rubPzai
Popular Pakistani
11
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1 - Mian Muhammad Mansha Yaha Pakistan
Ranking: 1
Worth: £1.25b
($2.5billion) Industry: Businessman
Mansha has around 40 companies on board.
Mansha, who owns the Muslim Commercial Bank is also setting up a $ 17m paper
mill. He is one of the richest Pakistanis around. Nishat Group was country's
15th richest family in 1970, 6th in 1990 and Number 1 in 1997. Mansha is on
the board of nearly 50 companies. He is deemed to have made investments in
many bourses, currency and metal exchanges both within and outside Pakistan.
He could have bought the United Bank too, but then who doesn't have
adversaries. Nishat Group comprises of textiles, cement, leasing, insurance
and management companies. If Mansha was bitten by Bhutto's nationalization
stint of 1970, his friends think he was compensated by Nawaz Sharif's
denationalization programme to a very good effect. There is no stopping
Mansha and he is still on the move.
Nishat group assets are $4.4Billion. He is
sometimes even regarded as the richest Pakistani around by his friends
claiming he does not 'show it off'.
2 - Asif Ali Zardari Pakistan
Ranking: 2
Worth: £900m ($1.8billion)
Industry: Politics
Asif Zardari dubbed 'Mr 10%' an unknown
happy-go-lucky son of a small-time businessman who struck gold by marrying
one of the worlds most glamorous women Former Prime Minister of Pakistan
Benzair Bhutto. Taking advantage of his wife's authority he is known to have
taken kickbacks from many deals inside and outside of Pakistan. The most
famous was a $4 billion deal to buy 32 Mirage jets from the French company
Dassault. Documents, which include letters from Dassault executives,
indicate an agreement was reached to pay a 5% 'remuneration' - about $200m -
to Marleton Business, a BVI company controlled by Zardari. Besides these
many more kickback deals were taken with companies such as ARY Gold, Société
Général de Surveillance (SGS), Cotecna, and ZPC Ursus, a Polish tractor
company.
Zardari assets holding amount into hundreds
of millions of dollars easily, Having 8 prime properties in the UK, of which
once is the famous Rockwood Estate 365 acres in Surrey, worth £4.35m has now
been sold and money sent back to the Govt. of Pakistan. Also 14
multi-million dollar mansions in the USA, including owning Holiday Inn hotel
Houston, Texas Owned by 'Mr 10%' and Iqbal Memon and Sadar-ud-Din Hashwani.
They (Zardari and B.Bhutto) also have huge
business ventures in the Middle East running into hundreds of millions if
not billion mark. Mr Zardari also has huge stakes in sugar mills all over
Pakistan,which include: Sakrand Sugar Mills, Nawabshah, Ansari Sugar Mills,
Hyderabad, Mirza Sugar Mills, Badin, Pangrio Sugar Mills, Thatta and Bachani
Sugar Mills, Sanghar.
3 - Sir Anwar Pervaiz
Ranking: 3
Worth: £750m ($1.5billion)
Industry: Businessman
Chairman of Bestway Group. The Bestway Group
started in 1976 with its first Bestway cash and carry warehouse opened in
London. Today the have in total around 50 Cash and Carry's. Including their
recent takeover of rival group Batleys for around £100m. Bestway Group
ventured into Pakistan's huge the cement business in 1995 and set up cement
manufacturing plant in Pakistan at a cost of $120 million.
Taking Advantage of Pakistan growing economy
they also acquired a 25.5% stake in United Bank Limited in 2002. Today, the
Bestway Group has interests in cash & carry wholesale, property investments,
retail outlets, milling of rice, lentils and pulses, cement production and
more recently into banking. The group's total sales amounted to in excess of
£ 2 billion. The group provides direct employment to thousands in the UK and
Pakistan. The have many interests in Pakistan too. Sir Anwar Pervaiz and his
his partners sheer hard work has bought them to outstanding international
levels, which definitely makes him an ideal role model for many young
Pakistanis today. He still on the move!
4 - Nawaz Sharif & Shahbaz Sharif family
Saudi Arabia/Pakistan
Ranking: 4
Worth: £700m ($1.4billion)
Industry: Politics/Businessma n
Mr Sharif Businessman turned politician the
former Prime Minister of Pakistan. He was ousted in a military coup in 1999
and was forced to forfeit $9million dollars and some of his assets including
his $5m Mansion is Raiwind near Lahore. Before becoming PM he was a major
share holder along with his brother and cousins of Ittefaq Group, having
assets well in excess of £50m in the 90's.
Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif was twice elected as Prime Minister of Pakistan, serving two non-consecutive terms, the first from November 1, 1990 to July 18, 1993 and the second from February 17, 1997 to October 12, 1999. His party is the Pakistan Muslim League (N) (Nawaz group). He is best known internationally for ordering Pakistan's 1998 nuclear tests in response to India's nuclear tests, and the abrupt end of his final term in a dramatic coup by General Pervez Musharraf. Nawaz Sharif is currently an opposition leader and a strong supporter of the free judiciary movement in Pakistan. On Sunday, March 15, 2009, he defied house arrest to lead anti-government protests that briefly turned violent. Sharif called the mass rally a "prelude to a revolution."
5 - Saddaruddin Hashwani Pakistan
Ranking: 5
Worth: £550m ($1.1billion)
Industry: Businessman, Hotel Tycoon
Saddaruddin Hashwani is Chairman Hashoo
Group is known for his dominance in Pakistan's hotel industry, though
Hashwanis are have huge strength in real estate business too. Hashwanis are
involved in trading of cotton, grain and steel and till the nationalization
of cotton export in 1974, they were widely being dubbed as the Cotton Kings
of Pakistan. Today, this group has excelled in export of rice, wheat, cotton
and barley. It owns textile units, besides having invested billions in
mines, minerals. hotels, insurance, batteries, tobacco, residential
properties, construction, engineering and information technology. In 1984,
Hashwani defeated the Lakhanis in the bid for Premier Tobacco but was
arrested along with his brother Akbar in 1986 for allegedly evading customs
duty on cigarettes. Sadarduddin' s brother Akbar and the children of another
late brother Hassan Ali Hashwani together manage around 45 companies. Akbar
runs the second Hashwani Group. He is one of the most well-known magnates in
Pakistan who is a regular invitee at the Diplomatic Enclave. The list of
local and international bigwigs known personally to Hashwani is unending.
6 - Nasir Schon & family
Ranking: 6 (tieded at 6)
Worth: £500m
($1billion) Industry: Businessman
Nasir Schon is a prominent business leader
of Pakistan and the CEO of Schon Group. Nasir Schon is the son of Captain
Ather Schon Hussain, an ex-pilot of PIA. The Schon family is one of the few
striving Muhajir Urdu business families in Pakistan. Starting off in
Singapore in 1982, the peek of Schon group was in 1995 when they owned
National Fibres, Schon Bank, Schon Textiles and Pak-China Fertizilers.
Famous for the trend-setting roundabout, Schon Circle, Nasir Schon is also
known to be one of the first people to have a Rolls-Royce in Pakistan.
Directors of Schon group flew to Dubai in 1997 in exile after the dismissal
of ex-Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. The directors of Schon group were known
to have close contacts with the husband of former Prime Minister, Asif
Zardari. Many assets of the Schon group were auctioned by the Nawaz Sharif
government. Schon Group is the only group in Pakistan who has paid the
government over 3 billion rupees ($65m) in order to return from exile.
Living in Dubai gave Nasir Schon an opportunity to start businesses there.
Currently working on an $830 million real estate project known as Dubai
lagoon, Schon group is also fighting to get back the assets they once lost.
Currently, the Schon group operates a pilot training center in Pakistan
known as Schon Air.
7 - Abdul Razzaq Yakoub & family
Ranking: 6 (tied at 6)
Worth: £500m
($1billion) Industry: Businessman
Mr Yakoub is a prominent Pakistani
expatriate businessman based in Dubai. He is the president ARY group
($1.5Billion turnover) and World Memon Organization (WMO). He is one of
Pakistan's biggest media barons controlling around 7 channels. Besides this
he has a huge property holdings in Karachi, Islamabad and Dubai amounting to
over $200m. He is major in the gold market also having around 20 outlets in
Asia. He has also been involved in paying Asif Zardari $5m in 1990's for
allowing him to import/export gold. Which he denies and claim's is
government forgeries.
8 - Rafiq Habib & Rasheed Habib Pakistan
Ranking: 7
Worth: £450m ($900) Industry:
Businessman
Legend has it that the Goddess of Wealth has
been in love with the seasoned Habibs more than anybody else in Pakistan.
