Global impact poll: Prof. Hafi leads scientific, Saqib and Yunus humanitarian icons in South Asia

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd Mar, 2026) The Impact Hallmarks (IH) has announced the nomination of 20 distinguished icons from South Asia and China for the international opinion poll of the Quarticentennial Merited Impacts Gazette©? (2000-2025) — a global initiative dedicated to identifying and documenting the most transformative contributions of the first quarter of the 21st century.

According to a press release issued here on Monday, early indications from the nominations suggest that Pakistan’s Prof. Dr. Aurangzeb Hafi is emerging as a leading figure among contestants in the Scientific Endeavour quadrant, while two towering champions of humanitarian action — Pakistan’s Dr. Muhammad Amjad Saqib and Bangladesh’s Prof. Muhammad Yunus — appear to be at the forefront of the Humanitarianism category.

Public voting is currently open at:

https://www.impacthallmarks.org/#voting

Prof. Hafi, a Pakistani polymath and cross-disciplinary researcher, is widely recognised for bridging diverse fields including cosmology, biology, environmental science, public health and digital education.

His research contributions range from the Magneto-Hydro-Tropism concept and the IRT Terato-kinetics model to pioneering work on COVID-19 outbreak dynamics and environmental toxicity. Beyond scientific discovery, he has also advanced conservation initiatives and educational innovation, most recently presenting the Deca-Archic Phygital Literacy Model aimed at redefining learning in the physical-digital age.

In the Humanitarianism quadrant, Dr. Amjad Saqib stands out as a builder of social solidarity through his founding of the Akhuwat Foundation, the world’s largest interest-free microfinance network. Since 2001, Akhuwat has disbursed billions of rupees in Qarz-e-Hasna loans, helping millions of families escape poverty with dignity rather than dependency. Alongside him, Prof. Muhammad Yunus of Bangladesh — the Nobel Peace prize laureate — remains one of the most influential architects of social business and microcredit. By extending collateral-free loans to the poorest members of society, including beggars, Yunus transformed global thinking about poverty and empowered millions to build small enterprises and reclaim economic independence.

Today, as he leads Bangladesh’s interim government, his legacy continues to demonstrate how trust in the potential of the poor can reshape societies.

Other humanitarian nominees from the region include Pakistan’s Parveen Saeed, founder of Karachi’s Khana Ghar community kitchen that serves around a thousand low-cost meals daily; India’s Kailash Satyarthi, whose decades-long campaign freed tens of thousands of children from labour and exploitation; Sri Lanka’s Dr. Jehan Perera, a tireless advocate for reconciliation and human rights; and Nepal’s Pushpa Basnet, whose pioneering work supports children living with incarcerated parents.

In the Scientific Endeavours category, Prof. Hafi is joined by a distinguished group of innovators including India’s Dr. Fathima Benazir J., a molecular biologist known for developing safer laboratory technologies such as the plant-derived fluorescent dye “tinto rang” and the RNA Wrapr sample transport medium. Also nominated is Indian engineer Nitesh Kumar Jangir, whose portable neonatal breathing device “Saans” has helped save thousands of newborns, and Prof. Chandra Wickramasinghe, the Sri Lankan-British astrophysicist renowned for his pioneering research on cosmic dust and the theory of cometary panspermia.

In the Legacy Memorial quadrant, the late Bilquis Edhi stands as a towering humanitarian figure remembered for her lifelong service through the Edhi Foundation. Other nominees include Dr. Ruth Pfau, the German-born Pakistani physician who led Pakistan’s historic fight against leprosy, and Dr. A. T. Ariyaratne, founder of Sri Lanka’s Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement.

Impact Hallmarks has invited the global public to participate in the international opinion poll and recognise individuals whose work has profoundly shaped humanity’s progress in the 21st century.