ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety, Pir Syed Imran Ahmed Shah, will visit Chicago to take part in the annual Turkish Festival organised by the Zakat Foundation of America (ZFA) on August 1 and 2, 2026.
According to the ZFA, the minister will attend the two-day event on the invitation of the organisation’s Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Halil Demir.
The festival, regarded as one of the largest Muslim community gatherings in the American Midwest, is expected to attract more than 30,000 participants. Attendees will include members of Chicago’s Turkish, Pakistani and wider Muslim-American communities, as well as civic and interfaith leaders.
Minister Shah is scheduled to deliver remarks on “Poverty: A Global Threat”. His address will focus on the scale of global poverty, the factors pushing millions of families into hardship, and the steps Pakistan and the international community can jointly take to respond to the challenge.
The speech is expected to refer to Pakistan’s experience through initiatives such as the Benazir Income Support Programme and the work of Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal, along with proposals for strengthening social protection at the global level.
The minister will also participate in a panel discussion titled “The Enduring Legacy of Mawlana Rumi”. The session, being held to commemorate Rumi’s anniversary under the theme “His Impact on the Contemporary Muslim World”, will examine the life and teachings of the 13th-century poet and mystic.
The discussion will also highlight the historical links between Sufism and the region that is now Pakistan, besides Rumi’s continued influence across the Muslim world.
Organisers said Minister Shah’s participation reflected the longstanding relationship between the Zakat Foundation of America and Pakistan, where the organisation has been working for nearly two decades.
Through its Pakistan office in Islamabad, ZFA says it has reached more than 750,000 people and over 100,000 families through food assistance, emergency flood relief, housing reconstruction, orphan sponsorship and healthcare programmes. Its work also includes continued support to Humanity Hospital in Lahore.
The Chicago Turkish Festival will include cultural performances, traditional food, exhibitions and community programming, in addition to the keynote address and panel discussion featuring the Pakistani minister.
The Zakat Foundation of America is a Chicago-based charitable organisation working in humanitarian relief, food security, healthcare and community development in the United States and abroad, including nearly two decades of operations in Pakistan.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety oversees national programmes, including the Benazir Income Support Programme and Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal, aimed at expanding social protection and reducing poverty across the country.
