A Tradition Of Philanthropy

Quaid-e-Azam requested the century old Habib group of companies, with its flagship, the Habib Bank, to shift from Bombay to Karachi to meet the challenges of a new nation- Pakistan. Thus, the story of Habibs, the visionary family, is inter-twined with the story of the birth of a nation for the Muslims of the sub-continent. Indeed, it reflects the socio-economic history of the country.

The history of the Habib family goes back to 1878, when a son was born to Esmail Ali of Jamnagar, India and was named Habib. Starting with a small metal factory, Habib soon turned it into a conglomerate of companies by sheer dint of his hard work, meticulous planning and high standards of service. Today the Habib family, or Families as they have now grown to be, employ tens of thousands workers who provide an array of products and services ranging from automobiles to audio media, sugar to ceramic tiles, building materials and buildings, all of high quality.

What distinguishes this family from other business groups is the spirit of social service and philanthropy inherited from the founder, who combined a sound moral character with a  genial and generous attitude towards the poor and the destitute. Habib Ismail trained his four sons, Ahmed, Dawood, Mohammedali and Ghulamali and his beloved daughter Sakina Bai to share their good fortune with the poor and the needy in the highest tradition of Islamic teachings, with visionary zeal and humanist values.

The four sons and the daughter not only continued the tradition of charity but also institutionalised it so that it may be continued by future generations.

Visionaries

The founding and growth of Habib Schools is principally the hard work of three outstandin