Makhdoom Tariq appointed SAPM on overseas Pakistanis, human development

LONDON:  Makhdoom Syed Tariq Mahmood-ul-Hassan has been appointed Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Development by Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The Cabinet Division confirmed the appointment of the British-Pakistani businessman and politician in a notification issued in this regard.

The notification read: "PM Imran Khan, in terms of Rule four of the Rules of Business 1973, has been pleased to appoint Syed Tariq Mahmood-ul-Hassan, as special assistant to the PM on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development."

On Thursday, PM Khan met Mahmood-ul-Hassan at the PM House before the appointment was formally announced. Mahmood-ul-Hassan thanked the prime minister for expressing trust in him to serve overseas Pakistanis.

He said that overseas Pakistanis face lots of issues and he will use his new position to work towards resolving these issues, as per the vision of PM Imran Khan, who has always spoken up for the rights of overseas Pakistanis.

“I am grateful to PM Imran Khan and I am truly humbled by the decision he has made to appoint me as [his] special assistant. I will work with dedication to come up to PM Imran Khan’s expectations. It’s a job of great honour and, at the same time, there is a lot of responsibility that comes with it”, he said.

Mahmood-ul-Hassan said that PM Imran Khan attaches huge importance to millions of overseas Pakistanis and appreciates their contribution like no one else because he has spent a lot of time overseas and he understands how overseas residents feel for Pakistan and the issues they face.

He further said: “The PM has asked me to work hard to take care of the welfare of overseas Pakistanis, address their genuine complaints, protect them from land grabbing and similar other hazards, facilitate them in their investments, remove hurdles and assist in policy decisions on the basis of suggestions received from overseas Pakistanis. I will do my best to work towards realising the dream of PM Imran Khan.”

Four months ago, Chief Minister Punjab Usman Buzdar appointed Mahmood-Ul-Hassan as the vice-chairperson of Punjab Overseas Commission.

The notification from Buzdar’s office had noted that Waseem Akhtar Ramay, who served as the vice-chairperson for three years, had been denotified. Both Akhtar and Mahmood-ul-Hassan are British nationals.

Mahmood-ul-Hassan is an acclaimed author, philanthropist and legal expert. He holds a Master's in Law along with a business degree from Northampton University, UK.

He is the UK president of the World Congress of Overseas Pakistanis (WCOP).

Mahmood-ul-Hassan is a winner of the Brian Tracy Award of Excellence in 2019 and the Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2020. He is also the founding chairman of Ali Zamam Trust UK & Pakistan, a charity set up in memory of his two children who passed away in a road accident and dedicated to the uplift of the underprivileged and destitute children in Pakistan.