Trustees

Abdullah Hussain Haroon completed his education from Karachi Grammar School and later from the University of Karachi. He began his early career in public service as Election Coordinator for Pakistan Muslim League in 1970. Later he served as Councilor, Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) (1979–1985); Trustee Karachi Port Trust (KPT) (1980–1982); Member Provincial Assembly of Sindh (1985–1988), Speaker, Provincial Assembly of Sindh (1985–1986); and leader of opposition, Provincial Assembly of Sindh (1986–1988).

In August 2008, Mr. Hussain Haroon was appointed as the Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations and served as the Pakistan Ambassador to the United Nations from September 2008 to October 2012.

He was also given the portfolios of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Security Division, Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Defence Production to assist the Caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nasirul Mulk in managing the country till the 2018 Pakistani general election.

A scion of the Haroon family, Mr. Haroon is a businessman, social activist and has been a board member of various educational institutes, sports associations and charity organizations. He has served as Consultant, Pakistan Herald Publications Limited (PHPL) (1988–1989); delegate to the United Nations General Assembly; Member to the Board of Governors, Institute of Business Administration, Karachi (1996–1999); Director Board of Directors Karachi Electric Supply Corporation (KESC) (1997–1999); Chairman, Griffith College Karachi (1999–2005) and President, Pakistan-China Business Forum (1999–2004). Formerly, the president of English Speaking Union of Pakistan and he has also had the distinction of being the youngest president of the elite Sind Club in Karachi.

Aliya Iqbal is a historian by training, committed to the development of education in Pakistan, particularly the furthering of humanistic learning. Ms. Aliya holds a BA and two MA degrees from Harvard University in the US and is in the process of completing her Ph.D. from the same institution in the field of Islamic Intellectual History with a focus on Indo-Muslim Civilizations. She has conducted research at major manuscript archives across India, Pakistan, Europe and the US. At Harvard, Aliya also undertook several pedagogical trainings, taught extensively at Harvard College and won three awards for “Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.”

She currently heads the Liberal Arts Programme at the Indus Valley School of Art & Architecture and is a Visiting Faculty at IBA. Always emanating a confident, elegant and eloquent persona Ms. Aliya Iqbal Naqvi has dabbled in various media fields since the late 1990s, from gracing international runways as model, anchoring Television news in both English and Urdu to freelancing as a presenter / moderator at public and professional events.

Saba Bilal Malik is a graduate of Lahore School of Management Sciences (LUMS) with majors in Accounting and Finance. She is an educationist and is currently working with one of the leading and prestigious educational institution in Dubai by the name of Kings School Dubai. She has worked with special educational needs and believes that learning should be facilitated for all.

Learning should be in a flourishing environment and emotional well-being of the students hold a key priority in the attainment of education. She strongly believes that with support and intervention all children can be helped to achieve greater progress and can reach untapped potential. She aims to offer her experience with SEND to aid an even more fulfilling learning experience.

Saba is the granddaughter of Malik Zafar Ullah Khan (late) who was the founding Chairman of the Education Trust. He along with his sister Mrs. Nasira Wazir Ali – Sitara -e-Imtiaz (late) laid the foundation of the Education Trust to undertake the dream of ‘education for all”.  She aims to carry on the legacy of her family and carry the becon for the benefit of the younger generation.

Prof. Dr. Farhan Essa Abdullah is a Clinical Microbiologist and the Managing Director and CEO of Dr Essa Laboratories and Diagnostic Center, one of the largest Medical Diagnostic chains in Sindh with an ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management Certification.

He holds an MBBS degree (Gold Medalist), MPhil and a Ph.D. and has received the “Top 100 CEOs of Pakistan Award” multiple times including many other awards for Management, Health, Sports, Entrepreneurship, Environment, Fire & Safety, Education & Corporate Social Responsibility.