Most pundits believe that Habibs own at least 100 companies throughout the
world, but these content mega-tycoons never boast off, something which has
made it uphill for most to predict about their financial standing. This
industrial group was founded by Seth Habib Mitha, born in 1878 to Esmail
Ali-a factory owner in Bombay. The financial strength of the Habibs can be
gauged from the fact that Muhammad Ali Habib gave a cheque of Rs 80 million
to Quaid-e-Azam in 1948 at a time when Pakistan government was penniless
owing to delay in transfer of Pakistan's share of Rs. 750 million by the
Reserve Bank of India. They had offices in Europe in 1912. They incorporated
the Habib Bank in 1941. They own the Habib Bank A.G Zurich, Bank Al-Habib,
Indus Motors assembling Corolla cars and many dozens of units in sectors
such as jute, paper sack, minerals, steel, tiles, synthetics sugar, glass,
construction, concrete, farm autos, banking, oil, computers, music, paper,
packages, leasing and capital management. Habibs today are headed by Rafiq
Habib and Rashid Habib in two distinct groups. What makes them extremely
influential players of all times is the fact that for dozens of top
businessmen today, Habib were a myth once.
9 - Tariq Saigol & Nasim Saigol Pakistan
Ranking: 8
Worth: £425m ($850) Industry:
Businessman
Hailing from Jhelum. The pioneer of the
Saigol dynasty in 1890 was Amin Saigol who established a shoe shop that
eventually transformed into Kohinoor Rubber Works. And then times saw them
shining literally like the Kohinoor until their progress was halted by
Nationalization in which they lost two-thirds of their wealth. Saigols got
trifurcated in 1976 and 15 descendents of Amin Saigols four sons got a
share. The name of the Saigols has been used in this part of the world as
similes describing quantum of wealth. Yousaf Saigol, along with his brothers
Sayeed Saigol, Bashir Saigol and Gul Saigol then nourished an excellent
crop. In 1948, Saigols established the Kohinoor Textile Mills with a cost of
Rs 8 million and this group happens to be the first to open an LC with the
State Bank of Pakistan. They bought the United Bank in 1959 and then
witnessed five of their units getting nationalized. They lived in Saudi
Arabia during the Bhutto regime. Today, cousins Tariq and Nasim are holding
the family's fort together and have risen to unprecedented heights in
individual capacities. NAB did haunt Nasim but Tariq spent more time either
accepting or refusing prized slots everywhere. Tariq is the one of the
finest business brains around.
10 - Dewan Yousaf Farooqui Pakistan
Ranking: 9 (tied at 9)
Worth: £400m ($800)
Industry: Businessman
Mr Farooqui. The mentor of this group has
been the Sindh Minister for Local Bodies. Industries, Labour, Transport,
Mines & Minerals. Dewan Mushtaq Group is one of the Pakistan's largest
industrial conglomerates in sectors like polyester acrylic fiber,
manufacturing and automotives. Six of their companies are listed at the
Karachi & stock Exchange and one at the Luxembourg bourse. Dewan Farooqui
Motors assembles around 10,000 cars annually under technical license
agreement with Hyundai and Kia Motors of Korea. The Dewan Salman Fiber is
the pride of this empire as it ranks 11th in the world in total production
capacity. The group owns three textile units, a motorcycle manufacturing
concern and the largest sugar unit in the country. Dewans also have business
interests in India. They possess dozens of millions of shares of Saudi
Cement and Pak land Cement. They also have the franchise licence for BMW in
Pakistan and now Rolls Royce showrooms.
11 - Sultan Ali Lakhani & family Pakistan
Ranking: 9 (tied at 9)
Worth: £400m ($800)
Industry: Businessman
The Lakhanis are currently having a hard
time at the hands of NAB. Sultan Lakhani and his three brothers run this
prestigious group and the chain of McDonald's restaurants in Pakistan. NAB
has alleged the Lakhanis of having created phoney companies through
worthless directors and raised massive loans from various banks and
financial institutions. Sultan is currently abroad after having served a
jail term with younger sibling Amin, though the latter was released much
earlier. NAB had reportedly demanded Rs 7 billion from Lakhanis, but later
agreed they pay only Rs 1.5 billion over a 10-year period. Lakhanis, like
their arch-rivals Hashwanis, are the most well-known of all Ismaeli tycoons.
Their stakes range from media, tobacco, paper, chemicals and surgical
equipment to cotton, packaging, insurance, detergents and other house-hold
items, many of which are joint ventures with leading international
conglomerates. Though Lakhanis are in turbulent waters currently, the
success that greeted them during the last 25 years especially has been
tremendous. They have rifts with large business empires despite being known
fur their genteel nature. Whether it is any government in Sindh or at the
Federal level, Lakhanis have had trusted friends everywhere, though the
present era has proved a painful exception.
