KARACHI: Renowned Pakistani architect Habib Fida Ali passed away on Saturday. He was 81.

Family and friends of Fida Ali said he was unwell for quite a few weeks and bre­athed his last in the first half of Sat­urday. He was later buried in the afternoon in the Bohra graveyard.

Regarded as pioneer of modern architecture in the country, Fida Ali was born in 1935 in Karachi and acquired early education in the city. He joined Aitchison College before leaving for Architectural Association in London, where he was awarded Associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects.

He returned to Karachi in the mid-1960s and joined a US architect, William Perry, who was practicing in those days in the metropolis.

After a few years, he set up his own firm and executed several outstanding architectural projects.

“In Pakistan modern architecture was introduced in 1960s and Habib Fida Ali, without a shadow of a doubt, was among the pioneers of modern architecture in Pakistan,” said Dr Noman Ahmed, head of the department of architecture and planning at the NED Univ­ersity of Engineering and Technology.

“His theory of simplicity and usage of material in its original form with all its inheritance and quality was his distinction. The Sui Southern Gas Company Ltd head office near Hasan Square and the Shell Pakistan building in Clifton are a few among several outstanding projects he had completed.”

Published in Dawn, January 8th, 2017