UNITED NATIONS: The UN has honoured at a solemn ceremony 128 military, police and civilian personnel from 38 countries, including seven Pakistanis, who lost their lives while serving in peacekeeping operations during 2017.

Friday’s ceremony marked the annual International Day of Peacekeepers during which the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal was awarded posthumously to the peacekeepers who have given their lives for the cause of peace, during the preceding year.

This year also marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of UN Peacekeeping, the world body’s flagship enterprise described by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as “a proven investment in global peace, security and prosperity”. Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi, accepted the awards on behalf of the families of the seven fallen Pakistani peacekeepers. They are: Sepoy Hazrat Bilal, Naik Abdul Ghafoor, Naik Muhammad Ali, Sepoy Muhammad Ishtiaq Abbasi, Sepoy Tariq Javed, Naik Attaur Rehman and Sepoy Yassir Abbas.

Published in Dawn, June 2nd, 2018