Edhi rescue workers being honoring by award upon their service. PHOTO: PPI
Two individuals, one each from Aman Foundation and The Edhi Foundation, were given the award during a ceremony held at Pearl Continental Hotel. The ceremony was organised by Aman Foundation, in collaboration with the Edhi Foundation. The awards are one of a kind and were held for the first time. A large number of rescue workers and other prominent figures from the city attended the ceremony.
Mir Afzal, who has been serving The Edhi Foundation for over 34 years, won the award along with Saeed Khan who has been associated with the Aman Foundation for the past seven years. The winners were also awarded Rs50,000 in cash each, a trophy and certificate. The nominees included Akhtar Ali and Muhammad Altaf from Edhi Foundation and Nadeem Ahmed and Imtiaz Hussain from Aman Foundation. Each nominee was awarded a medal and return ticket to Islamabad.
The winners of the awards were decided by a jury, which included Road Traffic Injury Research and Prevention Centre at Jinnah hospital principal investigator Dr Rasheed Jooma, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre executive director and Dow Medical College former principal Dr Tipu Sultan.
Aman Foundation chairperson Fayeeza Naqvi said this award reminds every one of great philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi. Naqvi added that it also gives us a chance to pay tribute to him by acknowledging the services of the people associated with the Edhi and Aman foundations.
According to Naqvi, the award recognises every individual of pre-hospital care staff who sacrifice their lives for our tomorrow without worrying about the difficulties they might face during disasters or any situation of violence. “Today, for the first time, Pakistan will be awarding such kind of national heroes,” she added.
Edhi’s family, wife Bilqees and son Faisal, were also present at the event. Addressing the audience, Faisal pledged to take the mission of his father even further. He said that no doubt they will face some problems but together, with the support of the people, he will take The Edhi Foundation further in terms of improving quality and expanding their services.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 15th, 2016.
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