12 - Malik Riaz Hussain Pakistan (Bahria Town Fame)
Ranking: 9 (tied at 9)
Worth: £400m ($800)
Industry: Businessman
Malik Riaz Hussain heads the massive project
which is currently developing state-of-the- art schemes in Lahore, Karachi
and Rawalpindi/Islamaba d. Emerging out of the blue, this developer has
reportedly developed tremendous connections where it matters in Pakistan-One
of the few reasons why his constructed projects get completed in time
without hindrance. Whether he has gifted bungalows free of cost of country's
bigwigs or offered them at highly concessional rates, the reality on the
ground is that Malik has managed to mesmerize most through his generous
wallet. His land-holdings both within and outside Pakistan amounts to nearly
a billion dollar. He is the man behind the Bahria Town. Irrespective of who
is in power; he continues to build house after house-swelling his wealth. He
is also the first man to drive a Bentley car on Pakistani soil.
13 - Sheikh Abid Hussain alias Seth Abid
Pakistan
Ranking: 10
Worth: £390m ($780) Industry:
Businessman
Sheikh Abid Hussain alias Seth Abid. He is
one of the most resourceful developers/builders in the country owning vast
stretches of land in major cities. On this land worth many billion of
rupees, Seth has constructed residential schemes under the brand name of
'Green Fort.' Seth came into this business after decades of notoriety as
being one of the spearheads in cross-border smuggling. While many remember
Seth for his allegedly illegal trading stints, a lot of informed circles
still say with conviction that he, along with Dr.Qadeer and former Premier
Bhutto, was the brain behind the success of Pakistan's nuclear programme.
About three dozen of Seth's very close relatives, friends and nephews are
members of country's bourses and for many years now, the Seth Abid group
assumes the role of king-makers during the annual polls of these stock
exchanges. He is a leading investor in stocks, metals and currency but what
gives him immense pleasure is his philanthropic institution Hamza Foundation
that he sponsors for the welfare of deaf and dumb children. Pakistan has not
had a single ruler, politician, bureaucrat or Army General who doesn't know
the Seth who is more of a myth for most. The Seth, throughout his life, has
avoided publicity-a fact known to most journalists.
14 - Mian Mohammed Latif Pakistan
Ranking:11
Worth: £350m ($700) Industry:
Businessman
Chenab Group Mian Muhammad Latif supervises
this group along with his brother Mian Ashfaque- a legislator in the
National Assembly of Pakistan. Founded in 1975, Chenab Limited set up its
first fashion outlet 'Chen One.' Chen One has seven outlets throughout
Pakistan. After establishing its retail chain stores in various cities of
Saudi Arabia, the group is now planning to establish its new retail chains
in Bahrain, UA.E, Qatar, Kuwait and Central Asian Republics. While Chenab
Group is an eight-time Export Trophy winner, its Chief Mian Latif has won
the 'Businessman of the Year award on four different occasions from various
business bodies. Chenab is principally engaged in manufacture and
distribution of clothing, furniture goods, including non-iron suit, quilt
cover and curtains etc. Chenab processes 50 million square metres fabric
weaving and 75 million square metres fabric dyeing every year and has
established a global sales network spanning across five continents. Chenab
is licensed to the Swedish Texcote Technology in the manufacturing and sale
of textile materials, garments and textile house-hold goods. The group's
textile products have been awarded the Oekotex 100 accreditation.
15 - Haji Abdul Ghafoor & Haji Bashir Ahmed
Pakistan
Ranking: 12
Worth: £330m ($660) Industry:
Businessman
Sitara Group Started its activity with
textile weaving as early as 1956, under brothers Haji Abdul Ghafoor and Haji
Bashir Ahmed. It is now its textile cloth finishing and processing, textile
spinning, chlor-alkali sector and in power generation. The units owned by
this establishment include Sitara Chemicals, Sitara Chemicals (Textile
Division 1) and Sitara Chemicals (Textile Division 11), Sitara Textiles,
Sitara Energy and Yasir Spinning. The charities being managed under the
aegis of Sitara group are Aziz Fatima Hospital, Ghafoor Bashir Children
Hospital and Aziz Fatima Girls School. Sitara's name with the industrial
City of Faisalabad is synonymous. They are the decades-old veterans in
business, who have excelled in leaps and bounds. At their units, the owners
of Sitara use technology imported from Japan, UK and Germany and are export
leaders in bedding and fabric collection to South America, USA, Canada, New
Zealand and Europe. Their textile divisions together operate at strength of
33,984 spindles. The Sitara (group, to a common man, is more famous for its
lawn brands like Sitara Sapna and Mughal-e-Azam. The men at helm of affairs
in Sitara hardly believe in setting up dozens of units, of which they are
otherwise very much capable of.
