Suhail Zaheer Lari
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Suhail Zaheer Lari (13 November 19365 December 2020; ) was a Pakistani historian and author who focused on research and documentation of the history of the
Sindh Sindh ( ; ; , ; abbr. SD, historically romanized as Sind (caliphal province), Sind or Scinde) is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, southeastern region of the country, Sindh is t ...
region in Southern Pakistan. He was a co-founder of the Heritage Foundation of Pakistan, a conservation organization which sought to drive awareness to the region's art, architecture, and cultural heritage.


Early life

Lari was born in
Gorakhpur Gorakhpur is a city in the List of state and union territory capitals in India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, along the banks of the West Rapti River, Rapti river in the Purvanchal , Purvanchal region. It is situated 272 kilometres east of ...
, in modern-day
Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...
state in India, on 13 November 1936, in what was then undivided British India and was raised in
Allahabad Prayagraj (, ; ISO 15919, ISO: ), formerly and colloquially known as Allahabad, is a metropolis in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.The other five cities were: Agra, Kanpur, Kanpur (Cawnpore), Lucknow, Meerut, and Varanasi, Varanasi (Benar ...
. His mother, Qabila Khatoon, was a homemaker while his father, Zaheer ul Hasnain Lari was a judge and lawyer. The family was known to be close to India's first prime minister,
Jawaharlal Nehru Jawaharlal Nehru (14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat, and statesman who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20th century. Nehru was a pr ...
. The family did not leave for Pakistan during the
Partition of India The partition of India in 1947 was the division of British India into two independent dominion states, the Dominion of India, Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan. The Union of India is today the Republic of India, and the Dominion of Paki ...
in 1947, but, remained in Allahabad until 1950, when they moved to Lahore and later to Karachi. Lari studied politics, philosophy and economics at
St Catherine's College, Oxford St Catherine's College (colloquially called St Catz or Catz) is one of the Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford. In 1974, it was also one of the first men's colleges to admit women. It has 528 un ...
, where he gained admission after writing to British philosopher
Isaiah Berlin Sir Isaiah Berlin (6 June 1909 – 5 November 1997) was a Russian-British social and political theorist, philosopher, and historian of ideas. Although he became increasingly averse to writing for publication, his improvised lectures and talks ...
.


Career

Returning from England after his studies, Lari spent two decades in the corporate world becoming the managing director of Khyber Insurance Company. He gave up his role when the company was nationalized by the government. Post his retirement from corporate world, he immersed himself in research and documentation of the history of the Sindh region of Southern Pakistan. Along with his wife,
Yasmeen Lari Yasmeen Lari (; born ) is Pakistan's first female architect. She is best known for her involvement in the intersection of architecture and social justice. Since her official retirement from architectural practice in 2000, her UN-recognized NGO ...
, he founded the
Heritage Foundation Pakistan Heritage Foundation of Pakistan is a Pakistani heritage and humanitarian aid organization founded by Yasmeen Lari and Suhail Zaheer Lari in 1980. In 1984, when there were plans to demolish the historically significant Hindu Gymkhana, Karachi b ...
in 1980, as a conservation organization to generate awareness about Pakistan's art, architecture, and cultural heritage. Specifically, they focused on the preservation of over 600 historical buildings, many of which were in advanced stages of decay. In one of his noted actions, he drew attention to the
Makli Necropolis Makli Necropolis (; ) is one of the largest funerary sites in the world, spread over an area of 10 kilometres near the city of Thatta, in the Pakistani province of Sindh. The site houses approximately 500,000 to 1 million tombs built over the c ...
, through multiple proposals for its conservation leading to the cemetery becoming a
UNESCO World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
. As an author and a photographer, he generated interest and attention to the history of the Sindh region in Southern Pakistan. He wrote more than 60 books on history, heritage and culture including ''An Illustrated History of Sindh'', ''Neither Islamic nor Persian'', ''Makli under the Samma'', ''Makli under the Sufi'', ''Makli under Timurid'', and ''Meri Society Ke Log.'' His book ''Meri Mitti Ke Log,'' chronicled the rise of
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (5 January 1928 – 4 April 1979) was a Pakistani barrister and politician who served as the fourth president of Pakistan from 1971 to 1973 and later as the ninth Prime Minister of Pakistan, prime minister of Pakistan from 19 ...
, Pakistan's fourth President, while ''Meri Society Ke Log'' was a societal snapshot of guests at his home. He also wrote his own memoirs online documenting his life. He was an advocate of
rainwater harvesting Rainwater harvesting (RWH) is the collection and storage of rain, rather than allowing it to run off. Rainwater is collected from a roof-like surface and redirected to a Rainwater tank, tank, cistern, deep pit (well, shaft, or borehole), Aquifer s ...
as a means to conserve groundwater and means to avoid flooding. He also advocated the need for low-cost housing to train manpower to build earthquake and flood resistant housing.


Personal life

Lari met his future wife Yasmeen Ahsan (later Yasmeen Lari) when he was in Lahore and she went on to study architecture in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. With their parents objecting to their marriage, he would write in his memoir that they threatened to get married in Scotland where the legal age for marriage was lower than that in England; their parents subsequently agreed to the union. His wife, Yasmeen went on to become a prominent architect in Pakistan. The couple had two sons and a daughter. Their house would be the site for artists, politicians, and writers to meet. Lari died on 5 December 2020 from
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
related complications. He was aged 84.


Publications

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References

{{Authority control 1936 births 2020 deaths 20th-century Pakistani historians Pakistani conservationists Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Sindh Alumni of St Catherine's College, Oxford 21st-century Pakistani historians People from Gorakhpur Muhajir people