Ali Jahangir Siddiqui appointed ambassador-at-large for investment
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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday announced the appointment of Ali Jahangir Siddiqui as ambassador-at-large for investment "in an honorary capacity".
An ambassador-at-large is given special duties and not appointed to a particular country.
It is pertinent to mention here that Siddiqui's appointment as Pakistan's Ambassador to the United States in the previous government had been met with severe criticism from Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, which was in the opposition at the time.
It had been argued at the time that Siddiqui did not have any prior experience regarding diplomatic missions and alleged that he had accountability cases pending against him.
Last year, Siddiqui had been summoned by the National Accountability Bureau in a case allegedly pertaining to him being the director of investment firm Azgard Nine Ltd, while it “siphoned off funds amounting to 23.758 million euros in 2008 for the purchase of an Italian company, Monte Bello SRL, using a foreign company, Fairytal SRL, Sweden, which resulted in a loss to the company and its shareholders.”
According to NAB, a foreign company, Fairtal SRL, Sweden, was used for the deal, which suffered losses along with its shareholders. There are also allegations that the shares of a company named Agritech Limited were sold to various financial and government institutions at a price higher than the market rate to settle loan defaults. This resulted in a loss of Rs40 billion to various financial and government institutions.
In 2016, a Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) report said that prices of Azgard Nine group’s shares were artificially increased from Rs24 to Rs70, and payments were also made to an unidentified party.
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Comments (61) Closed
Jun 14, 2019 09:16pm
I keep in mind those who are comfortable with every regime. This drags me to the conclusion that these people represent the permanant part of the state.
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Jun 14, 2019 09:19pm
Should be made Finance Minister.
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Jun 14, 2019 09:25pm
What’s so specials this guy like every government is dying to reward him ? Is he that powerful and connected ?
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Jun 14, 2019 09:26pm
PTI is becoming unbearable, untrustable and inscrutable. What more can we expect, may be Shahid Khaqan Abbasi as minister of aviation?
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Jun 14, 2019 09:26pm
The same guy for which there was an uproar.
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Jun 14, 2019 09:28pm
PTI was opposing his appointment last year and now they appointed him ! What a irony ! Powerful and connected are always at the top !
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Jun 14, 2019 09:28pm
Very bad decesion. A very shady person with credentials similar to NS and AZ. There must be hundreds of more qualified persons in pakistan for this job.
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Jun 14, 2019 09:29pm
"Siddiqui's appointment as Pakistan's Ambassador to the United States in the previous government had been met with severe criticism from Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf," - Yesterday 's enemy, friend today, I thought Zulfi Bokhari was supposed to bring foreign investment in Pakistan.
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Jun 14, 2019 09:30pm
A good idea. The more people promoting investment the better!
Gordon D. Walker
Canada
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Jun 14, 2019 09:38pm
welcome back with new wrapper
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Jun 14, 2019 09:47pm
Doesn’t make any sense .he is wanted by NAB and now they honor him ????
IK government sattya gai hei ....
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Jun 14, 2019 09:48pm
If Rs70, payments were made to an unidentified party than he becomes the owner of a Benami account beneficiary. It is surprising how he was made an honorary ambassador even by this PTI Government?
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Jun 14, 2019 09:50pm
Another U turn.IK is literally moving in circles.
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Jun 14, 2019 09:54pm
Behind Mr. Siddiqui powerful people
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Jun 14, 2019 10:01pm
Heard very little about any Pakistani investing in Italy or Sweden as the company of Ali Jahangir Siddiqui unprecedentedly took money out of most profitable Azgard Nine Ltd, and invested abroad where tax slab is above 30%
much higher than in Pak. The shareholders apprehensions are natural. Ali Jehangir is amongst few ultra rich, in Pak. The PTI which was a critic of AJS
now feels he can bring investments in Pak, perhaps due to their own failure by investing abroad, and may be AJS has given assurance about his own investments more in Pak and inviting others to follow, the biggest attraction is the low slab of taxes. But despite low slab, the investor needs one window facilities, the nonintervention by Govt or party cronies. The PPP hierarchy was infamous to grab sugar mills from investors, besides they ask for grafts & commissions from even multinationals, such blunders should be shun away at home, certainly AJS will help bring investments but hapless in domestic policies.
