Share the post “Syed Babar Ali at 100: The Pakistani Elite Who Understood That Power Means Little Unless You Build Something That Survives You”
Is LUMS only an institution for Pakistan’s elite?
Its fees and social environment make access a legitimate subject of criticism, but describing it as exclusively for the wealthy ignores the National Outreach Programme, which reports more than 1,625 scholars inducted and over 1,215 graduates.
Did Syed Babar Ali resign from Aitchison College because of the Ahad Cheema fee-waiver controversy?
His formal resignation cited health and advanced age. Because the resignation occurred while the governance dispute was intense, some reporting inferred a connection, particularly given his strong praise for Principal Michael A. Thomson. That connection should be identified as an inference, not presented as a formally declared reason.
The Final Measure of a Pakistani Life
Pakistan should stop measuring its elites merely by how many powerful people they knew.
The subcontinent has never lacked drawing rooms filled with governors, generals, chief ministers, bureaucrats, industrialists and landed families. Most such rooms disappear from history.
The better question is what remained after everybody went home.
In Syed Babar Ali’s case, quite a lot remained.
That does not place him above criticism. It places him above lazy dismissal.
At 100, his most important message to Pakistan may be completely unspoken: connections die, offices expire, governments fall, reputations fluctuate—but an institution, if it is built properly, can keep producing consequences for generations.
Pakistan has enough personalities.
It needs more builders.
And instead of wasting another century arguing over which elite deserves the bigger garland, perhaps the real tribute is to ask a far more uncomfortable question: what institution are the powerful Pakistanis of today building that will still matter when they turn 100—or when they are no longer here at all?
Read the connected analysis on LUMS and the limits of political debate, examine Systems Limited through the lens of corporate governance and investor behaviour, and share this article with someone who still believes national impact is measured only by holding office.
