Two Pakistanis presented Young Leaders Award by Queen Elizabeth

Muhammad Usman Khan and Zainab Bibi were awarded for their efforts in education and environment fields

Two young Pakistanis set out to transform the education and environment fields in the country and their efforts were duly rewarded from Britain's Queen Elizabeth.

In a spectacular ceremony hosted by the Queen, along with Prince Harry, Muhammad Usman Khan and Zainab Bibi were awarded 'The Queen's Young Leaders Awards for 2016'.



Sixty other winners from various Commonwealth nations were also presented awards at Buckingham Palace for transforming their respective communities. Further, two other Pakistanis, Bilawal Jamshed and Fakiha Ali, were also recognised as runners up.

Her Majesty with her #QueensYoungLeaders pic.twitter.com/Cj4RmJInpM

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) June 23, 2016

The Queen’s Young Leaders Award is a prestigious Commonwealth project which recognises and celebrates exceptional young people from across the Commonwealth who are taking the lead in their communities and using their skills to transform lives.

Usman designed an educational programme called 'Back to Life Edutainment' for street children. He promoted the programme using social media and managed to encourage more than 500 young people to voluntarily implement the project in four cities.

The Queen, Prince Harry, Princess Eugenie and The Duchess of Gloucester join the #QueensYoungLeaders' celebrations pic.twitter.com/soerH58HJE

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) June 23, 2016

He also founded the BEYLI Organisation, which aims to educate and support underprivileged young people. He then returned to his home village and set up the Rethinking Education community school and created a programme called Edupowerment, which teaches students computer skills, English language skills and peace education.



The other winner, Zainab, established the Pakistan Society for Green Energy in 2013 to increase awareness of green energy solutions. She then successfully managed to develop a bioethanol (a bio-fuel) from waste tissue paper, which could help to provide cleaner energy.

Prince Harry - @QueensLeaders award recognises what you have achieved, not for yourselves, but for your communities pic.twitter.com/xJYb59bxAK

— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) June 23, 2016

Zainab also introduced into Pakistan, from the US, a plant species that produces bioethanol (biodiesel). ‘Camelina sativa’ has a short growth cycle and a greater resistance to drought, which means that it can be grown in desert areas in Pakistan.

David Beckham was also in attendance at the ceremony along with Chairman of The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust, Sir John Major and Sir Lenny Henry.

Ahead of the #QueensYoungLeaders ceremony two sporting superstars David Beckham & @KumarSanga2 greet each other. pic.twitter.com/aJb8Enymfk

— Queens Young Leaders (@QueensLeaders) June 23, 2016

This year's winners, aged between 18 and 29, are working on a range of issues which includes education, climate change, gender equality, mental health and improving the lives of people with disabilities.



The Queen’s Young Leaders Award is part of The Queen's Young Leaders Programme, an initiative established by The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust in partnership with Comic Relief, the Royal Commonwealth Society and the University of Cambridge’s Institute of Continuing Education, in recognition of Her Majesty's lifetime of service to the Commonwealth.

Some of our very sharp #QueensYoungLeaders, ready for Buckingham Palace and @AusHouseLondon! 🎉 | @RoyalFamily pic.twitter.com/FhFEm84Nsm

— DiamondJubileeTrust (@qejubileetrust) June 23, 2016

Launched in 2014 by The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry, the first round of Queen's Young Leaders visited the United Kingdom in 2015. Each year from 2014 to 2018, 60 exceptional young people will be selected to receive a Queen’s Young Leaders Award and become ‘Queen’s Young Leaders’ – one for every year that The Queen had served as Head of the Commonwealth at the time of her Diamond Jubilee.