Ranking: 1
Worth: £1.25b
($2.5billion) Industry: Businessman
Mansha has around 40 companies on board.
Mansha, who owns the Muslim Commercial Bank is also setting up a $ 17m paper
mill. He is one of the richest Pakistanis around. Nishat Group was country's
15th richest family in 1970, 6th in 1990 and Number 1 in 1997. Mansha is on
the board of nearly 50 companies. He is deemed to have made investments in
many bourses, currency and metal exchanges both within and outside Pakistan.
He could have bought the United Bank too, but then who doesn't have
adversaries. Nishat Group comprises of textiles, cement, leasing, insurance
and management companies. If Mansha was bitten by Bhutto's nationalization
stint of 1970, his friends think he was compensated by Nawaz Sharif's
denationalization programme to a very good effect. There is no stopping
Mansha and he is still on the move.
Nishat group assets are $4.4Billion. He is
sometimes even regarded as the richest Pakistani around by his friends
claiming he does not 'show it off'.
2 - Asif Ali Zardari Pakistan
Ranking: 2
Worth: £900m ($1.8billion)
Industry: Politics
Asif Zardari dubbed 'Mr 10%' an unknown
happy-go-lucky son of a small-time businessman who struck gold by marrying
one of the worlds most glamorous women Former Prime Minister of Pakistan
Benzair Bhutto. Taking advantage of his wife's authority he is known to have
taken kickbacks from many deals inside and outside of Pakistan. The most
famous was a $4 billion deal to buy 32 Mirage jets from the French company
Dassault. Documents, which include letters from Dassault executives,
indicate an agreement was reached to pay a 5% 'remuneration' - about $200m -
to Marleton Business, a BVI company controlled by Zardari. Besides these
many more kickback deals were taken with companies such as ARY Gold, Société
Général de Surveillance (SGS), Cotecna, and ZPC Ursus, a Polish tractor
company.
Zardari assets holding amount into hundreds
of millions of dollars easily, Having 8 prime properties in the UK, of which
once is the famous Rockwood Estate 365 acres in Surrey, worth £4.35m has now
been sold and money sent back to the Govt. of Pakistan. Also 14
multi-million dollar mansions in the USA, including owning Holiday Inn hotel
Houston, Texas Owned by 'Mr 10%' and Iqbal Memon and Sadar-ud-Din Hashwani.
They (Zardari and B.Bhutto) also have huge
business ventures in the Middle East running into hundreds of millions if
not billion mark. Mr Zardari also has huge stakes in sugar mills all over
Pakistan,which include: Sakrand Sugar Mills, Nawabshah, Ansari Sugar Mills,
Hyderabad, Mirza Sugar Mills, Badin, Pangrio Sugar Mills, Thatta and Bachani
Sugar Mills, Sanghar.
3 - Sir Anwar Pervaiz
Ranking: 3
Worth: £750m ($1.5billion)
Industry: Businessman
Chairman of Bestway Group. The Bestway Group
started in 1976 with its first Bestway cash and carry warehouse opened in
London. Today the have in total around 50 Cash and Carry's. Including their
recent takeover of rival group Batleys for around £100m. Bestway Group
ventured into Pakistan's huge the cement business in 1995 and set up cement
manufacturing plant in Pakistan at a cost of $120 million.
Taking Advantage of Pakistan growing economy
they also acquired a 25.5% stake in United Bank Limited in 2002. Today, the
Bestway Group has interests in cash & carry wholesale, property investments,
retail outlets, milling of rice, lentils and pulses, cement production and
more recently into banking. The group's total sales amounted to in excess of
£ 2 billion. The group provides direct employment to thousands in the UK and
Pakistan. The have many interests in Pakistan too. Sir Anwar Pervaiz and his
his partners sheer hard work has bought them to outstanding international
levels, which definitely makes him an ideal role model for many young
Pakistanis today. He still on the move!
4 - Nawaz Sharif & Shahbaz Sharif family
Saudi Arabia/Pakistan
Ranking: 4
Worth: £700m ($1.4billion)
Industry: Politics/Businessma n
Mr Sharif Businessman turned politician the
former Prime Minister of Pakistan. He was ousted in a military coup in 1999
and was forced to forfeit $9million dollars and some of his assets including
his $5m Mansion is Raiwind near Lahore. Before becoming PM he was a major
share holder along with his brother and cousins of Ittefaq Group, having
assets well in excess of £50m in the 90's.
Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif was twice elected as Prime Minister of Pakistan, serving two non-consecutive terms, the first from November 1, 1990 to July 18, 1993 and the second from February 17, 1997 to October 12, 1999. His party is the Pakistan Muslim League (N) (Nawaz group). He is best known internationally for ordering Pakistan's 1998 nuclear tests in response to India's nuclear tests, and the abrupt end of his final term in a dramatic coup by General Pervez Musharraf. Nawaz Sharif is currently an opposition leader and a strong supporter of the free judiciary movement in Pakistan. On Sunday, March 15, 2009, he defied house arrest to lead anti-government protests that briefly turned violent. Sharif called the mass rally a "prelude to a revolution."
5 - Saddaruddin Hashwani Pakistan
Ranking: 5
Worth: £550m ($1.1billion)
Industry: Businessman, Hotel Tycoon
Saddaruddin Hashwani is Chairman Hashoo
Group is known for his dominance in Pakistan's hotel industry, though
Hashwanis are have huge strength in real estate business too. Hashwanis are
involved in trading of cotton, grain and steel and till the nationalization
of cotton export in 1974, they were widely being dubbed as the Cotton Kings
of Pakistan. Today, this group has excelled in export of rice, wheat, cotton
and barley. It owns textile units, besides having invested billions in
mines, minerals. hotels, insurance, batteries, tobacco, residential
properties, construction, engineering and information technology. In 1984,
Hashwani defeated the Lakhanis in the bid for Premier Tobacco but was
arrested along with his brother Akbar in 1986 for allegedly evading customs
duty on cigarettes. Sadarduddin' s brother Akbar and the children of another
late brother Hassan Ali Hashwani together manage around 45 companies. Akbar
runs the second Hashwani Group. He is one of the most well-known magnates in
Pakistan who is a regular invitee at the Diplomatic Enclave. The list of
local and international bigwigs known personally to Hashwani is unending.
6 - Nasir Schon & family
Ranking: 6 (tieded at 6)
Worth: £500m
($1billion) Industry: Businessman
Nasir Schon is a prominent business leader
of Pakistan and the CEO of Schon Group. Nasir Schon is the son of Captain
Ather Schon Hussain, an ex-pilot of PIA. The Schon family is one of the few
striving Muhajir Urdu business families in Pakistan. Starting off in
Singapore in 1982, the peek of Schon group was in 1995 when they owned
National Fibres, Schon Bank, Schon Textiles and Pak-China Fertizilers.
Famous for the trend-setting roundabout, Schon Circle, Nasir Schon is also
known to be one of the first people to have a Rolls-Royce in Pakistan.
Directors of Schon group flew to Dubai in 1997 in exile after the dismissal
of ex-Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. The directors of Schon group were known
to have close contacts with the husband of former Prime Minister, Asif
Zardari. Many assets of the Schon group were auctioned by the Nawaz Sharif
government. Schon Group is the only group in Pakistan who has paid the
government over 3 billion rupees ($65m) in order to return from exile.
Living in Dubai gave Nasir Schon an opportunity to start businesses there.
Currently working on an $830 million real estate project known as Dubai
lagoon, Schon group is also fighting to get back the assets they once lost.
Currently, the Schon group operates a pilot training center in Pakistan
known as Schon Air.
7 - Abdul Razzaq Yakoub & family
Ranking: 6 (tied at 6)
Worth: £500m
($1billion) Industry: Businessman
Mr Yakoub is a prominent Pakistani
expatriate businessman based in Dubai. He is the president ARY group
($1.5Billion turnover) and World Memon Organization (WMO). He is one of
Pakistan's biggest media barons controlling around 7 channels. Besides this
he has a huge property holdings in Karachi, Islamabad and Dubai amounting to
over $200m. He is major in the gold market also having around 20 outlets in
Asia. He has also been involved in paying Asif Zardari $5m in 1990's for
allowing him to import/export gold. Which he denies and claim's is
government forgeries.
8 - Rafiq Habib & Rasheed Habib Pakistan
Ranking: 7
Worth: £450m ($900) Industry:
Businessman
Legend has it that the Goddess of Wealth has
been in love with the seasoned Habibs more than anybody else in Pakistan.
