KARACHI: The government and the United Nations on Tuesday expressed deep sorrow on the death of Dr Nafis Sadik, a renowned Pakistani champion of population welfare, mother and child health and prevention of diseases like hepatitis and AIDS.

Expressing grief over Dr Sadik’s demise, President Arif Alvi called her a source of guidance for women and said she had rendered remarkable services in health at international level, particularly for Asia.

Dr Sadik, a Pakistani national, died in her sleep on Sunday in New York, where she had settled after retirement from the UN. She was 92. Her funeral will take place on Wednesday (today) at 10:30am at New York’s Islamic Cultural Centre.

The Foreign Office spokesperson said in a statement that Dr Sadik was one of the most accomplished Pakistanis and a leading international voice on population policies.

“Dr Sadik’s contributions in the field of medical research and advocacy for human rights protection are significant,” the statement said. Pakistan’s UN Ambassador Munir Akram said: “I am deeply saddened by the passing of Dr Nafis Sadik, a proud Pakistani woman, a great leader and a visionary internationalist, who served her country and the international community with a bold vision.”

In a statement released by his spokesperson, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said, “When Dr Sadik took up her post at UNFPA in 1987, she became the first woman to head one of the UN’s major voluntarily-funded programmes. “She consistently called attention to the importance of addressing the needs of women, and of involving women directly in making and carrying out development policy, which she believed was particularly important for population policies and programmes.”

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2022