By A. Abdul Aziz. Press Secretary,  Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at – Sri Lanka.

 Sir Iftikhar Ayaz KBE; OBE will pay a short visit to the Island from 15 October to 17 October on his way to London after attending successful Peace Symposium in Indonesia and Malaysia. He will be pleased to have audience with Intellectuals, Educationalist, top political figures, journalists and media personal. Interested are advised to contact cell No. 0094 777 753440 for prior appointments.

In June this year, Dr. Iftikhar Ayaz O.B.E (Officer of the Excellent Order of the British Empire) has been awarded a K.B.E (Knight Commander of the Excellent Order of the British Empire) in Her Majesty the Queen’s Birthday Honours for his services to the South Pacific and humanity.

Sir Iftikhar Ayaz has been the envoy of Tuvalu Islands since 1996 and has made valuable contributions to the prestige, progress and development of Tuvalu in the international domain.

Prior to his appointment as the envoy of Tuvalu, Sir Iftikhar Ayaz served Tuvalu as a field expert of the Commonwealth. He served as an advisor on education and was able to plan and introduce an innovative program of education for the subsistence communities which became very popular and effective to provide vocational and skill based education to the Island communities. He later worked in the South Pacific Region as a Consultant with UNDP and was designated as the South Pacific delegate to UNESCO.

His innovative education scheme known as EFL (Education for Life) was highly recognised by the Commonwealth and he received an O.B.E (Officer of the Excellent Order of the British Empire) in 1998.

Sir Iftikhar Ayaz has been an ardent advocate of human rights and is associated with several regional and international human rights organisations including the UNHRC. He has been a member of the UN working group for the rights of minorities.

Sir Iftikhar Ayaz is also the Chairman of the International Human Rights Committee and at present is actively involved in working for the well-being and welfare of the displaced refugees and asylum seekers.

Sir Iftikhar Ayaz is also the Director of the World Media Forum and associated with a number of organisations serving the cause of inter-faith solidarity, conflict resolution and peace. He has addressed several peace symposiam and seminars related to human rights and climate change.

Sir Iftikhar Ayaz is recipient of a number of awards from various institutions and organisations including USA, Europe and Asia. He received the Alfred Noble Medal, Ambassador of Peace, Ambassador of Knowledge, Man of the Year, Genius Laureate for Human Development, Outstanding Professional Award, International Peace Prize, Life Achievement Award and Diplomate of the Cambridge Blue Book.

Sir Iftikhar Ayaz holds doctorates in Human Development and Education and a Master’s degree in Linguistics.

Sir Iftikhar Ayaz has also been awarded the World Freedom Medal and is an eminent member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Islam.