About Us
• Registration
• Mission
• Vision
• Board of Directors
• HF Offices
Registration
Heritage Foundation is incorporated under Section 42 of Companies Ordinance 1984.
Vision
Pakistan’s Heritage, the best kept secret of the country, should be utilized to promote Cultural Pakistan.
Mission
To document and conserve the traditional and historic built environment of Pakistan; create an awareness of Pakistan’s rich and diverse historic architecture and art; and to promote cultural heritage for social integration, peace and development.
Board of Directors
Yasmeen Lari
SI HI Fukuoka Prize Laureate
Co-Founder and CEO, Heritage Foundation of Pakistan
Founder Chair, INTBAU Pakistan
Architect, Architectural Historian, Heritage Conservationist, Philanthropist.
Yasmeen Lari is Pakistan’s first woman architect and among the best known architects of the country.She graduated from Oxford School of Architecture (now Oxford Brookes University) and was elected to Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) in 1969. She has built several landmarks buildings in Pakistan e.g. FTC, PSO House and ABN Amro Bank, Karachi. She is considered among pioneers of Brutalistic Architecture and her architectural work is included in Phaidon Books UK publication (2013) devoted to the best examples of 20th century architecture. She retired from architectural practice in 2000. She is a UNESCO consultant and has been published among 60 Women who have contributed the most towards UNESCO’s objectives.
She co-founded Heritage Foundation of Pakistan in 1980 with her husband, noted historian Suhail Zaheer Lari, for undertaking research and safeguarding Pakistan’s cultural heritage. She has conserved several historic monuments in World Heritage Sites of Makli and Lahore Fort as well as important heritage sites in other parts of Pakistan. The conservation projects have been supported by UNESCO, US Ambassador’s Fund, German Government funds, Prince Cluas Fund of the Netherlands, and Spiritual Chords (South Africa). In 2016, with support from UNESCO/Republic of Korea Funds-in-Trust, ‘Revitalization of Ancient Glazed Tiles in Sindh’ project was taken up which helped to complete the 16th c.tomb of Sultan Ibrahim along with imparting the ceramic making skills to poor communities, especially women, for income generation.
Lari was elected president of the Institute of Architects Pakistan in 1978 and was the first chairperson of Pakistan Council of Architects and Town Planners (PCATP) in 1983.
Since Earthquake 2005, she has devised various programs based on women-centred zero carbon footprint structures and sustainable building techniques, resulting in 40,000 green shelters (using bamboo, lime and mud), placing Pakistan in the lead as World’s largest zero carbon shelter program, herself being acknowledged as the largest provider of shelter.
In recognition of her services towards architectural profession, heritage safeguarding and humanitarian assistance, President of Pakistan has awarded her Sitara-i-Imtiaz (The Star of Distinction), 2006 and Hilal-i-Imtiaz (The Crescent of Distinction), 2014. In 2016, from Japan she has receivedthe highly acclaimed Fukuoka Prize for Asian Art and Culture.
Lari’s works have been exhibited in the First Chicago Architectural Biennial 2015 and in RIBA’s ‘Creation from Catastrophe’ exhibition 2016 in London, as well as being displayed in RIBA’s permanent collection.
She is the author and co-author of several books and has lectured extensively at home and abroad.
Afroza Bhamani
Educationist, Entrepreneur
Afroza Bhamani is an eminent educationist and is the Founder Managing Director of the Hampton School, one of the best known schools in Karachi.
Afroza holds an MBA degree in Finance and Marketing from the prestigious Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Karachi. She is a dynamic business entrepreneur and has been contributing to several welfare projects since her graduation.
She has served as Finance Coordinator, Home for Senior Citizens since 1986 and from 1999-2002 she served as a Portfolio Member, Women Development on the Aga Khan Economic Planning Board. Since 2001 she has been serving as a Trustee of Aga Khan Charitable Trust.
She is a Founder Managing Director of ERA Project, an HR Consultancy, Chairperson of Forum for Ismaili Educators, and Advisor on Curriculum of Aga Khan Education Services. She is Director of Ally Adil, A Fasion House and Founder President of Forum for Women Development.
She is among the early members of KaravanPakistan and is chair of KaravanPakistan Schools Initiatives.
Shaha Jamshed
Educationist
Shaha Jamshed is a well known educationist, a poet and a writer. She has taught in several prestigious educational institutions and is currently the principal of the Hampton School.
She is among the early members of KaravanPakistan and has helped put up several KaravanPakistan events.
Shakiel Zaheer Lari
Lawyer
Shakiel Zaheer Lari is an eminent lawyer who began his practice in 1968. He is the honorary legal advisor to the Foundation.