Most pundits believe that Habibs own at least 100 companies throughout the
world, but these content mega-tycoons never boast off, something which has
made it uphill for most to predict about their financial standing. This
industrial group was founded by Seth Habib Mitha, born in 1878 to Esmail
Ali-a factory owner in Bombay. The financial strength of the Habibs can be
gauged from the fact that Muhammad Ali Habib gave a cheque of Rs 80 million
to Quaid-e-Azam in 1948 at a time when Pakistan government was penniless
owing to delay in transfer of Pakistan's share of Rs. 750 million by the
Reserve Bank of India. They had offices in Europe in 1912. They incorporated
the Habib Bank in 1941. They own the Habib Bank A.G Zurich, Bank Al-Habib,
Indus Motors assembling Corolla cars and many dozens of units in sectors
such as jute, paper sack, minerals, steel, tiles, synthetics sugar, glass,
construction, concrete, farm autos, banking, oil, computers, music, paper,
packages, leasing and capital management. Habibs today are headed by Rafiq
Habib and Rashid Habib in two distinct groups. What makes them extremely
influential players of all times is the fact that for dozens of top
businessmen today, Habib were a myth once.
9 - Tariq Saigol & Nasim Saigol Pakistan
Ranking: 8
Worth: £425m ($850) Industry:
Businessman
Hailing from Jhelum. The pioneer of the
Saigol dynasty in 1890 was Amin Saigol who established a shoe shop that
eventually transformed into Kohinoor Rubber Works. And then times saw them
shining literally like the Kohinoor until their progress was halted by
Nationalization in which they lost two-thirds of their wealth. Saigols got
trifurcated in 1976 and 15 descendents of Amin Saigols four sons got a
share. The name of the Saigols has been used in this part of the world as
similes describing quantum of wealth. Yousaf Saigol, along with his brothers
Sayeed Saigol, Bashir Saigol and Gul Saigol then nourished an excellent
crop. In 1948, Saigols established the Kohinoor Textile Mills with a cost of
Rs 8 million and this group happens to be the first to open an LC with the
State Bank of Pakistan. They bought the United Bank in 1959 and then
witnessed five of their units getting nationalized. They lived in Saudi
Arabia during the Bhutto regime. Today, cousins Tariq and Nasim are holding
the family's fort together and have risen to unprecedented heights in
individual capacities. NAB did haunt Nasim but Tariq spent more time either
accepting or refusing prized slots everywhere. Tariq is the one of the
finest business brains around.
10 - Dewan Yousaf Farooqui Pakistan
Ranking: 9 (tied at 9)
Worth: £400m ($800)
Industry: Businessman
Mr Farooqui. The mentor of this group has
been the Sindh Minister for Local Bodies. Industries, Labour, Transport,
Mines & Minerals. Dewan Mushtaq Group is one of the Pakistan's largest
industrial conglomerates in sectors like polyester acrylic fiber,
manufacturing and automotives. Six of their companies are listed at the
Karachi & stock Exchange and one at the Luxembourg bourse. Dewan Farooqui
Motors assembles around 10,000 cars annually under technical license
agreement with Hyundai and Kia Motors of Korea. The Dewan Salman Fiber is
the pride of this empire as it ranks 11th in the world in total production
capacity. The group owns three textile units, a motorcycle manufacturing
concern and the largest sugar unit in the country. Dewans also have business
interests in India. They possess dozens of millions of shares of Saudi
Cement and Pak land Cement. They also have the franchise licence for BMW in
Pakistan and now Rolls Royce showrooms.
11 - Sultan Ali Lakhani & family Pakistan
Ranking: 9 (tied at 9)
Worth: £400m ($800)
Industry: Businessman
The Lakhanis are currently having a hard
time at the hands of NAB. Sultan Lakhani and his three brothers run this
prestigious group and the chain of McDonald's restaurants in Pakistan. NAB
has alleged the Lakhanis of having created phoney companies through
worthless directors and raised massive loans from various banks and
financial institutions. Sultan is currently abroad after having served a
jail term with younger sibling Amin, though the latter was released much
earlier. NAB had reportedly demanded Rs 7 billion from Lakhanis, but later
agreed they pay only Rs 1.5 billion over a 10-year period. Lakhanis, like
their arch-rivals Hashwanis, are the most well-known of all Ismaeli tycoons.
Their stakes range from media, tobacco, paper, chemicals and surgical
equipment to cotton, packaging, insurance, detergents and other house-hold
items, many of which are joint ventures with leading international
conglomerates. Though Lakhanis are in turbulent waters currently, the
success that greeted them during the last 25 years especially has been
tremendous. They have rifts with large business empires despite being known
fur their genteel nature. Whether it is any government in Sindh or at the
Federal level, Lakhanis have had trusted friends everywhere, though the
present era has proved a painful exception.
