Three Pakistani soldiers received commemoration plaques for their service in the First World War, as part of the UK government’s Centenary Programme. The Duke of Kent and Senior Foreign Office Minister Baroness Sayeeda Warsi unveiled commemoration plaques on Friday for the 175 men from 11 countries who won Britain’s highest military honour, the Victoria Cross, for service in the war.
The 11 bronze memorial plaques are inscribed with the names of the Victoria Cross holders and will be sent to the recipients’ home countries. The plaque remembering the three recipients from Pakistan – then the Indian subcontinent - of the Victoria Cross will be presented to the government in Islamabad later this year. Around 1.2 million troops from the Indian subcontinent took part in the war.
“It is important to remember this was a truly global war, one which pulled in people from every corner of the earth,” said Baroness Warsi, speaking at the event. “This year, we are marking our gratitude to 175 men from 11 countries, including Pakistan, who demonstrated the utmost bravery “in the face of the enemy” during the First World War.”
Published in The Express Tribune, June 28th, 2014.
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