Elektrotechnik's Iqrarul Haq on 40+ Years as Schneider Electric's Pakistan Distributor — and What Lies Ahead for the Electrical Industry

Engr. Iqrarul Haq, founder and CEO of Elektrotechnik, has spent more than four decades building one of Pakistan's most respected names in the electrical distribution sector. Founded in 1982-83, Elektrotechnik is among the longest-serving Schneider Electric distributors in Pakistan — a relationship that has anchored the introduction of high-quality electrical solutions across the country's industrial, commercial, and infrastructure projects. In an extended Engineering Post interview, Haq reflected on his career, the company's evolution, and where he sees Pakistan's electrical industry heading.

The career arc

Haq's academic foundation set the trajectory. He graduated as a gold medallist from NED University, one of Pakistan's premier engineering institutions, and immediately received a scholarship for postgraduate studies in Germany. "That opportunity changed my life," he said. "Studying in Germany exposed me to advanced engineering concepts and international standards. I secured third position in my class, which opened further doors for my professional career."

After completing his studies, he joined AEG in Germany, where he worked for six years and gained substantial industrial experience. AEG sent him back to Pakistan as a coordinator for a team of twenty engineers tasked with establishing the manufacturing facility of Pak Elektron Ltd — the project that ultimately validated his leadership and technical capabilities and led him to start Elektrotechnik in 1982.

The founding vision

Elektrotechnik was founded with a specific objective: bring advanced electrical technology and reliable products to the Pakistani market at a time when domestic supply was dominated by either local trading houses without engineering depth or sporadic direct-imports without after-sales support. Haq's German training and AEG industrial experience let him bridge that gap.

The company's relationship with Schneider Electric grew organically over the following decades. By the early 2000s, Elektrotechnik had become one of Schneider's most established Pakistan distributors, with deep technical capability across power distribution, switchgear, automation, and energy-management products.

Technical depth as differentiation

Haq emphasised that Elektrotechnik's strong technical understanding has been the single biggest reason behind its growth: "In this business, selling products alone is not enough. Customers expect knowledge, support and confidence. We always focused on building technical strength within our organisation."

That positioning is increasingly relevant. As Pakistan's electrical-and-automation needs have grown more sophisticated — building management systems, energy-efficiency-driven retrofits, smart-grid components, integration with renewable energy — the gap between technically-deep distributors and pure trading houses has widened. Haq's view: the trading houses without engineering capability will continue to lose specification share to channels that can actually guide consultants and end users through complex technical decisions.

The case for continuous training

Haq made an emphatic case for technical training as the single most important factor for Pakistan's electrical industry: "The most important factor for market improvement is technical training. Every company should invest in seminars, workshops and continuous learning for engineers. Technology is changing rapidly, and employees must stay updated with the latest systems and products."

For Elektrotechnik, that translates into structured internal programmes: regular Schneider Electric product certifications, workshops on emerging product lines, and active engagement with engineering universities including NED, GIK, and UET on graduate-level recruitment and training partnerships.

Optimism about Schneider's Pakistan future

Asked about Schneider Electric's outlook in Pakistan, Haq was direct: "I see a very bright future for Schneider Electric in Pakistan because of its exceptional quality and reliability." His framing builds on Schneider's expanding Pakistan presence — the recent EV charger launch via SBEEC, the Schneider Marketplace and Partner Locator tools to fight counterfeit products, the panel-builder localisation programme, and the ongoing introduction of type-tested platforms like PIX Easy through partners including Green T&D.

From an Elektrotechnik perspective, all of that translates into a deeper product pipeline to bring to Pakistani consultants and end users — and a stronger brand-protection envelope that benefits authorised distributors specifically.

The bigger picture

Elektrotechnik's 40+ year arc tells a structural story about how Pakistan's electrical industry actually scales: through long-tenured distributor partnerships with international brands, anchored by founders with deep engineering training, building technical capability layer by layer over decades rather than through transactional channels. The companies that have done it well — Elektrotechnik with Schneider, Mubashar Electric with Legrand, Jubilee Corporation with its 35+ brand portfolio — have built durable positions that newer, less-deep channels struggle to displace.