*NEW YORK: United Nations Secretary General, António Guterres, awarded theDag Hammarskjold medal posthumously to a Pakistani soldier, Naik MuhammadNaeem Raza, who embraced martyrdom on 27 January 2018 while serving in theUN mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.*
The posthumous award was received by Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UN,Maleeha Lodhi, during a solemn ceremony held at UN Headquarters in New Yorkto commemorate the International Day of Peacekeepers.
Speaking after the ceremony, Ambassador Lodhi said that she was humbled andhonoured to receive this award for Shaheed Muhammad Naeem Raza.
“This award of the Dag Hammarskjold medal to our hero is a recognition bythe UN secretary general of the sacrifice, dedication and professionalismof Pakistan’s peacekeepers”, she added.
During the ceremony 119 brave individuals were honoured for making theultimate sacrifice in the line of duty to uphold international peace andsecurity in 2018 and early 2019.
The awardees included military and police personnel, international civilservants, and UN staff from 38 countries serving in 12 different UNPeacekeeping Operations around the world.