Pakistan appoints 48 prominent business figures as Ambassadors at Large

ISLAMABAD: The Government of Pakistan has appointed 48 prominent business figures as Ambassadors at Large and announced the issuance of official/gratis passports to these distinguished individuals.

This decision follows the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) authorization as stated in their letter dated April 9, 2024, which recognizes these compliant taxpayers for their contributions.

In a notification issued on June 28, the Prime Minister of Pakistan has approved the issuance of these passports to the following individuals:

1. Shahzad Saleem
2. Asghar Ali
3. Syed Asad Hussain Zaidi
4. Muhammad Maqsood
5. Jehanzaib
6. Mian Umer Mansha
7. Murtaza Ahmed
8. Shahid Rathore
9. Asif Peer
10. Wasif Sattar
11. Waseem Ahmed
12. Nadeem Ahmed
13. Zulfiqar Ali Khan
14. Abubakar Hanif
15. Naveed Amer
16. Hasan Saleem
17. Abdul Rehman
18. Ali Asrar Hussain Agha
19. Muhammad Abdullah
20. Asif Jooma
21. Mian Dad
22. Mujtaba
23. Mohsin Aziz
24. Faisal Garib
25. Ahmed Muhammad
26. Hira Butt
27. Huma Arshad
28. Saif Javed
29. Salma Sultana
30. Mohammad Ahmad Mahjoob
31. Zahid Garib
32. Mustafa Bin Talha
33. Daniel Ahmed
34. Ahmed Ashraf Mukaty
35. Rehman Naseem
36. Misbah Burney
37. Umar Ur Rehman Butt
38. Khalid Mahmood
39. Syed Muhammad Taha
40. Nadeem Akhtar
41. Mian Mohammad Mansha
42. Nazimuddin Feroz
43. Imtiaz Hussain
44. Jarrar Hussain Awan
45. Tauseef Nawaz
46. Khalid Yousuf
47. Mirza Javaid Iqbal
48. Ali Zafar Naqvi

These passports will be valid for two years. The Directorate General of Immigration & Passports has instructed the zonal heads in Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta, Multan, and Lahore to expedite the issuance process.

According to the notification available with Daily Ausaf, this initiative aims to recognize and encourage the efforts of compliant taxpayers who have shown exceptional dedication and service.

The government hopes that acknowledging these individuals will inspire others to contribute positively to the nation’s development.

However, the appointment of these taxpayers as Ambassador at Large has raised serious concerns as nepotism has definitely been done in appointing them.

There are many other top taxpayers across the country who were ignored including the notable former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, prominent businessmen Javed Afridi, Mossadeq Zulqarnain, Tariq Aziz Channa, Muhammad Haroon Mehmood, Tariq Rafi and others.

Most of them, who were appointed Ambassador at Large, has alleged political affiliation such as Mian Mansha’s son Mian Umar Mansha and Mustafa Bin Talha, son of former Senator Talha Mehmood.

These 48 prominent personalities are somehow linked to allegedly powerful circles, otherwise there is a long list of public tax payers in Pakistan.