Pakistan Seeks Stronger Partnership with Zakat Foundation of America for Poverty Alleviation

CHICAGO, July 31: Federal Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Syed Imran Ahmad Shah visited the headquarters of the Zakat Foundation of America during his visit to Chicago, where he held discussions on expanding cooperation in poverty alleviation, human development, and social welfare initiatives in Pakistan.

The minister was accompanied by Consul General of Pakistan in Chicago Zaman Mehdi and was received by Zakat Foundation of America Chief Executive Officer Khalil Demir, Advisor Planning and Development Farukh Raza, and senior members of the Foundation’s team.

During the visit, the Foundation’s leadership briefed the minister on its global humanitarian operations. A documentary presentation highlighted the organization’s work in more than 40 countries, including orphan sponsorship, disaster relief, education for out-of-school children, clean drinking water projects, skills development, rehabilitation services, mental health support, and other humanitarian programmes.

Syed Imran Ahmad Shah thanked the Foundation for inviting him to the Turkish Cultural Festival and praised its humanitarian contributions worldwide, particularly its welfare and development initiatives in Pakistan.

Highlighting the performance of his ministry, the minister said that under the vision of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, the Ministry of Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety is implementing a wide range of social protection programmes to support vulnerable families across the country.

He said flagship institutions working under the ministry, including the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF), Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal, and Trust for Voluntary Organizations (TVO), are contributing to poverty reduction, financial assistance, skills development, healthcare, education, and social welfare.

The minister emphasized that the government’s priority is to ensure that deserving citizens have access to quality healthcare, education, and sustainable livelihood opportunities. He added that empowering vulnerable communities through inclusive social protection remains a key objective of the government’s development agenda.

Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening collaboration in poverty alleviation, human development, and social welfare programmes in Pakistan. At the conclusion of the meeting, the federal minister invited the leadership of the Zakat Foundation of America to visit Pakistan to explore new avenues of cooperation and partnership.

Prominent members of the Pakistani community in Chicago also attended the event.