Decorated: Japan honours Pakistani for his services

Nawabzada Fazal Karim Afridi among 55 foreign recipients of decorations.

ISLAMABAD:

Japanese Ambassador Hiroshi Inomata conferred a decoration on Nawabzada Fazal Karim Afridi at a ceremony held at the ambassador’s residence on Tuesday.

On April 29, the Japanese government announced the foreign recipients of the 2014 Spring Imperial Decorations. Among the 55 recipients was Nawabzada Fazal Karim Afridi, the honorary consul general of Japan in Peshawar.

The ambassador conferred the Order of the Rising Sun and a medal in recognition of his contributions towards promoting exchanges and friendly relations between Japan and Pakistan. He also facilitated Japan in disbursing economic and development assistance in the region bordering Afghanistan.

In his congratulatory remarks, the ambassador said, “On behalf of the government of Japan, I would like to take the opportunity to extend highest appreciation for his dedication to Japan.” He expressed the hope that Afridi will make continued efforts to further strengthen Japan-Pakistan relations.

Presenting an overview of Afridi’s contributions to Japan, Inomata said Afridi had been engaged in assisting the Afghan refugees since October 1981, when he joined the Afghan Refugee Organisation of the government of North West Frontier Province (now Khyber–Pakhtunkhwa). During his career as a refugee assistance official, the Japanese embassy had started working with him.

In 2004, Afridi was appointed as Honorary Consul General of Japan in Peshawar, he added.

Moreover, the ambassador said, Afridi’s activities as chief executive of Learning Awareness and Motivation Programme, a local non-governmental organisation, has been instrumental in implementing Japan’s economic and development assistance in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).

“I’d like to express gratitude to the government of Japan for this great honour and to be considered for an award of this nature is a pleasure and a privilege for me, my family, the people of Pakistan and especially the Fata region,” Afridi said in his concluding remarks.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 28^th, 2014.