Dr. Shahid Mahmud, a longstanding figure in Pakistan’s science and information technology sector, has been recommended for the Hilal-i-Imtiaz, one of the country’s highest civilian honours, in recognition of his contributions to science, technology, telecommunications and youth development. The recommendation forms part of the Pakistan Civil Awards 2026, issued by the Cabinet Division on 14 August 2026 to coincide with Pakistan’s Independence Day, with the formal investiture ceremony scheduled to take place on Pakistan Day, 23 March 2027.
As the Founder, CEO and Chairman of the Interactive Group of Companies, Dr. Mahmud has spent more than four decades working across telecommunications, information technology and wireless media infrastructure in Pakistan. Under his leadership, Interactive Group has grown into a notable player in the country’s science and information and communications technology landscape, with involvement spanning systems integration and connectivity infrastructure. He holds a PhD in Computer Sciences from Coventry University in the United Kingdom, completed in 2016, along with a master’s degree in Defence and Strategic Studies from the National Defence University in Pakistan and a bachelor’s degree in Engineering from NED University in Karachi.
Dr. Mahmud’s doctoral research centered on artificial intelligence, big data analytics and predictive modelling, work that has since been published in journals including Future Generation Computer Systems by Elsevier. Building on that academic background, he currently serves as Senior Honorary Advisor and Chairman of the AI Committee at OIC-COMSTECH, a role in which he contributes to shaping artificial intelligence strategy and policy across the 57 member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. In January 2026, he addressed an international conference titled AI and Future of Work, Digital Nations in the Next Decade, focusing on the long term implications of artificial intelligence for digital nations across the Islamic world. He also holds positions as a Senior Fellow at the Global Think Tank Network and as Co-Chair for information and communications technology on the Corporate Advisory Council of the National University of Sciences and Technology.
Beyond his corporate and advisory roles, Dr. Mahmud founded the Buraq Planetary Society in 1993, an organisation that has run space camps and related programmes introducing young Pakistanis to astronomy and space science for more than three decades. His career trajectory includes involvement in establishing Paktel in 1988, work on satellite connectivity initiatives, and contributions to software engineering and Pakistan’s broader information technology policy architecture over the years. The Pakistan Civil Awards recognise citizens and foreign nationals for exceptional achievement in their respective fields, and this year’s recommendation places Dr. Mahmud’s decades long involvement in Pakistan’s telecommunications and technology sector alongside his more recent work shaping artificial intelligence policy on an international platform.
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