The United Nations honoured at a virtual ceremony 129 military, police andcivilian personnel from 44 countries, including two Pakistani peacekeeper,who lost their lives while serving in peacekeeping operations during 2020.
The ceremony, presided over by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, markedthe annual International Day of UN Peacekeepers in which the DagHammarskjöld Medal was awarded posthumously to the peacekeepers, who madethe ultimate sacrifice for the cause of peace, during the preceding year.
Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador MunirAkram, accepted the awards on behalf of the families of the fallenPakistani peacekeepers — Sepoy Muhammad Azhar Aziz who served with theUnited Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the DemocraticRepublic of the Congo (MONUSCO) and Imtiaz Hussain who served in a civiliancapacity for the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated StabilizationMission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA).
“I feel deeply honored and proud on receiving these awards on behalf of twoPakistani peacekeepers who lost their lives in the service of the UnitedNations during 2020,” Ambassador Akram said while talking to APP after theceremony.
“Through their ultimate sacrifice, the late Imtiaz Hussain and Sepoy AzharAziz upheld the longstanding tradition of honour, courage and dedication ofPakistani peacekeepers,” he said.
“Their singular contribution also manifests Pakistan’s unwaveringcommitment to international peace and stability.
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“We salute these brave sons of Pakistan, and commit to keep their legacy,”Ambassador Akram added.
A total of 157 Pakistani peacekeepers have lost their lives while servingunder the UN flag over the years, according to the UN.
Pakistan is the 6th largest contributor of uniformed personnel to UNPeacekeeping, currently deploying more than 4,700 military and policepersonnel to the UN peace operations in Abyei, the Central AfricanRepublic, Cyprus, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali, Somalia,Sudan, South Sudan, and the Western Sahara.
