ISLAMABAD: Azeem Afridi will be the first employee of Pakistan Railways since 1947 to receive ‘Tamgha-i-Shujaat’ posthumously for saving the life of a woman by sacrificing his own life while on duty at a railway crossing in Toba Tek Singh.

Noor Elahi, widow of the late Afridi, will receive the gallantry award at a ceremony on the occasion of Pakistan Day on March 23 at Aiwan-i-Sadr.

Azeem Afridi, who hailed from Gilgit-Baltistan, had served at the railway crossing for 35 years. On May 21, 2016, he saw a woman crossing the track at a time when Shalimar Express was fast approaching. Without caring for his own life, he rushed to the track and pushed the woman away, saving her life, but sacrificing his own.

The government decided to honour the late employee on the recommendation of Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique and Pakistan Railways Chief Executive Officer Mohammad Javed Anwar in recognition of his sacrifice.

Published in Dawn, March 21st, 2018