First Lady initiated another humanitarian event in Pakistan
By Nigar Orujova
A humanitarian event has been organized in the Edhi Homes orphanage in the city of Lahore in Punjab province of Pakistan on the initiative and with the support of Azerbaijani First Lady, President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Mehriban Aliyeva.
Minister of Customs and Taxes of Pakistan Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman, director of the Institute for Peace and Diplomatic Research Muhammad Asif Noor, management of the Edhi Homes, children living here and representatives of the media attended this event.
Addressing the ceremony, Ambassador Dashgin Shikarov noted that at present the relations between Azerbaijan and Pakistan are at the highest level, and emphasized the role of President Ilham Aliyev in the development of these relations.
The diplomat noted that a series of programs of humanitarian assistance in health and education areas are carried out in all provinces of Pakistan on the initiative and with the support of President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Mehriban Aliyeva.
He emphasized that the first lady carefully approaches the orphans.
On his part, Shuja-ur-Rehman told the participants about the history of relations between the two countries, and stressed Azerbaijan’s special love for the people of Pakistan. He recommended learning more about Azerbaijan.
The minister, on behalf of the Pakistani people, expressed deep gratitude to the people of Azerbaijan, the state, especially to President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva for the events which are held in all provinces of Pakistan annually and support for his country in the darkest days.
He stressed that such humanitarian and social activities carried out in all provinces of Pakistan on the initiative and with the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation make a special contribution to the development of fraternal relations between the two countries.
In turn, Asif Noor informed of the humanitarian activities carried out by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation in all regions of Pakistan, and stressed the importance of a series of events in his country.
He said that Iftar was organized for orphans and the elderly in the month of Ramadan in all provinces of Pakistan.
Asif Noor also noted that on the occasion of Gurban Bayram in a number of regions that suffered from the earthquake, hundreds of cattle were sacrificed, and distributed to the poor. He expressed deep gratitude to the Azerbaijani people and the state.
The event was followed by distribution of gifts and school supplies of behalf of the Foundation to the orphans.
At the end of the event, Ambassador Shikarov and Minister Shuja-ur-Rehman gave interviews to the media.
Shuja-ur-Rehman noted that a number of humanitarian projects in the fields of health and education have been carried out in Pakistan in 2012-2015 at the initiative of Mrs Aliyeva.
He said that residents of Edhi Homes orphanage, Institute of Cerebral Palsy Akbar Care, clinics for children and women of Lakki Marwat and Kulsum International were vaccinated against the hepatitis B virus. Moreover, examinations and surgical operations were conducted on the bare heart. The Foundation also provided financial assistance to the Saif Fund.
At the same time, ambulance car, equipped with a special laboratory for transfusion and thousands of bags for blood transfusions were donated to the Charity Fund Hamzad. Financial and technical assistance was given to build a new block and waiting rooms for the Eye Hospital of Khyber, and to construct the Center for Thalassemia in Islamabad.
The minister also recalled that in 2014 at the initiative and with the support of Mehriban Aliyeva the “Heydar Aliyev water supply” a project was implemented in the province of Dera Ismail Khan, and the project “Water supply of January 20 martyrs” project in Gujar Khan in 2015. These projects provided tens of thousands of residents of these areas with drinking water.
Shuja-ur-Rehman noted that for the implementation of humanitarian projects in Pakistan the First Lady was awarded with “The Symbol of Humanism – Woman of 2012” in 2012, “Shaheed Benazir Bhutto” award in 2013, and the Order “Hilal-e-Pakistan” in 2015.
The Heydar Aliyev Foundation began working with Pakistan after the earthquake in 2005 with an initiative to build a new modern school for girls in Muzaffarabad. The 500-pupil school was constructed in 2007 in a mountainous area.
The foundation regularly provides the school with all the necessary equipment and pays monthly scholarships to five deserving students at the school. After completing reconstruction and renovation in 2012, the school was named after the First Lady of Azerbaijan.
Mehriban Aliyeva initiated a series of healthcare, education, and humanitarian projects throughout the provinces of Pakistan from 2012.
These humanitarian projects give impetus to further strengthening of the fraternal relations between the two countries.
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Nigar Orujova is AzerNews’s staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @o_nigar
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