LONDON: Leading Asian businessman Mohammed Waqas has won the “Most Successful Business Person of The Year Award 2022” at Pakistan Achievement Awards ceremony held at the Wembley Arena – where former prime minister Imran Khan also spoke to over 8000 people who attended the event.

Mohammed Waqaas, who is Managing Director of Royal Nawaab Restaurants in London and Manchester, received the prestigious award for his services to the Asian restaurant industry in Britain. In particular, the award was given to Mohammed Waqaas for creating hundreds of jobs and introducing authentic Pakistani cuisines to a large section of the Asian and mainstream English populations through two large-scale food establishments.

The former PM Imran Khan welcomed the audience at the Wembley Arena in his video address and thanked them for supporting him after the “regime change”. Mohammad Waqaas had opened up his kitchens during the Covid lockdown and provided tens of thousands of meals for free to local hospital staff and emergency workers. At the same event, “Lifetime Achievement Award in Restaurant Industry 2022” was given to Mohammad Waqaas’s father Mr Mahboob Hussain who founded the first Royal Nawaab restaurant several years after coming to Britain from Gujar Khan as a labourer. The recitation noted that Mahboob Hussain had served the Asian food industry and was amongst the pioneers of British Curry industry who went on to contribute in creation of jobs and promotion of Asian food and culture in Britain.

Commenting on winning the award, Mohammed Waqaas said: “It is with great pride that I accept this award, which is in recognition of our dedicated staff across all branches who have contributed their efforts and led us to win this prestigious award. We have always aimed to serve the local communities.

The former PM told the audience he was campaigning for Pakistan’s “Haqeeqi Azadi” because Pakistan has never been free in 75 years in real terms. He said various governments and leaders had failed to build an Islamic welfare state a Pakistan because always an easy path was taken directed by the foreign aid and slavery of the west.