Prominent Pakistani scientist Prof. Dr. M. Iqbal Choudhary, Director of the International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, and COMSTECH Coordinator General, has received the National Award of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The Ambassador of Kazakhstan Yerzhan Kistafin presented the national award of his country to Prof. Iqbal Choudhary in the launching ceremony of the proceedings of the Global Al-Farabi Forum held in Islamabad recently. ICCBS – University of Karachi on Friday said that Prof. Iqbal Choudhary was conferred with Kazakhstan national award in recognition of his services to Kazakhstan. It is pertinent to mention here that Prof. Iqbal Choudhary has been engaged with Kazakhstan since 1988 for the development of capacity in chemistry and biochemistry. He helped Kazakhstan in establishing many laboratories and institutions. He has supervised many Ph.D. students of Kazakhstan.

It is also worth mentioning here that Prof. Iqbal Choudhary has recently received the 2021 Mustafa (PBUH) Prize, the most prestigious prize of the Muslim World, for his services in the field of bio-organic chemistry. He has published 1,175 research papers in the fields of organic and bio-organic chemistry in international journals, 76 books, and 40 chapters in books published by major US and European press. He has secured 40 US patents so far. He has established several new centers for the support of industries and government organizations.

Dr. Iqbal's work has been cited by researchers from around the world — 32,000 times in total — and his h-index is 70. As many as 94 local and international scholars have completed their Ph.D. degrees under his supervision so far.

Dr. Iqbal has been awarded by different Pakistani governments with the Hilal-e-Imtiaz, Sitara-e-Imtiaz, and Tamgha-e-Imtiaz. He has been elected a fellow by renowned academies, including the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World, Islamic World Academy of Sciences, Pakistan Academy of Sciences, Royal Society of Chemistry, and Chemical Society of Pakistan.

Prof Iqbal has previously been honoured by the president of Iran with the Khwarizmi International Award; president of Azerbaijan with the ECO Award in Education; and the prime minister of Pakistan with COMSTECH Award in Chemistry.

Vice Chancellor University of Karachi Prof. Dr. Khalid M. Irqai and Prof. Atta-ur Rahman, ICCBS Patron-in-chief and Chairman of Prime Minister’s Task Force on Science and Technology, congratulated for his outstanding achievement. Assistant Secretary Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Jeddah also congratulated Prof. Choudhary on this new recognition.