Pakistan’s compliant taxpayers — including traders and businessmen — were lauded and rewarded for their positive contribution to the country’s economy during the Tax Excellence Awards 2024 in Islamabad, a day earlier, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif declaring them ambassadors.

The premier also announced that they would be provided with blue passports and granted an honourary ambassadorship to them.

During his speech at the Tax Excellence Awards 2024 in Islamabad, the prime minister termed the leading exporters and highest taxpayers as the country’s “heroes” and trendsetters for others.

While the list of compliant taxpayers, who were bestowed with trophies for their contribution, was long and divided into categories, the premier named one businessman who stood out as the highest payer of income tax in Pakistan — Muslim Commercial Bank (MCB) Chairman Mian Muhammad Mansha.

Mansha is one of the country’s richest and biggest industrialists with businesses scattered across various industries, notably banking, textiles and hospitality, among others. He is the founder and CEO of the Lahore-based international conglomerate Nishat Group.

He was awarded Pakistan’s prestigious civil award, the Sitara-e-Imtiaz (Star of Excellence) in 2004 in recognition of his contributions to industrial development.

Meanwhile, other businessman who were rewarded for being highest income tax payers included United Bank Limited Chief Financial Officer Arif Akmal Saifie, Standard Chartered Bank’s Rehan Sheikh, Habib Bank Limited’s Mohammad Ali and Rehmat Ali Hassnie of National Bank of Pakistan.

Here’s a list of businessman and traders who were rewarded for their compliance in taxpaying in the following categories.

Association of Persons (AOPs)

The AOPs category includes businessman Nazim Feroz.

Individual taxpayers

This category recognised Umer Shakeel of Imtiaz Provision Store; Musadaq Zulqarnain, Chairman of Interloop Ltd; Tarique Aziz Channa, Proprietor of MBC and Sons Builders and Developers; and Tariq Rafi, owner of Shamsi Associates.

New taxpayers

New taxpayers who paid the maximum tax include Tauseef Nawaz, Managing Partner of M/s Logisticsone; and Raheem Nawaz, Managing Partner of Fertlink International.

SMEs

In the last category of SMEs, Khalid Yousuf, owner/sole proprietor of Khalid Yousuf Modern Pain Industries; Rana Nadeem, CEO of Nadeem Rana Publisher; and Muhammad Aslam were recognised.

Exporters

In the awards presented to exporters, the premier honoured Shahzad Asghar Ali, CEO of Style Textile Pvt Ltd; Muhammad Maqsood, Group CFO/President of Interloop Limited; Mian Umer Mansha, CEO of Nishat Mills Ltd; Murtaza Ahmed, CEO of Artistic Milliners; Wasif Sattar, Director HR of Gul Ahmed; Zulfiqar Ali Khan of Yunus Textile; Hasan Saleem of Liberty Mills; and Ali Asrar Hussain Aga of US Apparel and Textiles. The sector-wise awardees include Asif Jooma, CEO of ICI, and Mujtaba, CEO of Archroma Pakistan Ltd in the chemical sector; Faisal Garib of Garibsons Pvt Ltd and Bilal Ismail Ahmed of Ismail Industries in the food products sector.

This list also included Chaudhry Saif Javed, Director of Service Global Footwear Limited, in the leather sector; Muhammad Mustafa Bin Talha, Director Operations of Pakistan Accumulators, in the machinery sector; Misbah Burney, Finance Director of Tetra Pak Ltd, in the paper and plastics sector; Khalid Mehmood, CEO of Getz Pharma Pvt Ltd, in the pharmaceutical sector; Muhammad Mansha of Forward Sports Pvt Ltd and Jarrar Hussain Awan of Awan Sports Industries in the sports sector; Mughal Steel in the steel and metal sector; and Ali Azfar Naqvi, Head of Commercial Operations of United Energy Pakistan Limited in the category of other exporters.

Non-traditional exporters

In the category of non-traditional exporters, the awardees included Syed Asad Hussain Zaidi, CFO of Pakistan Aluminum and Beverages; Jehanzaib Riaz, Director of Finance of Shan Foods Private; and Shahid Rathore, Managing Partner of Maritime Seafood.

Information technology exporters

For the top exporter of information technology, the winners were Asif Peer, Chief Executive of System Limited; Waseem Ahmed of Contour Software Pvt Ltd; and Abu Bakar Hanif of ABS Labs. Those with the highest growth include Naved Amer of Fine Textiles and Abdul Rehman of Ali Murtaza Associates.

First-time exporters awarded include Muhammad Abdullah, Director of M/s Hasan Rice Corporation (Pvt) Ltd; Mian Dad, Director of M D K Exports and Imports; and Mohsin Aziz, Principal Officer/Member of M/s Waqar Rice Mills (AOP). Women exporters recognised are Hira Butt, daughter of the taxpayer; Huma Arshad, owner of Huma Arshad AA Enterprises; and Salma Sultana, owner of Salma Sultana Babar Brothers.

All taxes

The highest taxpayers in the category of all taxes included Syed Taha, MD of Pakistan State Oil; Syed Ali Akbar, MD/CEO of Pakistan Tobacco Company (PTC); Ahmed Hayat Lak, Managing Director of OGDCL; Irteza Ali Qureshi, Managing Director of Pak-Arab Refinery Limited; Imran Abbasy, CEO of PPL; Ali Asghar Jamali, Indus Motors; Masood Nabi, Managing Director of Government Holdings (Private) Limited.

The list also recognised Khurram Shah, Director Public Policy of PEPSI-Cola International (Private) Limited; Syed Imran ALI Shah of Meezan Bank; Nauman Ahmed Usmani of National Refinery Limited; Faheem Haider, Managing Director of Mari Petroleum; and Syed Omar of Coca Cola.