He has served as Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at the Dow University of Health Sciences, where he was also a member of the Research Advisory Committee. He has been involved in various professional bodies that work towards improving the health care services in Pakistan serving as Chairman of the National Standing Committee of Hospital, Clinics, and Laboratories of FPCCI (Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industries of Pakistan).

Some other accolades include; Vice President of the Pakistan Medical Association Karachi, Member Management Committee Red Crescent Sindh, Joint Secretary Pakistan Society for Microbiology, Member Bio-Safety Association of Pakistan, Member National Polio Plus Committee, Life member College of Family Medicine Pakistan, Member Board of Advance Studies and Research of Microbiology and Biomedical Dept of FUUST, ZABIST, BHU and Member Advisory Committee for Post Graduate Diploma in Health Care Management Center for Executive Education to name a few.

He has served as Chairman Sindh Consumer Association of Pakistan working for consumer rights and awareness and is a life time member at PILAP – Public Interest Law Association of Pakistan. He is also the Joint Secretary of the Karachi Vocational and Training Centre for the intellectually disabled transforming them into able contributors in the community. Dr. Essa is a member of the Board of Trustees of “Make a Wish Foundation” for terminally ill children.

Dr. Essa has published a number of research articles in scientific journals and presented data in numerous local and International Conferences. He is deeply involved in Corporate Social Responsibility activities to help the less fortunate members of the community.

He is a sports enthusiast and has been Involved in the promotion of sports specially table tennis, tennis, swimming, basketball, hockey, bridge, darts, polo, horse races, fencing, sepaktakraw, golf, soft tennis and rugby. Currently Vice President of Sindh Soft ball Association, he has also served as the Chairman of Karachi Table Tennis Association and is currently a Member of the Advisory Panel to President Pakistan Table Tennis Federation.

Dr. Essa is a Member and Governor Nominee for year 2020-21 of Rotary International and served as the Chairman of various District Committees.

Entrepreneur, educationist and philanthropist, Amir Fancy draws upon his experience of the past 25

years in working for and establishing successful business ventures in the Middle East and Pakistan. His

vision is simple – to continue and further build the dual legacy established by his grandparents. His late

paternal grandfather, Amirali Fancy, patriarch of the Fancy family (a well respected and successful

business family who had migrated from East Africa in order to set up industry, business and

philanthrophy in the newly born nation state of Pakistan) as well as from his maternal grandmother,

Nasra Wazir Ali (recipient of the Sitara e Imtiaz – third highest civilian meritorious award in recognition

for her lifelong service to education in Pakistan.) An entrepreneurial spirit inherited from both sides of

his lineage give him a unique advantage and a deep personal insight towards building organizations and institutions with a core focus to lead for the future.

As Chairman and CEO of the Fancy Group he manages businesses ranging from industrial management services and catering, to chemicals and schools in Pakistan. As Chairman of the Fancy Foundation established in 1960, he promotes and supports educational and health initiatives for the deserving and needy in Pakistan having recently established a first of its kind endowment for higher secondary education scholarships with the Aga Khan University.

As Managing Trustee of the Education Trust Nasra Schools, established as a not for profit trust in 1949, he manages a large chain of schools in the mid to low income areas of Karachi which currently provide good quality, low cost English medium education to approximately 11,000 deserving children. Working with Pakistan Bait ulMaal, he put together a program to educate 100 orphans at the Nasra Schools for their entire education right from pre-primary up to the Matric board level exams. He has partnered with various related stakeholders and organizations like Teach for Pakistan, Right to Play, Karachi Youth Initiative, British Council, iEarn and student exchange programs, The Asia Foundation, ISESCO, Pakistan Science Foundation, Pakistan Cricket Board, School of Leadership and Ilmka Safar among others, to create value and build momentum through regular programs such as professional trainings and creative development programs for the teaching and student communities.

