Islamabad: US Vice president J D Vance’s brief interaction with Umar Farooq Zahoor, a Pakistan-origin businessman, long wanted in Norway over multi-million-dollar fraud allegations, during his visit to Islamabad for the first round of negotiations with China, has now gone viral.
A purported video has emerged, showing US envoy Steve Witkoff leading Vance and introducing him to Zahoor, a man identified by the Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang (VG) as wanted in that country.
While he is considered a fugitive in Norway, Zahoor is a recipient of Hilal-e-Imtiaz, Pakistan’s second-highest civilian honour, for bringing foreign investments to the country, as reported by India Today.
Zahoor was also under the scanner in Switzerland, for his alleged dubious dealings.
Incidentally, he was considered for the state honour in Pakistan for his role as a whistleblower in the Toshakhana case that led to the jailing of former prime minister Imran Khan.
Zaroor was born in Oslo to parents from Sialkot. He describes himself on X as a “Businessman, markets investor and entrepreneur,” and is now based in Dubai.
Authorities in Norway consider him a fugitive tied to serious financial crimes. According to VG, Zahoor’s first recorded conviction dates back to 2003, when the Oslo District Court sentenced him to one year in prison for gross embezzlement involving airline tickets from his own family-run travel agency. The court found evidence of clear criminal intent and a planned operation. Zahoor did not appear for sentencing and left Norway soon after. The sentence later lapsed after 10 years.
That was not all though. Since 2010, Norwegian police have sought Zahoor in connection with a major fraud and money laundering case involving Nordea Bank. According to VG, authorities allege that more than 60 million Norwegian kroner were syphoned off from the bank in one of the country’s most high-profile financial fraud cases.
Norwegian prosecutors have repeatedly sought Zahoor’s arrest and extradition for charges of aggravated fraud and money laundering. He, however, has consistently denied the allegations, stating that he left Norway in 2005 and has not returned since.
In Switzerland, he was investigated in 2004 for allegedly setting up a fake bank in Zurich that defrauded investors of approximately $20 million. According to reporting cited by VG, a business associate was later convicted in connection with the scheme, while Zahoor himself was never arrested. The case against him eventually became time-barred and was dropped.
VG further linked Zahoor to the Dubai-based Ameri Group during a controversial $510 million power deal with the Government of Ghana in 2015. The agreement involved supplying turbines for a fast-track energy project. While Zahoor was reported to have played a role in the deal, the extent of his involvement has been disputed, and no direct criminal conviction emerged from that episode.
Zahoor’s trajectory in Pakistan has been markedly different, despite these allegations in Europe. Over the years, he developed close ties with the country and was publicly credited with bringing in large volumes of foreign direct investment (FDI).
Pakistani news outlet, Dawn, had reported at one point of time that Zahoor was the subject of an Interpol Red Notice, reportedly linked to a case initiated by Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) following allegations made by his former spouse in 2020. The FIA also examined claims related to fraud and money laundering.
The Red Notice was withdrawn by 2022, after Pakistani authorities rescinded their request, and subsequent investigations in Pakistan were closed due to insufficient evidence. Zahoor’s standing in Pakistan was further cemented when President Asif Ali Zardari conferred upon him the Hilal-e-Imtiaz, the country’s second-highest civilian honour, in March 2025.
The award recognised his role in facilitating foreign investments worth $700 million across sectors such as infrastructure, IT, logistics, and energy.
Pakistani courts have also ruled in Zahoor’s favour in legal disputes. In April 2025, a court awarded him damages in a defamation case against VG’s editor and a reporter, terming aspects of their reporting defamatory. The publication has said it does not accept the ruling.
Zahoor’s appearance alongside Vance and Witkoff in Islamabad on April 11 against this backdrop raises questions about his role and access. It remains unclear whether he was part of any official delegation or simply present in a personal or business capacity.
