Syed Babar Ali's autobiography Learning from Others reveals a life defined not by what he taught the world, but by what the world taught him. The title itself is striking, reflecting a humility that runs throughout his century-long journey. His centenary on June 30 offers Pakistan an opportunity to reflect on a question it has struggled with since inception: what kind of legacy truly endures?
The Answer: Institutions, Not Individuals
According to the author, the answer is not wealth, political office, or personal fame. It is institutions. Pakistan has consistently struggled to produce institutions that outlast the individuals who founded them. Even many successful businesses remain centred on family succession rather than professional governance. Syed Babar Ali deliberately chose a different path.
His business achievements are substantial. Yet perhaps his greatest investment was never in factories or products. It was in people. When the idea of establishing Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) emerged, Pakistan already had universities. What it lacked was an institution committed to developing leaders capable of strengthening both the private and public sectors.
A Vision for Human Capital
That vision reflects a broader truth often overlooked in public discourse. Pakistan's greatest untapped resource has always been its people. Syed Babar Ali recognised this long before 'human capital' became a fashionable development phrase. Throughout his career, he repeatedly invested in education because he understood that institutions are ultimately built by capable, ethical and well-trained individuals.
Throughout his century-long life, Syed Babar Ali witnessed Partition, the optimism of independence, the separation of East Pakistan, nationalisation, economic liberalisation and repeated cycles of political instability. Yet his reflections are remarkably free of bitterness or nostalgia. Rather than dwelling on the past, he consistently returns to one central conviction: invest in people.
Lessons for Pakistan's Crises
That observation deserves careful attention. Nations rarely decline because of a single economic crisis. They decline gradually when institutions lose credibility, when merit yields to patronage, when education prioritises credentials over competence, and when public office becomes a vehicle for personal gain instead of public service. Conversely, nations recover when institutions become stronger than individuals.
Pakistan today confronts multiple crises: economic uncertainty, climate vulnerability, educational inequality, weak governance and declining public trust. None of these challenges will be solved through charismatic speeches or short-term political victories. They require patient institution-building, ethical leadership and sustained investment in human development. That work is slow. It rarely attracts headlines. Often, its rewards are realised only decades later.
Tribute Through Principles
The current government is striving hard for youth building in the right direction while stitching the moral and economic fabric. As Pakistan marks the hundredth birthday of Syed Babar Ali, perhaps the greatest tribute is not another celebration of his remarkable achievements, but a willingness to embrace the principles that shaped them.
Syed Babar Ali's greatest contribution perhaps is not simply the companies he founded or the university he helped establish. It is the example he leaves behind: that nations are transformed not by extraordinary individuals alone, but by ordinary people committed to creating institutions that endure. That may well be the lesson that shapes Pakistan's next hundred years.