With a strong foothold in building the not-for-profit Education Trust Nasra Schools (ETNS), Amir moved

on to found and manage a private venture along the same low cost model, the Nasra Public School (NPS), which was established in 2004 under the Patronage of Nasra Wazir Ali. As the CEO of NPS, he has lead the growth, development and execution of the company’s long term strategy and continues to be responsible for delivering on both NPS’s academic and financial goals. Bringing a powerful social flavor to entrepreneurship, at this stage he leads the venture for future expansion and growth in partnership with strategic investors like the Acumen Fund.

Amir is passionate about creating a social impact with a quest to grow, earn, learn and then give back. His various personal commitments to actively serving on several boards is a testimony to his personal

mandate. A member of the Rotary Club of Pakistan Sunset Millennium, Amir has served as its President

in 2009-2010 for which he was recognized with the Best President Award for the Pakistan and Afghan

region. Further, his club was voted the Best Club in Pakistan for their valuable contribution through their

innovative community outreach programs. He has the honor of being a highly recognized Paul Harris

Fellow in Rotary International as well.

He is also a founding member of the Relief Outreach Programme Trust (ROPE) which was very active in

their humanitarian relief efforts during the tragic earthquakes that shook Pakistan in 2010. In addition, he is a founding member of the recently established Victims’ Assistance Fund (VAF) that aims to build bridges by acting as a primary contact for the rehabilitation of terror related victims and their families. Currently, he also serves on the Advisory Board of IlmKa Safar ( a platform that supports teacher training initiatives)

As a member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO) Pakistan Gold Chapter and one of the founding members of YPO Capital Pakistan Chapter, Amir has also has served as on its Board as the Education Chair for Karachi. He is also a member of the Project Management Association (PMI) USA and a Charter Member of PMI Islamabad Chapter. He is an Oxford Business Alumni – having completed the Oxford University Social Finance, Impact Investing and Impact Measurement Programs at Said Business School. He is a Certified Director having completed the Director Training program and test by the SECP approved Pakistan Institute for Corporate Governance.

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Amir is a patron of the Annual Shaukat Ali Fancy Memorial Tennis Championships at the prestigious Sind Club; A PADI certified open sea scuba diver and an avid James Bond and Godfather movie aficionado.

Shahnaz Wazir Ali has an illustrious career as an educationist, development policy specialist, a member of the Pakistan People’s Party twice elected to National Assembly of Pakistan, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Social Sector and as a well known women’s right activist. She served as a Senior Education Specialist on the World Bank; held the position of Minister of State for Education, Govt. of Pakistan; and is on the Board of a number of prestigious national and international organizations, trusts, advisory councils, educational boards, and universities including SZABIST. 

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Shahnaz Wazir Ali has represented Pakistan at international conferences and as a highly valued speaker for national seminars, forums, conferences on education, health, womens’ development, population, and poverty alleviation. She has been a champion of numerous social causes such as education for all, women’s rights, Polio eradication in Pakistan. 

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Currently she is Provincial Coordinator for the Government of Sindh for all primary health care programs including maternal and child health and Family Planning Programs. She is also the President of the Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Sciences and Technology. It’s a university with four Campuses in different cities of Pakistan and 1 Campus in Dubai. SZABIST has a student enrollment of 6500 students. These two positions reflect her deep, abiding and long term commitment to Health & Education. 

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As a social activist dedicated to the cause of advancy women’s right along with human rights & women rights activist in the early 1980’s she was in van guard of the women’s rights movement in Pakistan that fought against the 11 year long dictatorship of General Zia-ul-Haq. 1986 She joined the Pakistan People’s Party led by the martyred Benazir Bhutto (twice Prime Minister of Pakistan) and was elected twice to the National Parliament of Pakistan. 

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From 1988 to 1990, 1993 to 1996 and 2008-13 she had the unique opportunity to serve in key decision making positions in government, in the first term as Member of the National Assembly elected on the reserved seat for women and Federal Minister of State for Education and subsequently, in the second and third term, as Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Social Sectors. From 1997-2001, she served as the Senior Education Specialist at the World Bank in Islamabad. Her career in and commitment to education can be traced back to 1965, when she commenced teaching primary school children of deprived communities in Karachi, and subsequently spent about 15 years in teaching and administrative positions in the private sector, which included being Principal at the Lahore American School. She is also a Trustee of the Education Trust which runs Nasra Schools for children of low-income families in Karachi and provides K10 education to more than 10,000 students. 