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Jun 14, 2019 10:03pm
International Swindler A++ Grade. In charge of Pakistan International Investments. Grreat A++ match up !!
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Jun 14, 2019 10:11pm
Must have powerful connections at the right place to force PTI to reappoint him!
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Jun 14, 2019 10:12pm
Very very surprising...How come a man under investigation by NAB is again given such a responsibility...Small a rat here...IK need to look into this personally....Not a good decision...
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Jun 14, 2019 10:13pm
Does not make sense, this govt is nuts
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Jun 14, 2019 10:14pm
PTI government has become consistent in disappointing us on daily basis with strange and illogical decisions. They have set a new record of changing their stance. A person whose appointment was criticized previously has suddenly become very competent, honest. Its really hard to understand the logic of PTI...
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Jun 14, 2019 10:19pm
Isn't he the one who was appointed by pml n as ambassador in America during their last days and whose appointment was frowned by PTI? So, in whose good books is he to be appointed again?
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Jun 14, 2019 10:24pm
Same old story.
Dishonesty criminality corruption promotion.
No justice.
Criminals are in charge everywhere.
Marshall law is the only solution.
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Jun 14, 2019 10:26pm
Another u turn
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Jun 14, 2019 10:31pm
His appointment was challenged by PTI in the past and now the same guy is becoming an ambassador?.
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Jun 14, 2019 10:41pm
What happened to cases against him? Did he got NRO by paying money?
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Jun 14, 2019 10:46pm
How has he, for PTI, become clean all of sudden?
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Jun 14, 2019 11:13pm
Now this is HALAL appointment.
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Jun 14, 2019 11:34pm
Major shame. How can PTI government accept this person who was previously appointed illegally and then removed? It seems that such corrupt and rich people are above the law and can do as they please and get approval of any government. So much for the claims of PM Imran about 'justice' and 'honesty'. They are all hypocrites. Nothing changes in Pakistan.
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Jun 14, 2019 11:34pm
Recalled as Pak US ambassador just after 6 months and facing NaB enquires sounds like he’s overqualified.
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Jun 14, 2019 11:35pm
Let forget what PTI had said about AJS , more pertinent is how he is needed when for years the impression created was such "That charisma of IK will attract all types of investments from overseas when he gets to be PM " I wonder to knwo the amount of investment his persona has so far inspired . Dawn the other day quoted IK in Bishkek about Pakistan being safe for international investment, hope the foreign investors believe him
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Jun 14, 2019 11:43pm
Sometimes I feel like just jumping off the cliff for how PTI does things.
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Jun 14, 2019 11:46pm
More of the same old faces. Where is the Naya Pakistan??
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Jun 15, 2019 12:04am
What?
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Jun 15, 2019 12:21am
This government never seize to surprise me... You went crazy when he was appointed the US ambassador and you appoint him as an ambassador! Something is not right here!
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Jun 15, 2019 12:41am
@Alam , i dont think so. Only one thing holds value in this world and that is blackmail. It is obvious this man has dirt on the powers that be and they have to cut him slack for this.
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Jun 15, 2019 12:53am
Are we at a point where we have to invent titles and positions just to accommodate.
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Jun 15, 2019 01:24am
Is PTI putting final nails in its coffin!!
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Jun 15, 2019 01:27am
It is ridiculous that initially PTI govt criticizing on his appointment and now they are themselves doing the same.What happen to Shah mahmood qureshi,Is he in senses or not controlling his ministry efficiently? Same thing he had done in the SARC cabinet, its secretary general credibility is not up to the mark and he is still enjoying secretary gen ship without doing any betterment for Pakistan?
Imran khan, could you please intervene in foreign affairs too? It also need overhauling.
