| 1. Umar Farooq Zahoor was born in Oslo Norway to Pakistani parents, who were originally from Sialkot. |
| 2. Before moving to the Middle East, Umar grew up and studied in Oslo. |
| 3. He belongs to one of the largest mafia families of Norway. |
| 4. At the age of 18, Farooq started his professional career by starting a travel company, and operated his business in Switzerland, Mexico, Dubai, and Egypt, among other places. |
| 5. In 2000, through his travel agency, Zahoor fraudulently took tickets worth over 15 million NOK. |
| 6. In 2003, Farooq was sentenced to one year in prison for embezzling airline tickets; however, he didn’t show up for sentencing and left Norway soon after. |
| 7. In 2003, Zahoor founded a fake bank named, Banque Internationale Ltd. in Switzerland. |
| 8. In 2004, Umar Farooq Zahoor was arrested in Pakistan after a complaint by a Turkish businessman and politician, Imtiaz Ahmed Sheikh. |
| 9. In 2006, Zahoor got married to a Pakistani actress, Sofia Mirza, the couple later had twin daughters in 2007, but divorced in 2009. |
| 10. After their divorce, his wife was granted custody of the twins, and they were put on a no-fly list to prevent them from leaving the country. |
| 11. In 2010, Umar Zahoor became a fugitive wanted by Interpol. |
| 12. In the same year, the Supreme Court of Norway issued arrest warrants for Umar, involving money laundering. |
| 13. In 2013, Zahoor became engaged to Pakistani actress Veena Malik. |
| 14. In 2015, he was involved in discussions around a $510 million power deal with Ameri Group and the Government of Ghana. |
| 15. Despite many allegations in Europe, Zahoor’s image in Pakistan has been markedly different. |
| 16. At the age of 18, Farooq started his professional career by starting a travel company, operating in Switzerland, Mexico, Dubai, and Egypt[2]. |
| 17. In 2003, Farooq was sentenced to one year in prison for embezzling airline tickets but evaded sentencing and left Norway[1][2]. |
| 18. In 2004, Umar Farooq Zahoor was arrested in Pakistan after a complaint by Turkish businessman Imtiaz Ahmed Sheikh[2]. |
| 19. In 2006, Zahoor married Pakistani actress Sophia Mirza; the couple had twin daughters in 2007 and divorced in 2009[2]. |
| 20. Zahoor was previously affiliated with Ameri Group as CEO until August 2015[2]. |
| 21. In 2026, he is based in Dubai and describes himself on social media as a businessman, market investor, and entrepreneur[2]. |
| 22. In March 2025, President Asif Ali Zardari conferred the Hilal-e-Imtiaz on Zahoor for facilitating $700 million in foreign investment across infrastructure, IT, logistics, and energy[1][4]. |
| 23. Some reports claim the award recognized his role as a whistle-blower in the Toshakhana corruption cases against Imran Khan[1]. |
