Pakistan Autism, Health Sciences
& Research Foundation

Vice Admiral Dr. Ahmed Saeed, Hilal-i-Imtiaz (Military), is a distinguished maritime strategist and former senior officer of the Pakistan Navy, with more than four decades of experience in operational command, joint warfare, strategic planning, defense acquisition, international diplomacy and institutional leadership.

He has served as Chief of Staff to the Chief of the Naval Staff, overseeing key administrative, strategic and operational functions of the Pakistan Navy. His expertise encompasses maritime security, public policy, the blue economy, naval diplomacy, climate resilience and the development of national maritime institutions.

During his naval career, Vice Admiral Saeed held several important command, staff and project-management appointments. He served as Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (Projects-II), Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Operations), Director General Joint Warfare and Training at Joint Staff Headquarters, and Commander of the Pakistan Navy's Submarine Squadron.

His extensive experience in strategic defense acquisition included serving as Chief Project Director for the Chinese submarine acquisition program and as Head of Mission in France for the Agosta 90B submarine project. These assignments involved complex international negotiations, government-to-government coordination, strategic asset accountability, and the management of major national defense projects.

From 2022 to 2025, he served as President of the National Institute of Maritime Affairs (NIMA) at Bahria University, Islamabad. Under his leadership, the Institute was restructured into six specialized centers and 41 research desks, substantially strengthening its capacity for maritime research, policy analysis, and national outreach. He played a leading role in the formulation of the National Maritime Policy and the Pakistan Shipping Policy 2024, while advancing policy discourse on green shipping, sustainable ship recycling, fisheries, coastal tourism, marine biotechnology, renewable energy and Pakistan's wider blue-economy potential.

Vice Admiral Saeed has represented Pakistan at major international forums, including COP29, the Beijing Xiangshan Forum, AMAN Dialogue, the IISS-NESA South Asia Security Forum, the LIMA Maritime Conference, and maritime and ocean-governance engagements in China, the United Kingdom, Norway, South Korea, and Southeast Asia. He has also contributed to building institutional partnerships with the International Maritime Organization (IMO), International Labor Organization (ILO), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and International Committee of the Red Cross. His academic and policy engagements have included keynote addresses and lectures at the National Defence University (NDU), Pakistan Navy War College (PNWC), Bahria University, Fudan University, the Shanghai Institute of International Studies (SIIS) and several other national and international institutions.

Vice Admiral Saeed has co-authored publications on environmentally sound ship recycling, the law of the sea, South Asian maritime security and strategic stability. He regularly contributes articles to national and international publications and participates in television discussions and podcasts on evolving geopolitical, geostrategic, and maritime developments.

He is a graduate of the PNWC, the NDU in Islamabad and the Command and Staff College in Nanjing, China, and has undertaken specialized submarine-warfare training in France.

In recognition of his distinguished military service, he was awarded the Hilal-i-Imtiaz (Military), Sitara-i-Imtiaz (Military) and Tamgha-i-Imtiaz (Military). In 2025, the Netherlands Maritime University College, Malaysia, conferred upon him an honorary doctorate in Maritime Management in recognition of his contributions to Pakistan's maritime sector.

Vice Admiral Saeed's leadership on the Board of Governors at the Pakistan Autism, Health Sciences & Research Foundation (PAHSRF) adds significant strategic value, institutional guidance, and vision to the foundation's initiatives and community impact.

Dr. Tariq Rahim is a reproductive health consultant with over 35 years of extensive experience working with leading national and international NGOs and development partners.

He is currently the Managing Director of RH-AID, a consulting firm established in 2000, and has successfully led numerous national and provincial research studies, evaluations, surveys, and health assessments.

Throughout his extensive career, Dr. Rahim has provided critical technical leadership, strategic direction, and public health expertise to strengthen healthcare programs, community health initiatives, and development frameworks across Pakistan.

Dr. Rahim's active leadership and guidance on the Board of Governors at the Pakistan Autism, Health Sciences & Research Foundation (PAHSRF) brings invaluable public health insight, rigorous evaluation standards, and strategic depth to the foundation's mission of supporting children and families with special needs.

Rana Tariq Ali Khan is an experienced public sector professional who served as Director Human Rights (Social Welfare) at the Ministry of Human Rights, Government of Pakistan. He brings extensive expertise in human rights policy formulation and implementation, social welfare administration, disability rights and inclusion, and institutional coordination for the protection and promotion of rights of vulnerable segments including persons with disabilities and senior citizens.