12 - Malik Riaz Hussain Pakistan (Bahria Town Fame)
Ranking: 9 (tied at 9)
Worth: £400m ($800)
Industry: Businessman
Malik Riaz Hussain heads the massive project
which is currently developing state-of-the- art schemes in Lahore, Karachi
and Rawalpindi/Islamaba d. Emerging out of the blue, this developer has
reportedly developed tremendous connections where it matters in Pakistan-One
of the few reasons why his constructed projects get completed in time
without hindrance. Whether he has gifted bungalows free of cost of country's
bigwigs or offered them at highly concessional rates, the reality on the
ground is that Malik has managed to mesmerize most through his generous
wallet. His land-holdings both within and outside Pakistan amounts to nearly
a billion dollar. He is the man behind the Bahria Town. Irrespective of who
is in power; he continues to build house after house-swelling his wealth. He
is also the first man to drive a Bentley car on Pakistani soil.
13 - Sheikh Abid Hussain alias Seth Abid
Pakistan
Ranking: 10
Worth: £390m ($780) Industry:
Businessman
Sheikh Abid Hussain alias Seth Abid. He is
one of the most resourceful developers/builders in the country owning vast
stretches of land in major cities. On this land worth many billion of
rupees, Seth has constructed residential schemes under the brand name of
'Green Fort.' Seth came into this business after decades of notoriety as
being one of the spearheads in cross-border smuggling. While many remember
Seth for his allegedly illegal trading stints, a lot of informed circles
still say with conviction that he, along with Dr.Qadeer and former Premier
Bhutto, was the brain behind the success of Pakistan's nuclear programme.
About three dozen of Seth's very close relatives, friends and nephews are
members of country's bourses and for many years now, the Seth Abid group
assumes the role of king-makers during the annual polls of these stock
exchanges. He is a leading investor in stocks, metals and currency but what
gives him immense pleasure is his philanthropic institution Hamza Foundation
that he sponsors for the welfare of deaf and dumb children. Pakistan has not
had a single ruler, politician, bureaucrat or Army General who doesn't know
the Seth who is more of a myth for most. The Seth, throughout his life, has
avoided publicity-a fact known to most journalists.
14 - Mian Mohammed Latif Pakistan
Ranking:11
Worth: £350m ($700) Industry:
Businessman
Chenab Group Mian Muhammad Latif supervises
this group along with his brother Mian Ashfaque- a legislator in the
National Assembly of Pakistan. Founded in 1975, Chenab Limited set up its
first fashion outlet 'Chen One.' Chen One has seven outlets throughout
Pakistan. After establishing its retail chain stores in various cities of
Saudi Arabia, the group is now planning to establish its new retail chains
in Bahrain, UA.E, Qatar, Kuwait and Central Asian Republics. While Chenab
Group is an eight-time Export Trophy winner, its Chief Mian Latif has won
the 'Businessman of the Year award on four different occasions from various
business bodies. Chenab is principally engaged in manufacture and
distribution of clothing, furniture goods, including non-iron suit, quilt
cover and curtains etc. Chenab processes 50 million square metres fabric
weaving and 75 million square metres fabric dyeing every year and has
established a global sales network spanning across five continents. Chenab
is licensed to the Swedish Texcote Technology in the manufacturing and sale
of textile materials, garments and textile house-hold goods. The group's
textile products have been awarded the Oekotex 100 accreditation.
15 - Haji Abdul Ghafoor & Haji Bashir Ahmed
Pakistan
Ranking: 12
Worth: £330m ($660) Industry:
Businessman
Sitara Group Started its activity with
textile weaving as early as 1956, under brothers Haji Abdul Ghafoor and Haji
Bashir Ahmed. It is now its textile cloth finishing and processing, textile
spinning, chlor-alkali sector and in power generation. The units owned by
this establishment include Sitara Chemicals, Sitara Chemicals (Textile
Division 1) and Sitara Chemicals (Textile Division 11), Sitara Textiles,
Sitara Energy and Yasir Spinning. The charities being managed under the
aegis of Sitara group are Aziz Fatima Hospital, Ghafoor Bashir Children
Hospital and Aziz Fatima Girls School. Sitara's name with the industrial
City of Faisalabad is synonymous. They are the decades-old veterans in
business, who have excelled in leaps and bounds. At their units, the owners
of Sitara use technology imported from Japan, UK and Germany and are export
leaders in bedding and fabric collection to South America, USA, Canada, New
Zealand and Europe. Their textile divisions together operate at strength of
33,984 spindles. The Sitara (group, to a common man, is more famous for its
lawn brands like Sitara Sapna and Mughal-e-Azam. The men at helm of affairs
in Sitara hardly believe in setting up dozens of units, of which they are
otherwise very much capable of.