Lakhani family net worth is estimated at more than billion in published reports, with Sultan Ali Lakhani’s own share put at about 0 million, which places the family 12th on the A1 Blogs Rich List 2026. Through the Lakson Group, the family is behind Colgate-Palmolive Pakistan, McDonald’s Pakistan, the Express Media Group, Century Paper and the airline Fly Jinnah.
#12A1 Rich List- Net worth
- Est. $1B+ (Published estimates (family wealth))
- Source of wealth
- Lakson Group
- Industry
- Consumer goods, media, food, aviation
- Self-made or inherited
- Family business
- Citizenship
- Pakistan
- Residence
- Karachi
Table of Contents
Lakhani family net worth in 2026
Published estimates put the Lakhani family’s combined net worth above $1 billion, with Sultan Ali Lakhani individually estimated at around $800 million. These are estimates: Lakson Group companies range from listed firms such as Colgate-Palmolive Pakistan and Century Paper and Board Mills to private businesses in food, media and travel, whose values are not published.
How the Lakson Group began
The Lakson Group was started in Karachi in 1954 and has been built up over the following decades by the Lakhani family. Brothers including Sultan Ali Lakhani and Iqbal Ali Lakhani led its growth from trading into manufacturing, consumer goods and services. Iqbal Ali Lakhani chairs the group today.
Sultan Ali Lakhani also served in the Senate of Pakistan from 1988 to 1994 and received the Hilal-i-Imtiaz in 2012.
Lakson Group companies
The group’s interests are unusually wide for a Pakistani family business:
- Colgate-Palmolive Pakistan: toothpaste, soap and detergents such as Colgate, Palmolive, Max and Brite
- Century Paper and Board Mills: packaging board and paper
- Express Media Group: the Express News TV channel and newspapers including The Express Tribune
- McDonald’s Pakistan: the group operates the McDonald’s franchise in Pakistan
- Clover Pakistan and Merit Packaging: food products and printing and packaging
- Century Insurance: general insurance
- Princeton Travels and Cybernet: travel services and internet services for businesses
- NayaPay: a digital wallet and payments app
- Fly Jinnah: a low-cost airline set up with Air Arabia
- Sybrid: business process outsourcing
For many years the group also owned Lakson Tobacco, which it sold to Philip Morris International in 2007.
Why the group is different
Most large Pakistani family groups grew from one heavy industry such as textiles, cement or fertiliser. Lakson grew by partnering with international brands and building consumer-facing businesses around them: soap and toothpaste, fast food, news and, more recently, airline travel and mobile payments. That mix gives it exposure to everyday spending across Pakistan’s cities.
If you use a digital wallet such as NayaPay, our guide to online fraud in Pakistan explains how to keep your account safe.
Lakson in everyday life
Few business families touch daily life in Pakistan as widely as the Lakhanis. A typical day in a Karachi or Lahore household could easily involve several Lakson businesses: brushing your teeth with Colgate, washing clothes with Brite or Max, reading The Express Tribune or watching Express News, ordering from McDonald’s, paying a bill through NayaPay, and flying to another city on Fly Jinnah.
That consumer reach is unusual among Pakistan’s largest groups, most of which sell to other businesses: cement to builders, fertiliser to farmers or power to the national grid. It also means Lakson’s fortunes rise and fall with household spending, inflation and the strength of the rupee, rather than with government contracts.
The group’s partnerships with Colgate-Palmolive, McDonald’s, Air Arabia and other international names show a long-running strategy of pairing global brands with local management and distribution. When readers ask about Lakhani family net worth, the honest answer is that it is spread across dozens of such companies, many of them private.
Frequently asked questions
Who owns the Lakson Group?
The Lakhani family of Karachi. Iqbal Ali Lakhani is the chairman.
Does the Lakson Group own McDonald’s Pakistan?
Yes. The group operates the McDonald’s franchise in Pakistan.
Which newspapers does the Lakhani family own?
Through the Express Media Group, it owns The Express Tribune, the Daily Express and the Express News channel.
What is the Lakhani family net worth?
More than $1 billion according to published estimates, with Sultan Ali Lakhani’s share put at about $800 million.
See the full list of the richest people in Pakistan. An overview of the group is on Wikipedia.
