MONITORING REPORT
LONDON: King Charles’ charity, the British Asian Trust, has launched a landmark partnership with the UK and Europe’s biggest halal meat supplier, Tariq Halal Meats, to support its work transforming mental health awareness, services and access to care across Pakistan.
The partnership was marked by Asif Rangoonwala CBE, Vice-Chair of the British Asian Trust, and Tariq Sheikh, Founder and Chairman of Tariq Halal Meats, at Rangoonwala’s office. The event was attended by various representatives of the King’s charity, as well as senior executives and Tariq Sheikh’s daughter, Thaira Sheikh, reflecting a shared commitment to tackling one of Pakistan’s most urgent yet under-recognised health challenges.
An estimated 50 million people in Pakistan experience mental health issues, while approximately one in four people will be affected during their lifetime. Despite the scale of the need, around 90% of those requiring treatment cannot access appropriate support.
According to the deal announced, through the partnership, Tariq Halal Meats will use its more than 40 branches, digital platforms and relationships with customers, suppliers and British Asian communities to raise awareness, encourage open conversations and generate donations for the British Asian Trust’s mental health work in Pakistan.
Founded in 2007 by His Majesty King Charles III and a group of British Asian business leaders, the Trust has worked to improve mental health awareness and services in Pakistan for more than a decade.
Asif Rangoonwala CBE, Vice-Chair of the British Asian Trust, said: “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. 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. By bringing the British Asian Trust’s expertise together with that reach, we can take the conversation about mental health beyond conferences and clinics and into homes, shops and everyday life.
“Our ambition is not simply to raise money. It is to help make seeking support normal, accessible and free from shame.”
Tariq Sheikh, Founder and Chairman of Tariq Halal Meats, said: “My family and I have always believed that if you are in a position to help someone, you should. For many years, we have supported people and communities in Pakistan quietly because giving should come from the heart. 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. Tariq Halal Meats now has a platform that reaches families across Britain and beyond. Through this partnership, we want to use that reach to start conversations, raise meaningful funds and help more people receive support with dignity.”
Hitan Mehta OBE, Chief Executive of the British Asian Trust, said: “We are delighted to welcome Tariq Halal Meats as a partner in our work to transform the mental health landscape in Pakistan. “Millions of people are affected, yet stigma, low awareness and limited access to services prevent far too many from receiving support. 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, inspire meaningful support and help more people access the care they need.”
Tariq Sheikh said that his business had previously focused on personal philanthropy, including supporting eye camps, installing water pumps, helping to build and maintain mosques, providing food for families experiencing poverty and enabling individuals to undertake the religious pilgrimages of Umrah and Hajj.
“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,” he said. For Tariq Halal Meats, the partnership marks another stage in the evolution of a business that helped transform how halal meat is sold in Britain. The company traces its roots to the Sheikh family’s involvement in the trade from the 1960s. Its development under Tariq Sheikh challenged the image of halal butchery as purely a traditional neighbourhood trade.
