On the recommendation of the XXIII meeting of the Secretariat of the Congress of World and Traditional Religions Leaders, held on September 16, 2025, in Astana, the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan appointed Prof. Dr. Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq as Goodwill Ambassador of the Congress.
During the opening ceremony of the 8th Congress on September 17, 2025, His Excellency Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, awarded him the emblem of the title.
Prof. Dr. Ahmed Saad Alahmed, President of the International Islamic University, Islamabad, was present on the occasion. He congratulated Prof. Dr. Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq and considered this title a recognition of IIUI’s decades-long contribution to the Congress.
Prof. Dr. Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, DG IRI, was also congratulated by H.E. Sardar Muhammad Yousuf, Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, Government of Pakistan, and H.E. Maulen Ashimbayev, Head of the Secretariat of the Congress of World and Traditional Religions.