In the year 2000, several Mirs, belonging to the Khairpur branch of Talpurs, requested Prince Mir Mehdi Raza Talpur to start an NGO for the protection of the Heritage of the Khairpur Dynasty. Being distant cousins to the prince, many possessed historic properties such as ornate royal residences, arms and armor, furniture, and antiques that needed restoration & preservation. Similarly, the prince also wished to protect forts and residences of his father, the present head of the dynasty and the last Talpur Sovereign of Khairpur, His Highness Sarkar Mir Ali Murad Khan Talpur. Furthermore, he also desired that this conservation should extend to the protection of Wildlife and their habitat as the family was already engaged in doing so at great personal financial sacrifice. The forests being protected are the last remains of the natural heritage of Sindh, which has been mostly extinguished by the corrupt Govt. of Pakistan since it annexed Khairpur in 1955. The few tiny forests left are the property of Mir Ali Murad.

After the ‘takeover’ of Khairpur, Pakistan broke its treaty with the Mir and by one excuse or the other seized most of those assets of the royal family that were a source of private income such as businesses and agricultural concerns. (Refer to Recent History – About Khairpur). Left in a financial crisis, the forts and palaces began to crumble, the wildlife killed off by poachers and the unprotected forests cut down by thieves in search of wood to steal and sell.

The idea, originally, was to convert the natural and architectural heritage into businesses that could earn from tourism, however, although Khairpur had been a significantly more prosperous and peaceful state than Pakistan before its annexation; as a district in Pakistan it has become one of the most lawless and dangerous places in this new country. Tourists are forbidden to visit Khairpur by the Pakistan govt. itself, making such a business useless. As a result, with reluctance it was decided to form The NGO- “Khairpur Heritage Foundation,” that could collect funds from abroad and help preserve the heritage. When news of this reached some of the Prince’s former subjects they demanded that he should add welfare activities to the objectives of the foundation. They felt that officials and rulers of the Pakistan govt. were completely corrupt and did not even provide for the basic necessities of life and that perhaps an NGO could provide some relief. Hence, The Khairpur Heritage and Welfare NGO came into being in 2001.

However, the NGO remained inactive, primarily due to several crises faced by the prince over the last decade where he had to and still is defending the last remains of his family’s income providing assets from being taken over by corrupt bureaucrats of the Pakistan Govt. From time to time, a valuable asset would have its property deed illegally altered by corrupt officials; it is suspected, to enrich political or military heavy weights. This would start a prolonged legal battle in a country where the courts are mostly corrupt as well. Nevertheless, the royal family’s prestige, high profile, and die hard loyal friends keep the corruption under limits, but still such matters are prince’s major concern.

Despite his limited means, the prince is involved in social activities at a personal level. He has provided two of his properties for schools to other organizations on the condition that they will provide economical education to the poor, their monthly fees being 100 Rupees only. Another building has been provided to the Indus Resource Center NGO to support the training of women to become economically independent. Yet another property worth around a Million British Pounds has been granted to APWA (All Pakistan Women’s Association) for similar progressive activity. Two clinics have been established and funded to provide free medical care to the poor that have so far attended to over 800,000. patients for free.