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From 1997-2001, she served as the Senior Education Specialist at the World Bank in Islamabad. Her principal assignment was to provide policy, program and technical advice and assistance to the Federal and the 4 Provincial governments to facilitate the implementation of the countrywide Education Sector Social Action Program (SAP). It was in this period of her career that she was very actively involved in the planning for transforming the concept of an institutionalized National Education Assessment System (NEAS) within the Ministry of Education into a reality, for monitoring and improving the quality of education in Pakistan. 

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Ms. Wazir Ali holds a Master’s Degree in Education from the University of Arkansas, USA and also a Master’s Degree in Education Administration from Trenton College, New Jersey, USA. In addition, she has a Diploma in Principal’s Certification from Harvard University, Cambridge, USA. Her Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication is from the American University, Washington, D.C. All her basic schooling has been in Pakistani schools in Rawalpindi and Karachi. 

ETNS TRUSTEE Since 2024

Mr. Tahir Ali brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the Education Trust Nasra School (ETNS) as a trustee. With a distinguished career spanning over several decades, Mr. Ali has made significant contributions to various fields, including humanitarian diplomacy, refugee protection, and emergency aid operations. He has served in senior-level positions at the United Nations and advised multilateral humanitarian and development agencies, offering strategic guidance and direction in complex crisis situations across the globe.

Mr. Ali’s professional journey began with a strong academic foundation, earning him degrees in social anthropology from prestigious institutions in the United States. Prior to his UN career, he engaged in teaching and research, demonstrating a commitment to academic excellence and social development. Throughout his tenure at the UN, Mr. Ali directed aid operations in conflict and post-conflict environments, advocating for the rights and well-being of vulnerable populations.

In addition to his humanitarian endeavors, Mr. Ali has been actively involved in various professional bodies and associations aimed at improving healthcare services and promoting consumer rights and awareness in Pakistan. He has received numerous awards and accolades for his contributions to management, healthcare, sports, entrepreneurship, and corporate social responsibility, reflecting his diverse and impactful career.

Mr. Ali’s dedication extends beyond professional pursuits, as evidenced by his involvement in community service initiatives, including vocational training for the intellectually disabled and supporting terminally ill children through the Make a Wish Foundation. A passionate sports enthusiast, Mr. Ali has played a pivotal role in promoting sports activities and fostering talent development across multiple disciplines.

As an ETNS trustee, Mr. Tahir Ali brings a unique blend of expertise, compassion, and leadership, furthering the school’s mission of providing quality education and empowering future generations. His commitment to social justice, education, and community welfare aligns seamlessly with the values and objectives of ETNS.

Towfiq Habib Chinoy is a businessperson who founded International Steels Ltd. and who has been at the head of 10 different companies.

He is Chairman at Packages Ltd. and Chief Executive Officer for Yaqin Steels Ltd. Mr. Chinoy is also on the board of 14 other companies.

In the past Mr. Chinoy was Chairman at Pakistan Cables Ltd., Chairman of Jubilee General Insurance Co. Ltd., CEO, Director & Managing Director at International Industries Ltd. and Non-Executive Chairman at International Steels Ltd. (a subsidiary of International Industries Ltd.), Member-Engineering Development Board at Government of Pakistan, Manager for Bombay Garage Pvt Ltd., Chairman at HBL Growth Fund, Chairman at PICIC Commercial Bank Ltd., Non-Executive Chairman of HBL Investment Fund and Chairman-Governors Board at Indus Valley School of Art & Architecture.

He is the Non-Executive Director at Standard Chartered Pakistan and Non-Executive Chairman of the Board at Packages.