LONDON: Europe’s biggest halal meat supplier has joined forces with a charity founded by King Charles to tackle Pakistan’s mental health crisis.
Tariq Halal Meats, which has more than 40 branches and supplies halal meat across Britain and Europe, has entered a partnership with the British Asian Trust to raise funds and awareness for mental health services in Pakistan.
The deal will see the company use its shops, digital platforms and extensive customer network to promote the charity’s work and encourage British Asian communities to support mental health programmes in Pakistan.
The partnership brings together one of Britain’s most prominent halal food businesses and the British Asian Trust, which was founded by the King, then Prince of Wales, in 2007 alongside a group of British Asian business leaders.
The agreement was marked at a meeting between Tariq Sheikh, founder and chairman of Tariq Halal Meats, and Asif Rangoonwala CBE, vice-chairman of the British Asian Trust.
Mr Sheikh’s daughter, Thaira Sheikh, senior company executives and representatives of the Trust also attended.
An estimated 50 million people in Pakistan experience mental health problems, while the British Asian Trust says around 90 per cent of those requiring treatment are unable to access appropriate support.
The charity has worked on mental health programmes in Pakistan for more than a decade, seeking to improve access to services while challenging the stigma surrounding mental illness.
Under the partnership, Tariq Halal Meats will use its presence on British high streets and its relationships with customers, suppliers and British Asian communities to raise donations and bring discussion of mental health into everyday settings.
Mr Rangoonwala said the company's reach offered the charity access to communities that could otherwise be difficult to engage.
“Some of the most difficult problems are not the ones we cannot see solutions to, but the ones people are still afraid to talk about,” he said.
“Mental health in Pakistan is one of those challenges. This partnership is powerful because Tariq Halal Meats has something charities spend years trying to build: trust, familiarity and daily contact with communities.”
He said the aim was to take conversations about mental health “beyond conferences and clinics and into homes, shops and everyday life”.
Mr Sheikh said his family had previously concentrated on private charitable work but had decided to use the scale of the halal meat business to support a wider campaign.
“For many years, we have supported people and communities in Pakistan quietly because giving should come from the heart,” he said.
“Mental health, however, cannot be helped through silence. Too many people are struggling without access to care or are afraid to ask for help because of stigma.”
Mr Sheikh said his company now had “a platform that reaches families across Britain and beyond” and wanted to use it to raise money and encourage people to seek help.
His previous charitable work has included funding eye camps, installing water pumps, supporting mosques, providing food to families living in poverty and helping people undertake the Muslim pilgrimages of Hajj and Umrah.
“We provided this quietly and without publicity, but we have now decided to join King Charles’ charity to do good for Pakistan and also to encourage others to help Pakistan,” Mr Sheikh said.
Hitan Mehta OBE, chief executive of the British Asian Trust, said the partnership would help the charity reach British Asian communities while generating support for its work in Pakistan.
“Millions of people are affected, yet stigma, low awareness and limited access to services prevent far too many from receiving support,” he said.
“Tariq Halal Meats has built a trusted relationship with British Asian communities, and together we have an important opportunity to bring mental health into everyday conversations.”
The British Asian Trust works across South Asia on programmes including mental health, livelihoods, education and child protection. The Jang and Geo Group is the charity’s media partner in Pakistan.
