New trends in the real estate industry in Pakistan have sparked a special interest among global property players. One of the leading real estate developers who set those trends is Malik Riaz. He is a founder of Bahria Town, one of Asia‘s largest private property development companies, and known for his transformative approach to the real estate industry.
Over the years of his career, Malik Riaz has been reshaping the urban structure of the country and redefining the standards of living.
Due to the constant growth of the population in Pakistan, especially in urban areas, the demand for housing is also increasing. It was precisely for this reason that back in the 1990s, Malik Riaz turned his focus toward the real estate sector and decided to establish his own construction company.
When he founded the Bahria Town housing project, it aimed to offer affordable accommodations that would address the needs of the middle-class segment. However, Malik Riaz soon realized that simply building regular houses was not enough. This led him to take a different approach, which over the years reshaped the industry and made Bahria Town a leader in innovation and growth.
Beyond residential developments, Malik Riaz started to build commercial, healthcare, education, and hospitality facilities, creating integrated communities that match every aspect of modern living.
The concept of integrated communities presented by Bahria Town revolutionized the real estate paradigm in Pakistan, as it offered residents security, luxury, and convenience within one independent environment. One of the latest developments that Bahria Town introduced was its own electricity stations in Karachi, Rawalpindi and Lahore.
Given the extensive workload on power grids in Pakistan and the struggles people face with frequent power cuts, private power generators allow Bahria Town residents in Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi to receive uninterrupted electricity supply, marking a new benchmark in the state real estate sector.
The desire to make Bahria Town communities independent resulted in another project that brought positive change to the environment and significantly improved the lives of Bahria residents. Under the Waste Management Department, Bahria Town Karachi and Bahria Town Rawalpindi have built their own water supply system.
The system includes water and sewerage treatment plants. During heavy rains, dams accumulate water which then can be used for different needs of the community.
It also prevents Bahria Town Karachi residents from floods and property damage caused by rain. Sewerage treatment plants in Karachi and Rawalpindi recycle the waste and produce over 1.6 million gallons of clean water every day. Recycled water is used for gardening, cleaning, and firefighting.
Considering Pakistani water crisis, the Bahria Town water system plays a crucial role in benefiting the environment and the welfare of the citizens.
Under Malik Riaz’s leadership, Bahria Town projects became places where people could live in major cities while still having their own community. With resident identification at entry gates, round-the-clock CCTV surveillance, and guards patrolling, Bahria Town Lahore sets a completely new standard for security in the residential areas for the citizens of Pakistan.
Apart from expanding its business, Bahria Town contributes to the state’s infrastructure development initiatives. From roads and bridges to water supply systems, the company’s investments foster socio-economic progress in the regions where its projects are located. “We have transformed real estate into fine art, which is why at Bahria Town, each project is treated like a sculpture molded according to each client’s requirements.
Our goal is to elevate Pakistan to the list of developed countries by offering the strongest infrastructure while catering to all the different socioeconomic classes of Pakistan,” says the CEO of Bahria Town, Ahmed Ali Riaz, son of Malik Riaz.
Coming from a wealthy family, Malik had to start his career from ground zero as his parents lost their business and all their savings when he was young. Keeping in mind those days, he is very committed to helping those in need. Malik Riaz believes that every wealthy individual must take social responsibility, helping their community.
As a philanthropist, Mr. Riaz takes part in sponsoring and running numerous philanthropic organizations. Even now, the Bahria Dastarkhwan initiative has launched the “Ramadan Ration Distribution Drive” program. Its main goal is to make sure that the joy and fulfillment of Ramadan reaches every individual in Pakistan, regardless of their location or economic status.
Under the program, there are special teams that distribute ration bags to households in diverse communities and remote areas across Pakistan. Furthermore, Bahria Dastarkhwan has centers across the whole country that serve free meals twice a day every day for everyone, including laborers, students, passengers, and those looking for food.
One of the areas that is significantly overlooked by the Pakistani government is education. Approximately 22.8 million children in Pakistan are out of school, according to a recent report by the Pakistan Education Statistics. Considering that education is an important determinant of the speed at which the economy as a whole grows, it is crucial for Pakistan to invest in its learning institutions.
As individuals who understand very well that the future of Pakistan depends on the younger generation, the Riaz family decided to implement an initiative that promotes free, equal access to safe and supportive education for children. Bahria Town has built schools, colleges, and other institutes across the country, benefiting more than 10,000 students.
Each year, Malik Riaz gives grants to more than 7,000 young people with university grants and supports government educational institutions.
Alongside Riaz’s business success and philanthropic activities, there have been difficulties that his real estate empire faces from time to time. One of the challenges that successful and highly influential people often experience is different forms of oppression by state authorities. In Pakistan, where political victimization by some officials is considered a highly efficient tool, targeting leading businessmen is not new.
Malik Riaz and his company were accused of different law violations such as corruption, tax evasion, and illegal land occupation. However, beyond those accusations, the cases in court have barely progressed to any level of verdict.
Bahria Town has never been confirmed guilty in any matter, yet the government continues to initiate property arrests and special investigations against it.
According to media reports, the political victimization of Malik Riaz and his assets is a result of his relationship with the former government. Thus, business leaders should keep in mind that significant success brings not only wide recognition but also serious challenges.
Looking at Malik Riaz’s projects, it is now clear that his approach to real estate highly influenced the industry, setting new standards and benefiting society. Through Bahria Town and his visionary initiatives, Mr. Riaz has contributed to the transformation of the property market of Pakistan.
As the economic situation in the country rapidly changes, Malik Riaz’s efforts are aimed at creating a sustainable environment in the real estate sector.
[The article was originally published by Martin De Juan in CEO Weekly]
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