MANCHESTER: However, history was made for Shaukat Ali when the councillor took his vow to become the 128th Lord Mayor of Manchester yesterday. Unfortunately, though, it was also a sad occasion for the politician.
Formerly a licensed taxi-driver and self-made entrepreneur who hailed from the village of Batli in Kashmir and migrated to Britain at the age of 16 years, Ali stated that “it was a very emotional day” for him, because his mother died within the past 24 hours following an illness.
“I am feeling great sorrow in her absence today when I should be sharing a very special occasion with her,” he said to councillors present at the swearing-in ceremony.
From Kashmir to Manchester’s Topmost Office of Civic Leadership
The recently appointed Lord Mayor of Manchester hails from Pakistan where he was born in 1965. Having worked in textile production for many years, he set up a furniture shop followed by the operation of a small food store. Concurrently, during his taxi driving career in the city of Manchester, Ali attended English classes in the evenings and earned a diploma in information technology at the City College Manchester.
He joined the council as a member in the year 2012 and has been part of different committees like the planning committee, the highways committee, children’s scrutiny committee, and the neighborhood services committee. Apart from this, he was a part of several regional boards for more than a decade before taking up the position of Lord Mayor of Brisbane.
Mayoralty Year Focused on Children and Community Harmony
As the newly elected Lord Mayor of Manchester, Ali presented his plan for his year-long tenure in office. In addition to that, there is the need to emphasize the aspect of helping children who are under care as well as ensuring unity in all communities within the city.
His first speech was a very sentimental speech dedicated to the town that shaped him into who he is today. He stated “Manchester is the place of diversity, culture and justice. It’s a place where everyone belonging to diverse backgrounds of culture, faith and religion lives in harmony and constitutes the diversity of Manchester.ac”
The father of four simply said, “Manchester has given me all that I am.”
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Leaving Lord Mayor Reflects Upon Year in Office
In addition to this, Lord Mayor Carmine Grimshaw retired from his position during a ceremony that took place on Wednesday. Having served as a councillor for Miles Platting and Newton Heath previously, Lord Mayor Carmine Grimshaw felt the need to have some time at the end of the year to reflect upon his experiences.
“It is only one thing which I can realize without any shadow of doubt at all, and that is that the true pulse of Manchester beats within its neighborhoods.” This is what Grimshaw had said. He was thankful to the nice people of Manchester for teaching him this.
Grimshaw Gets ‘Magnificent’ Review from Council
Pat Karney, councilor, said that Grimshaw’s record during the year of service was magnificent since he had participated in over 500 civic events and covered all the wards in the city. His colleagues also complimented him in the council chamber.
Ali taking up the post will mean that Manchester now has a Lord Mayor who shares the history of his city – that of hard work, migration, and unshakable optimism about opportunity.
