Dawn Images

Internationally renowned Pakistani architect and conservationist Yasmeen Lari has turned down the Wolf Prize (2025) in architecture because of Israeli atrocities in Gaza. The prize instituted in Israel in 1978 is given on an annual basis to scientists and artists for their outstanding accomplishments, and its objective is to promote ‘friendly relations among people’.

Talking to Dawn, Ms Lari said, “I had to do it. I had no choice. I had to. What can we do otherwise? Our hands are tied. We are sitting here… far, far away from them [people in the Middle East]. Therefore, I think one must tell where one stands.”

Ms Lari, who has been consistently doing excellent work in the field of architecture, is the first woman who registered herself as an architect in Pakistan. Apart from designing magnificent structures, her endeavours aimed at the well-being of the underprivileged has earned her recognition all around the world.

“Main ghareebon ky liye kaam kerti hun [I work for the underprivileged],” said the architect, who a couple of years back helped construct thousands of low-cost one-room homes for those affected by the floods in Sindh.

Ms Lari has already been the recipient of some prestigious awards, including the 2023 Royal Gold Medal for Architecture given by the British monarch on the recommendation of the Royal Institute of British Architects. She also won the Jane Drew Prize in 2020.

Her contribution to conserving Karachi’s heritage is widely acknowledged as well. Her book The Dual City: Karachi During the Raj published by Oxford University Press in 1996 is a seminal work on Karachi’s colonial history, its architecture and its people.

She was one of the first conservationists to draw attention of history buffs and the authorities concerned to the remarkable historicity of the city by the sea.

Originally published in Dawn, March 13th, 2025