President Asif Ali Zardari has conferred Pakistan’s highest civilian award – the Hilal-e-Imtiaz – upon Dubai-based Pakistani-origin businessman Umar Farooq Zahoor in recognition of his services for the state of Pakistan, mainly for bringing foreign direct investment worth hundreds of millions of US Dollars.
President Asif Ali Zardari had approved the Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Crescent of Excellence) for Umar Farooq Zahoor in August last year. Farooq was among over 100 individuals, both Pakistani and foreign, who received the civil awards on Sunday at the special presidential investiture ceremony held at the President House in connection with Pakistan Day.
Umar Farooq Zahoor was conferred with the civil award Hilal-e-Imtiaz by the president of Pakistan in acknowledgment of his efforts and meritorious services in bringing hundreds of millions of dollars in country as direct foreign investment from overseas. The government sources said that Zahoor had brought over hundreds of millions in direct foreign investment to Pakistan in the last three years.
This investment has been directed towards infrastructure, ports, and logistics and its understood that projects worth over $2 billion in various fields, including energy, distribution, agriculture, IT, logistics, and real estate are currently underway.
Additionally, Zahoor has played a crucial role in promoting bilateral economic ties between Pakistan and the Gulf countries, leveraging his strong regional network and diplomatic skills to facilitate investment flows and economic collaboration.
After receiving the Hilal-e-Imtiaz, Umar Farooq Zahoor said: “This is a moment of huge honour and blessing for me. I am proud to say that I have brought direct foreign investment of nearly $700 million to Pakistan in the last three years.
To get recognised by your motherland in this way, with the most prestigious honour is a moment of sheer pride and honour for myself, my family and my friends. I feel humbled and I am thankful to the state of Pakistan for considering me as worthy of this honour. This is in recognition of my services for Pakistan, for bringing the investment. I remain committed to doing everything in my power to support Pakistan’s economic growth and global standing.”
