousands of dollars worth of goods from the Singapore Harbour Board wharves and godowns. In 1939, Syed Gulab Shah saved Lady Thomas, wife of then Governor of Singpore, from being robbed of $1500 worth of jewellery. Throughout his career, he received 60 monetary rewards and numerous commendations, including the Colonial Police Medal for Meritorious Service.
Syed Gulab Shah had a family back at home and married Bibi bte Syed Nadar Shah, with whom he had four children. He also married another lady, also named Bibi, with whom he had a son. He had planned to return back to Mansehra with his family upon retirement at the age of 45. However, he passed away of a heart-attack in December 1950 and was buried in Bidadari Muslim Cemetary. He was 44 years old.
Gulam Haider Shah
Syed Hyder Shah bin Syed Sardar Ali Shah*
Unlike most men of Indo-Pakistani origin here, Syed Hyder Shah was born in Tapah, Perak (Malaysia) in 1924. His parents originated from Gurewala (Burewala) in Southern Punjab.
In 1946, he left Perak and headed for Singapore, without knowing anyone there. Eventually, he met with an owner of a coffee-shop behind New World, Serangoon. The owner of the coffee-shop - also a Pakistani - found out that he was from a Sayyid family and gave him some money for him to go to the Police Depot at Thomson Road. After a year at the Police Depot, Hyder Shah joined the Naval Base police at the HMS Sembawang where he served as a detective. He retired from service in 1971 at the age of 47 and spent another six years with CISCO.
Syed Hyder Shah has been involved in the welfare of the Pakistani community for a very long time. He was an active member of the Overseas Pakistani League and was elected its Vice-President in 1960. He also founded the Urdu Development Society in 1986 where he is also the Chairman. The society promotes the usage of Urdu and conducts Urdu classes weekly for students taking the language as their Mother Tongue.
Syed Imran Shah
Syed Mirban Shah
Syed Nadar Shah
Syed Nadar Shah was a highly respected Sayyid within both the Indo-Pakistani community as well as the local Malay and Arab communities. He was affectionately known as Habib Batu Sepuluh as he lived in (Upper) Thomson Road, 9 1/2 miles.
He was born in 1878, within British India but his ancestry is traced back to Kabul in Afghanistan. He was married to an adopted Chinese daughter from a Muslim family. Some sources say she was of Japanese descent. In his early days, Syed Nadar Shah did odd jobs, tending to forests and plantations while his wife, Zawiyah bte Osman sewed shoes for Chinese women.
As a pioneer and respected man within the community, Syed Nadar Shah's home was frequented by locals and migrants alike. It is said that he would never allow a guest to leave his house without them having at least a little to eat, even if it was late at night.
When he passed away in December 1956, it was suggested that he be buried at his home in Upper Thomson Road. However, due to government land restrictions, he was buried in Bidadari Muslim Cemetery instead. He left behind one son - Syed Anwar Shah, and three daughters - Halimah, Bibi and Asmah.
Syed Mohammed Shah @Sub Inspector Syed Mohammed Shah
Syed Niyaz Mohd Shah
Syed Tufail Mohd Shah
Zaina Khan bin Sadiq Khan
Syed Niyaz Mohd Shah
Syed Tufail Mohd Shah
Zaina Khan bin Sadiq Khan
Zaina Khan came to Singapore from Peshawar. He was an SZ taxi driver at RF Changi. He married a Chinese lady who was adopted by the Alkhatib family. He had six children with her. However, he did not live long enough to see them grow up. He passed away in 1953 at the young age of 40. His eldest child was a mere six years old.
He is remembered to be kind and generous with the people around him. He used to stay at Geylang Lorong 29, near Masjid Khadijah.
Contributed by: Ali Barda Khan (Haider) bin Zaina Khan
Contributed by: Ali Barda Khan (Haider) bin Zaina Khan
