I’ll complete fashion university project in Lahore soon, says Mehmood Bhatti

LAHORE: World famous dress designer of Pakistan Mehmood Bhatti has said he will soon complete his project of establishing a fashion university in Lahore.

In a special talk with the reporter, he said here Saturday that overseas Pakistanis and the young generation were true asset to the country who should paint country’s positive image in the world. He said Pakistan’s future was very bright, though Prime Minister Imran Khan alone could not bring about a complete change in the country and he needed a team for the purpose.

He said that stealing fashion designs was the most condemnable act and every Pakistani should play its role in that regard. He said he was the first person who started the fashion industry in Pakistan and he had set up a fashion school in Lahore and now he would complete his project of establishing a fashion university in the city.

He said his services for the fashion industry had been recognised the world over; Pakistan awarded him Sitara-e-Imtiaz besides various awards given by at least 10 countries of the world. He said he had his offices in 80 countries and wherever he goes, he’s recognised as a Pakistani which was an honour for him.

Mehmood Bhatti said he had a son and a daughter, who were considered top models of the world. He said his children’s mother was an American, but his son and daughter recognise themselves as Pakistanis and they played their role in making their country famous in the comity of nations.

The famous fashion designer said a lot had changed in Pakistan now, and the young generation of the country loved all new fashion designs. He said hotel industry was becoming strong in Pakistan which was a good omen for country’s fashion industry as well as its economy. He said lately he had been delivering lectures in Pakistan’s various universities and he was also carrying out philanthropic works in the country.

He said that he had constructed new rooms in Fountain House, along with his former wife, who was an American national. He sponsored various students studies in the Punjab University, and made financial arrangements for mass wedding of 100 couples in Northern Areas about three years back.

He said he started his life from zero and established himself as one of top fashion designers of the world. He said when he went to France for the first time, he acted as a scavenger. He said he was not a person who would forget his past or feel ashamed of his past when he was penniless.

Mehmood Bhatti said Prime Minister Imran Khan was a thorough gentleman, who had no lust for wealth. He said he knew Imran Khan for the last 40 years, and as prime minister of Pakistan he was struggling to steer the country out of poverty. However, he added, he (PM) needed a good team for making Pakistan stand tall in the world. He said he also knew Nawaz Sharif, and Benazir Bhutto was the politician who had first brought him to Pakistan.

He said at least two lakh Pakistanis were living in France, and it was not good that Pakistan has not appointed any ambassador to that country for the last nine months. He said artists and singers were true ambassadors of Pakistan in foreign countries. He said Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan had presented Pakistan’s soft image across the world, and at least one road should be named after him in his city Faisalabad.