Meet man, who dropped out of school mid way, became a clerk, now one of the wealthiest persons in Pakistan

Malik Riaz Hussain is Pakistani real estate mogul, is the founder of Bahria Town It is Pakistan's largest privately owned development company.

He was born into a middle-class family, his father was a private contractor. His father was a businessman, but his business failed. So Riaz had to drop out of school after matriculation. He began working as a clerk with the Military Engineering Service (MES) in Rawalpindi. Besides this job Riaz also worked part-time as a painter.

In 1995, he founded his own construction firm, Hussain Global, and entered into an agreement with the Pakistan Navy's benevolent trust, Bahria Foundation. It was to construct a gated community for the Navy. But the agreement was terminated in 2000.

When Malik Riaz's deal with the army expired, the Bahria Foundation of the Navy sent a legal notice to Riaz and requested him not to use terms such as Bahria, Maritime, and Navy in his company's construction work.

In 2001, the Supreme Court of Pakistan passed a landmark judgment in his favor, legalizing the use of the name 'Bahria'. Bahria Town has since then developed large-scale projects in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Murree, and Karachi. Bahria Town Karachi 2 is presently the biggest private development project in Pakistan.

As per media reports, Malik Riaz's net worth is estimated to be over $2.5 billion as of 2025. His portfolio and working projects within Bahria Town add to his wealth. 

Malik Riaz has twice been married. His first wife died when he was still young, and after some time, he married Beena Riaz. The two have one son and four daughters. His son, Ahmed Ali Riaz, born in 1978, is the CEO of Bahria Town.