PGBF 100 methodology

The PGBF 100 is a ranked list of Pashtun Global’s assessment of leading Pashtun entrepreneurs and business leaders. It is scored against the framework below by the PGBF 100 Committee. Positions are not for sale, and sponsorship of the report or the event that publishes it has no bearing on the list.

The framework

Each entry is scored out of 100 across nine components:

Component	Weight	Share of the 100 points
Business scale	20
Business growth	15
Innovation	15
Economic impact	15
Global reach	10
Leadership	10
Social impact	5
Industry contribution	5
Independent recognition	5
Total	100

Evidence, and what happens without it

Business scale carries the largest single weight, and it is also the component that depends most on figures private companies are not obliged to publish. We do not quietly score an unverifiable claim.

The rule. Where an entry’s scale figures cannot be checked against a filing, an audited account or a credible published source, the business-scale component is capped at 50% of its weight — a maximum of 10 of the available 20 points — and the entry is marked with an asterisk on the published list. A self-reported number can therefore never out-rank a verified one.

The other components are scored from evidence of the same kind: filings and registrations, audited accounts, official company disclosures, institutional records, and reporting by independent publications. Material supplied by the candidate is treated as a claim to be checked, not as a source.

Eligibility

Founders, chief executives, business owners, investors and corporate leaders.
An active operating role, or an ownership position with demonstrable influence, during the edition year.
Pashtun identity must be sourced, never inferred.
A verifiable business with operations that can be documented.

How entries reach the list

Nomination or research. Candidates come from public nomination and from our own desk research.
Verification. Each candidate’s identity, role and business are checked against sources.
Scoring. The committee scores every component and records the evidence behind it.
Review. Conflicts are declared and the affected member recuses themselves.
Publication. The final list is published with this methodology beside it.

Conflicts of interest

Committee members declare their interests. Nobody scores their own company, a close family member’s company, a direct client, a business they hold a financial interest in, or one where they have a significant personal relationship. Declarations are kept on file and the recusals are recorded with the edition.

Corrections

If a figure, a role or a fact on this list is wrong, tell us and we will check it. Where a correction changes a score, the entry is re-scored and the change is noted on the edition page rather than made silently. Write to us through the contact page.

What this list is not

It is not a measure of personal wealth, and it is not a popularity contest. It is an assessment of enterprise: what has been built, who it employs, where it reaches, and what it has contributed.

Methodology