Shakiel has served on the board of several private and public companies and is currently a member of the Privatization Commission constituted by Government of Pakistan.
Suhail Zaheer Lari
Historian
Suhail Zaheer Lari is a scholar and noted historian. After his early schooling in Allahabad and Lahore, he attended Karachi University before proceeding to St. Catherine’s College, Oxford University, for a degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics.
He was Managing Director of Khyber Insurance Company, a public limited company for over two decades and served as director of a number of public and private limited companies, before retiring and devoting full time to writing.
As co-founder of the Society for the Preservation of Muslim Heritage and Heritage Foundation, Suhail has been instrumental in supporting the documentation and conservation of historic and traditional architecture since the late 1970s, including the pioneering work conducted on Thatta, the old capital of Sindh, and Makli, the largest necropolis in the world.
He was among the first civilians to go into Tharparkar after the Indians, who had occupied it in 1971, vacated it, to photograph and prepare a report for the rehabilitation of the area for the President of Pakistan.
He is an avid photographer and is the author of several books on history.His photographic collections date back to the 1960s. Many of the proposals developed for Makli by Heritage Foundation are based on the photographic documentation he has carried out at the Makli necropolis since Late 1980s. His photographic archives include extensive documentation of the Pictured Wall, Lahore Fort World Heritage as well as many other historic sites throughout Pakistan.
He is the author of several books including the highly acclaimed Pictorial History of Sindh, which has wide circulation in the subcontinent. His other books include the following:
The Jewel of Sindh: Samma Monuments on the Makli Hill
Neither Islamic nor Persian
History of Sindh
Meri Mitti Kay Log
Meri Society Kay Log
His quartet on Makli includes the following:
Makli under the Sammas (published)
Makli under Mughal Rule (published)
Makli under Timurid Rule (in print)
Makli and its Shrines (compiled)
Hameed Mayet
Entrepreneur
Director Abdul Hameed Mayet is a South African of Pakistani origin. He did his M.A. (Economics) from South Africa in 1972 and B.A. (Economics) University of Karachi in 1970. He was Director of Eastern Commercial Corporation which was involved in promoting joint venture projects. He was Director on the board of Merck Sharpe & Dohme Pakistan Ltd ., affiliated with Merck & Co., New Jersey , USA and Executive Director, Keloil Pakistan Limited a Malaysian LPG terminal project at Port Qasim.
Presently he is a consultant on alternate energy projects. He is President of TOS Pakistan, which is affiliated with the Theosophical Society and promotes education of children in marginalized communities in Karachi. He has undertaken the project of renovation of Jamshed Nuserwanjee Memorial Hall and refurbishing of the Theosophical Library and make the space available for revival of cultural activities in the area.
Shanaz Ramzi
Journalist
Shanaz Ramzi has been working as a freelance journalist since 1994. She has written on a variety of subjects for various publications, both local and international, and has served as the Karachi correspondent for a Dubai-based newspaper, Emirates Today. She has also authored a best-selling book, Food Prints, published by OUP and iscurrently working on her second book, commissioned by OUP, Oxford Companion to Pakistani Cuisine.
Ramzi joined HUM Network as Head of PR and Publications in October 2004 and was with the organization till October 2015, where she was heading these two departments as their GM and was also the editor of all their publications including the two monthlies GLAM and Masala TV Food Mag.
Ramzi has been twice nominated for Gender in Journalism Award by UNESCO and Best Journalist Award by Mandoob. She was awarded Woman of Substance Award presented by her alma mater, St Joseph’s Covent High School on the 150th anniversary of the school. She has edited (Urdu section) of the Gourmand award-winning Hindi-Urdu book, Zaiqay Frontier Kay published in 2014.
In November 2015 she set up her own PR and event management company by the name of StarLinks Pr and Events. Within one year of the company’s existence it had carried out diverse and huge projects including the launch of the largest mall in South Asia, Lucky One mall. On 23rd March 2016 she was bestowed Icon Of The Nation award by Icon Foundation. In November 2017 Starlinks won the prestigious international Stevies Award for Women in Business for the category of Start-up of the year, in an awards ceremony in New York.
HF Offices
Ms. Yasmeen Lari, CE
Head Office, Karachi
Mr. Ashfaq Ahmed, HF Manager
Mr. Muhammad Mehdi, Architect
Ms. Asfania Farman, Assistant
Mr. Habibullah, Driver
Accounts
Mr. Abdul Aziz
Ms. Sara
Field Teams, Sindh
Mr. Naheem Husain Shah, Project Manager
Ms. Momal Memon, Social Mobilizer