ISLAMABAD: German citizen and resident of Sialkot, Anita Khawaja, was awarded on Tuesday the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

Anita Khawaja, widow of the late Muhammad Anwar Khawaja, the Founder of Anwar Khawaja Industries, was decorated in recognition of her lifelong commitment to improving the healthcare and education of football stitchers and other residents of Sialkot.

During a reception in Anita Khawaja’s honour, the medal of the Cross of Merit (1st Class) was handed over to her by Germany’s Ambassador to Pakistan, Ina Lepel. The event was attended by Mrs Khawaja’s family and friends, other bearers of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany living in Pakistan and by representatives of the national press.

A statement issued by the German Embassy said that born in Germany’s capital Berlin in 1941, Mrs Anita Khawaja (nEe Bade) first came to Pakistan through the “Dienste in Ubersee” programme (“Service Abroad”) as a young nurse in 1971 to train midwives at the Christian Memorial Hospital and later also traditional birth attendants, thereby helping to substantially reduce infant and maternal mortality in the Sialkot District. After a brief stay in Europe, she married the late Muhammad Anwar Khawaja in 1975 and continued her work for disadvantaged citizens.

In 1982, Mrs Khawaja set up an Under-Five Healthcare Clinic at the Bethania Hospital for the prevention of malnutrition, critical for the healthy development of children. She worked there until 1986. Simultaneously, Anita Khawaja was appointed as a social worker for the women of the District Jail. In 1996, Anwar Khawaja Industries requested Mrs Anita Khawaja to develop their corporate social responsibility programme.

The statement said that thanks to the Select Anwar Khawaja Industries Health and Education Programme (SAHEP), tens of thousands of workers (mostly women) and their families had gained access to free healthcare and education (including adult literacy). Targeting education to each child’s individual needs has significantly contributed to reducing child labour. Mrs Anita Khawaja continued to preside SAHEP to this day. “Her tireless efforts to improve the lives of the workers and of the people of Sialkot continue,” the statement said.

Published in Dawn, May 14th, 2026