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Jun 15, 2019 02:04am
Imran Khan needs to start reading the comments about him in DAWN.
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Jun 15, 2019 02:36am
His only qualifications are that he is buddy to Jarad Kushner son in law of Trump , got the picture
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Jun 15, 2019 03:16am
PTI is suffering from early memory loss. How can they survive another four years if this problem of “faramoshi” lingers on.
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Jun 15, 2019 03:23am
I am at shock. This Qureshi guy is after Imran Khan. He will destroy his reputation.
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Jun 15, 2019 03:28am
You must be kidding.But what do we know. Behind the scene PPP,PMLN and PTI are all the same.No moral integrity.
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Jun 15, 2019 04:01am
@Javed, NAB has been looking for this guy while even he was an Ambassador in USA, installed by private PM, Mr. Abbasi, and FO is again installing him an Ambassador at Large, so what's going on?? Did he pay the Rs40 Billions or NOT?
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Jun 15, 2019 04:13am
This is necessary because the country has a lot of money and not enough ministers and ambassadors. More are urgently needed.
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Jun 15, 2019 04:16am
Shows Pakistan has scaresity of honest people and so we go for such certified NABized people.
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Jun 15, 2019 04:16am
@Ajaz Ahmed, remember these peoples are around thanks to NRO by the gen musharaf.
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Jun 15, 2019 04:26am
@RC, Naya Pakistan has everything same as of Old Pakistan except some new faces ! Hafeez Shaikh , Fawad Chaudhry , Jahangir Tareen , Firdaus Ashiq , Jam Kamal and many more were always part of previous governments .
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Jun 15, 2019 04:47am
If same faces will be serving over and over again then where is the change? Mediocre elites fooling masses again and again! The real change has yet to come!
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Jun 15, 2019 05:05am
There must be a video of Ali having fun with hookers in Washington. Only way to avoid NAB is to join the govt. and make money.
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Jun 15, 2019 05:08am
Naya Pakistan, then what was wrong with NS government, the whole economy is in a mess with incompetent captain and incompetent team that can develop trust with investors
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Jun 15, 2019 05:34am
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Disheartening
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Jun 15, 2019 05:41am
What a record performance!!!With tall claims to purify the country Khan and his associates could still find a way to reward him than to put him behind the bars.
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Jun 15, 2019 06:21am
No accountability for people who are in the good books. They would be rewarded. The folks who try to act independently would be hung for corruption
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Jun 15, 2019 06:45am
Superb appointment, it's better to have experienced hands in this. This person can do wonders for the country,
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Jun 15, 2019 07:05am
Another U-turn by the PTI government. It's becoming increasingly difficult for the supporters and voters of PTI to comprehend and defend such decisions. The recent ad by CDA to make cage for parrots in the president house costing close to 2 million is another such decision, which is totally against government's austerity campaign. While making some good to excellent decisions, somehow such bad to worse decisions put a question mark on the government.
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Jun 15, 2019 07:47am
A tainted person through whose shenanigans the GOP has suffered losses, a person wanted by NAB is being appointed Ambassador-at-large for Investment is laughable. PM should require the FO to immediately retract this decision,
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Jun 15, 2019 07:56am
Since Ali Siddiqui has manevoured to come under PTI fold now, NAB will not be able to proceed against him.
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Jun 15, 2019 08:46am
Why this corrupt one has been appointed?? PM IK You should look into this..
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Jun 15, 2019 09:04am
If I am not wrong, I remember, he was required by NAB also. And look at the present government who is strictly working in favour of accountability. Why are many such people given high posts is never understood.
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Jun 15, 2019 09:41am
Really 'At Large'
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
While in opposition, PTI opposed Siddiqui's appointment as Pakistan's Ambassador to USA for not possessing prior diplomatic experience and having NAB cases.
Now he has qualified for a larger position to be ambassador for all instead of mere USA. A Halal appointment, another U Turn, another task for PTIans to defend.
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