Throughout his tenure at the Ministry of Human Rights, he supervised and coordinated key social welfare initiatives, implemented national policies and action plans related to human rights, Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) and vulnerable groups, and coordinated with the National Council on Rights of Persons with Disabilities and other statutory bodies. He has organized and managed national and international observances including the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD), International Day of Older Persons (IDOP), White Cane Safety Day, and Human Rights Day.

His major contributions include facilitating the distribution of certificates through Medical Assessment Boards, strengthening federal-provincial coordination on social protection issues for senior citizens, PWDs, and needy communities, and contributing to policy dialogue regarding the implementation of disability rights frameworks. He has also served as Section Officer at the Ministry of Water and Power and as Staff Officer to three Federal Ministers.

He holds an M.A. in Social Work from the University of Punjab and has completed advanced professional trainings in Human Rights & Disability Inclusion, Public Sector Management, Policy Planning & Governance, Poverty Alleviation, Project Planning and Management, and Community Development.

Rana Tariq Ali Khan's seasoned leadership, public sector insight, and strong dedication to social welfare and disability rights add immense value to the Pakistan Autism, Health Sciences & Research Foundation (PAHSRF) board and advisory framework.

Brigadier Jamil Ahmed Lakhiar (Retd) is a distinguished healthcare executive with over 31 years of commissioned service in the Armed Forces of Pakistan, bringing extensive experience in healthcare leadership, hospital and medical college administration, public health, health systems strengthening, medical education, institutional governance, infrastructure development, quality assurance, and multidisciplinary project leadership.

He has served as Commandant of a tertiary care Combined Military Hospital (CMH), holding direct executive responsibility for clinical, diagnostic, and emergency healthcare services provided to armed forces personnel, their families, and the wider civilian population. His responsibilities included institutional governance, clinical service quality, human resource management, financial administration, infrastructure development, and overall healthcare operations.

He previously served at the Karachi Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS), Malir Cantt, as Director Administration, Project Director, and Vice Principal, with executive responsibility for academic governance, institutional administration, organizational development, regulatory compliance, quality assurance, and undergraduate medical education coordination. During his tenure, he led major infrastructure development projects, including the construction of a Central Library, new lecture halls, a Nursing School, a Girls' Hostel, a Clinical Skills Laboratory, campus pathways, a new Gate No. 2, an expanded campus boundary wall, and a connecting gate between KIMS and the Auditorium. He also oversaw the renovation and conversion of existing facilities for institutional services and contributed to campus-wide solarization initiatives. Furthermore, he organized and managed KIMS's first convocation in 2023 and second convocation in 2024.

In 2024, he served as Director of the Armed Forces Hajj Medical Mission in Saudi Arabia, leading a 500-member multidisciplinary contingent of physicians, nurses, and paramedics providing medical and public health services to approximately 180,000 Pakistani pilgrims. He coordinated medical logistics, emergency response, and multidisciplinary field operations in a high-density, high-risk mass-gathering environment.

As Deputy Director (Colonel) at the GHQ Medical Directorate, General Headquarters, Pakistan Army, he oversaw Army-level public health affairs, directed medical fitness boards, developed medical standards for selection and commissioning, and contributed to health policy formulation during the COVID-19 pandemic. His operational experience includes commanding a Medical Battalion in Orakzai and Khyber Agencies, serving as Chief Pharmacy Incharge and Company Commander at CMH Quetta, heading the Accident & Emergency Department at CMH Peshawar, and leading supply chain operations at the Armed Forces Medical Stores Depot, Malir Cantt.

Brigadier Lakhiar has extensive international experience through United Nations Peacekeeping Missions in Kosovo (2000–2001) and Sudan (2006–2007). Academically, he holds an MBBS, Master of Public Health (MPH), Master of Audiology & Speech Pathology (MASP), MSc in Medical Administration, Diploma in Medical Administration, Diploma in Healthcare Management from Dow University of Health Sciences, and CHPE certification. He has served as Assistant Professor in Community Medicine at QIMS and KIMS, and contributed to scientific research on public health, Hajj medical operations, dengue, epidemiology, COVID-19, and health systems.

Brigadier Jamil Ahmed Lakhiar's profound leadership, public health expertise, and healthcare administration experience bring substantial strategic depth and governance to the Pakistan Autism, Health Sciences & Research Foundation (PAHSRF) Board and advisory framework.