THE Ramon Magsaysay Award, estab-lished in 1957, is often called the ‘Nobel Prize of Asia’. Given to people with long-term meritorious services in the fields of social work, poverty alleviation and human rights, the award is one of the most coveted in Asia.

It is, indeed, a matter of pride that several Pakistanis have been honoured with the award, but it is also somewhat surprising that none of those luminaries have been celebrated enough in their own homeland.

The list of honour features Dr Akhtar Hameed Khan (1963) for his work in rural and sub-urban development, Abdul Sattar Edhi and Bilquis Edhi (1986) for the philanthropic work of Edhi Foundation, Shoaib Sultan Khan (1992) for his rural development programme, Asma Jahangir (1995) for her efforts against exploitation of women, children and minorities, Dr Adeebul Hassan Rizvi (1998) for founding the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplant (SIUT), Tasneem Ahmed Siddiqui (1999) for the amazing ‘Khuda Ki Basti’ housing project, Dr Ruth Pfau (2002) for fighting leprosy in Pakistan, I.A. Rehman (2004) for peace and human rights, The Citizen Foundation (2014) for providing education to the underpri-vileged, and Dr Amjad Saqib (2021) for the microfinance programme run by the Akhuwat Foundation.

The one thing that is common among all these amazing personalities is their selflessness. They set an example for the youth to utilise their energy in uplifting the condition of society at large without any greed or lust for power or recognition.

To commemorate the services of these greats, their lives should be converted into documentaries and biopics.

Some important buildings and roads should be named after these stalwarts. Their stories will inspire scores of others to follow them and make Pakistan great.

Farrukh Shahab
Lahore

Published in Dawn, February 21st, 2025