UNITED NATIONS – The United Nations Thursday honoured at a solemn ceremony140 military, police and civilian personnel from 42 countries, includingseven Pakistanis, who lost their lives while serving in the world body’speacekeeping operations during the period July 1, 2016, December 31, 2017.

Tributes were paid to the fallen peacekeeper who sacrificed their lives forthe cause of peace during the preceding year onthe occasion of the annual UN Memorial service.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who led a moment of silence toremember the fallen peacekeepers, expressed his“deepest condolences and appreciation” to the family members and friends ofthose who died, as well as his “deepest sorrow and greatest appreciation”to the countries that contributed the troops and police officers.

At the start of the ceremony, the UN chief and presidents of the GeneralAssembly and the Security Council lit candles inmemory of the services rendered by the fallen personnel.Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, AmbassadorMaleeha Lodhi, was present at the largely-attended ceremony.

The seven Pakistani peacekeepers are: Naik Qaiser Abbas of MINUSCA (CentralAfrican Republic); Sepoy Yasir Abbas of UNAMID (Darfur); Sepoy MuhammadIshtiaq Abbasi of MONUSCO (Democratic Republic Of Congo); Havildar ZishanAhmed of MONUSCO (Democratic Republic Of Congo); Sepoy Hazrat Bilal ofMINUSCA (Central African Republic); Naik Abdul Ghafoor of MINUSCA (CentralAfrican Republic), and Naik Atta Ur Rehman of MONUSCO (Democratic RepublicOf Congo).

Pakistan is one of the largest contributor of military and police personnelto UN peacekeeping operations, deploying morethan 7,000 uniformed personnel in the Central African Republic, IvoryCoast, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Liberia, South Sudanand the Western Sahara.