LAHORE/LONDON: The Punjab government has appointed Ali Dar as Punjab’s Minister on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Special Initiatives, effectively creating a new department mandated to drive innovation-led policy, technology adoption, and artificial intelligence–based initiatives across the province.
According to a notification issued by the Punjab government, Ali Dar will act as an Adviser to the Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz. Advisers enjoy the status and powers of a provincial cabinet minister and have the ability to attend Punjab Assembly sessions as per the prevailing law.
The government sources said that Ali Dar in his ministerial role will focus on developing and implementing forward-looking projects aimed at improving governance, creating jobs, improving delivery, with a particular emphasis on emerging technologies and AI-enabled solutions.
Ali Dar has an academic background in science and technology. He studied at University College London (UCL) and 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 PMLN government won the elections in 2024, Ali Dar 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 PMLN’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 Dar 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.
Ali Dar is married to Asma Nawaz Sharif, daughter of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and younger sister of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif. He is the eldest son of Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister. Ali Dar along with his wife and children remained with Ishaq Dar and Nawaz Sharif during their period in UK prior to their return to Pakistan, around three years ago. In the private sector, Ali Dar 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 with its focus on real estate development. The group’s business operations are now overseen by Ali’s younger brother, Hasnain Dar.
