News Desk |
Prime Minister Imran Khan has appointed Ali Jehangir Siddiqui as an honorary ambassador for foreign investment.
“The prime minister has been pleased to approve the appointment of Ali Jehangir Siddiqui as Ambassador-at-Large for Foreign Investment in an honorary capacity with effect from June 13, 2019,” a Ministry of Foreign Affairs notification said on Friday.
Ali J Siddiqui has served as the Chairman of JS Bank and JS Private Equity. In December 2006, the State Bank of Pakistan had allowed the American Express Bank’s amalgamation with the Jahangir Siddiqui Investment Bank Ltd. Over the years, the bank has grown to $4 billion in assets, roughly 5,000 employees and branches in over 160 cities in Pakistan.
Siddiqui, an investment banking expert, is the son of renowned businessman and banker Jahangir Siddiqui.
Previously, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government had appointed Siddiqui as Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which was in the opposition at the time, had severely criticized Siddiqui’s appointment as Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States.
At the time, PTI leaders had argued that Siddiqui did not have any prior experience regarding diplomatic missions. Siddiqui had stepped down from that post in December 2018. Prior to his appointment as an ambassador to the US, he was appointed a special assistant to the prime minister with the status of a minister of state.
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His reputation and work were acknowledged by US commentators. In June 2018, Siddiqui presented his credentials to US President Donald Trump. In July 2018, Siddiqui met James Mattis, the US Secretary of Defence. The meeting took place at the Pentagon where Siddiqui received a guard of honor on behalf of Pakistan.
Siddiqui, an investment banking expert, is the son of renowned businessman and banker Jahangir Siddiqui. He holds a BA in Economics from Cornell University, US. In 2014, he was honored by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader. He has also pursued additional educational courses at MIT, the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford.
Over the space of a decade, the Bank has grown to $4 billion in assets, roughly 5,000 employees and branches in over 160 cities in Pakistan.
Recently, he joined the board of Afiniti also known as a “Global Unicorn” along with the former British prime minister David Cameroon and the ex-US Vice Chairman Joint Chief of Staff Admiral William Owen.
Read more: US-Pakistan ties vital for regional peace & prosperity: Ambassador Ali…
He has previously been a Board member of the Community Development Board (CDB) of the Government of Sindh; Board member of the Private Sector Task Force of the Planning Commission of the Government of Pakistan; Board member of the Board of Investment of the Government of Sindh; Board member of the Privatization Commission of the Government of Pakistan; Director of the Acumen Fund (charity); Director and ex-CEO of the Mahvash and Jahangir Siddiqui Foundation (charity).
Siddiqui has also lectured at various universities, including the College of William and Mary in Virginia, National School of Public Policy in Lahore, National Defence University in Islamabad, Entrepreneurship and Management Excellence Center at Institute of Business Management in Karachi and School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University in Washington DC