The founder of Akhuwat Dr. Amjad Saqib has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on poverty alleviation and providing interest-free loans to thousands of deserving people.
Dr. Amjad Saqib is known for his philanthropist activities and his landmark organization Akhuwat which is said to be Pakistan’s biggest interest-free microfinance non-government organization (NGO).
Established in 2003 with USD 100, Akhuwat has distributed around 1 billion USD among five million deserving families. He also established Akhuwat University where poor students are being taught free of cost.
Graduated from King Edwards Medical University, Dr. Amjad started his career in 1985 and joined the civil services. He served in several key posts including the Punjab Rural Support Program where he was chairman for seven years.
In 2003, he resigned and founded his own organization with the name of Akhuwat, which operates under the structure of Shariah-compliant microfinance.
For the Nobel Peace Prize for 2022, 343 candidates from around the world — 251 individuals and 92 organizations — have been nominated.
In a statement regarding his nomination for Nobel Peace Prize, Dr Amjad Saqib said: “My services are beyond such awards and they are purely for the sake of Allah, no person can nominate himself for the Nobel Prize and there is no lobbying involved in the entire process.”