Dr. Shahid Rashid Butt was born on the 1st of September, 1946 and holds an Honorary Ph.D. from Mooreland University in International Relations.
He became the Honorary Consul General of the Republic of Ghana in Pakistan in 1995.
In light of his dedicated service for more than 24 years, he was awarded with the “Citation for Meritorious Service” on 19th September, 2019 by the Republic of Ghana. It was presented to Dr. Shahid Rashid Butt by the Ghanaian Ambassador, Mr. Sayeed Yahya on behalf of the President of Ghana.
Speaking formally at the occasion, Mr. Yahya said,
“During the last 24 years he has efficiently and effectively served the people of Ghana and looked after the interest of people of Ghana living in Pakistan. He is a successful entrepreneur and has helped improve trade and as well and political and cultural ties between both the friendly countries. The award presented today is the acknowledgement of the contribution he has made and the services he has rendered to bring the two countries and people closer.”
After the Ambassadors speech, Dr. Shahid Rashid Butt thanked the Government of Ghana and Ambassador Sayeed Yahya for bestowing the honor upon him. He said,
“Ghana is an important African country offering great investment opportunities to the Pakistani businessmen. Many Pakistani companies, including major oil and gas groups have already invested in Ghana which is the “Gateway to Africa””
Notable guests present at the ceremony included former information minister Nasir Memon, Central Information Secretary of PTI Ahmed Jawad, former deputy speaker of the National Assembly Faisal Kareem Kundi, Mayor of Islamabad Ansar Aziz, former caretaker minister interior Malik Habib, DIG Security Islamabad Waqar Chohan and former MNA Adnan Aurangzeb.
After he returned back to Pakistan, Dr. Butt became one of the founders of the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry and was elected as its President in both 1992 and 1994. He was the main spirit behind the National Industrial exhibition which was held continuously in Islamabad for ten (10) years. This was well-known national event which attracted considerable international attention
During this time he also acted as Chairman of the 7th National Industrial Exhibition and Regional Advisory Committee for the Promotion of Exports.
In addition to being the Chief Patron of the Islamabad Chamber of Small Traders and Small Industries since 2013, Dr. Butt was also appointed by the Government of Pakistan as an advisor to the Former Foreign Trade Advisor to Belgium.
He is also the Managing Director of Pak Persian Carpets. This is a family business which he entered after in-depth research in the hand knotted carpet industry. He is a well-known authority in this business and has been awarded the Best Quality Award for hand knotted carpets in Spain. He also innovated new designs and concepts in hand-knotted carpets which later became famous throughout the world.
In the start of his career, Dr. Butt resided in Belgium and looked after the European branch of the family business. He is also a Belgian national and has been serving as an economic advisor to the Belgian government since 1989. This honorary position allows him to influence the Belgian governments’ trade policies towards South Asia.
Pakistan’s trade with Ghana is small but there are enormous prospects for increasing trade between the two countries and other African countries by utilizing Ghana as an important trade corridor. Plans are being discussed for holding single country exhibitions and sending trade delegations consisting of Pakistani businessmen to Ghana to explore potential markets.