Ali Dar defends political legacy, vows to make Punjab South Asia's leading AI hub

Ali Mustafa Dar, Adviser to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Artificial Intelligence and Special Initiatives, has asserted that his family suffered unprecedented victimisation under Imran Khan’s regime and during the previous governments, when Nawaz Sharif was removed three times from power under various circumstances.

In an interview, Ali said the criticism directed at the children of politicians for taking up public offices is sometimes misplaced and without merit. He gave examples of how his own family – his father and Deputy Premier Ishaq Dar, his father-in-law Nawaz Sharif and his family — were victimised due to their politics — facing imprisonment, exile, and public scrutiny.

Ali said: “If a doctor’s child becomes a doctor, no one objects. If a teacher’s child becomes a teacher, no one questions it. If someone from a military family joins the army, it is considered natural. Similarly, children raised in political households grow up hearing discussions about politics every day. They learn public engagement, leadership, and civic responsibility naturally through their environment. It is only natural that they may develop an inclination to enter politics or serve the country.”

The CM’s advisor said: “In 2017, our home in Lahore was turned into a shelter by the PTI government. Our charitable organisations had their accounts frozen. My father Ishaq Dar was banned from appearing on television through PEMRA restrictions. We were denied the opportunity to present our perspective to the public. By the grace of God, we had done nothing wrong, and time proved it. The courts proved that Dar was completely innocent and that the allegations against him were baseless.”

Ali worked with Nawaz when he was in exile for nearly three years from 2019 onwards and helped him to activate the party’s political office.

Responding to criticism in some circles on his appointment in the Punjab cabinet, Ali said people often raise a completely misplaced objection in today’s environment. He explained: “They say that if someone is the child of a politician, they should automatically be questioned or treated with suspicion. But the child of a politician also goes through hardships, like no other, as we did. A culture has developed in which, if you are born into a political family, you are subjected to constant scrutiny, regardless of whether you hold public office.”

Ali said he decided to take up the role in Punjab government to serve Pakistan’s largest province.

“When I returned to Pakistan two years ago — after my parents went back in 2022 — my wife and I decided that we would stay where our parents were. Although I had built a successful real estate development career in Dubai since 2003, and was doing very well there, we chose to return permanently in 2024. My father has always treated public office as an act of worship and service to the country. Mian Sahib has always advised that serving the people sincerely is among the highest forms of devotion. With that same resolve, I accepted the responsibility entrusted to me. With God’s will, we will succeed in our mission to serve. The portfolio that has been assigned focuses on Artificial Intelligence and Special Initiatives, its a broad domain that can encompass projects across multiple sectors.

“The vision is clear: Punjab should not only lead within Pakistan but become the most AI-enabled province in the entire South Asian region. This is an ambitious but achievable objective. If implemented effectively, AI integration can optimise public services, enhance productivity, reduce inefficiencies, strengthen data-driven governance, and attract high-value investment. Punjab has already undergone significant transformation in recent years. With sustained commitment in this tenure, AI-led reform has the potential to fundamentally reimagine the province — reshaping service delivery, institutional performance, and economic growth through intelligent systems embedded across sectors.”

Ali has an academic background in science and technology. He studied at University College London (UCL) and the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST) where he earned a Software Engineering degree. After studying at Aitchison College, Lahore, he moved to the United Kingdom in the year 2000 for higher education.

Since the PML-N government won the elections in 2024, Ali has been involved in a lot of pro-bono country-related work behind the scenes. Having worked successfully internationally for more than two decades, he reportedly played a pivotal role in facilitating many high-level international engagements in PML-N's current term in office through convincing many of his personal contacts to visit and invest in Pakistan, including arranging visits to Pakistan — both Islamabad and Lahore — by senior global business figures from the tech and real estate industry.

Ali has also been a prominent advocate for autism awareness in Pakistan. He has been associated with initiatives supporting children with autism and has won praise for highlighting autism-related issues on social media, often referencing his personal experience as the father of his son, Ibrahim, who is aged 18 and has autism.

He is married to Asma Nawaz Sharif, daughter of former prime minister Nawaz and younger sister of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz. He is the eldest son of Senator Ishaq Dar — the country's deputy prime minister and foreign minister.

Ali, along with his wife and children, remained with Dar and Nawaz during their period in the UK before their return to Pakistan, around three years ago.

In the private sector, Ali is the founder of HDS Group of Companies, of which he also remained the CEO till 2024 before moving back to Pakistan for good. HDS Group is a prominent business conglomerate in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with its focus on real estate development. The group’s business operations are now overseen by Ali's younger brother, Hasnain Dar.