Mehriban Aliyeva handed Hilal-e-Pakistan order
By Nigar Orujova
Azerbaijan’s First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva received the high State Award of Pakistan - order of “Hilal-e-Pakistan” for her credits for the country on March 11.
The order was handed by President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Mamnoon Hussain as part of his visit to Azerbaijan.
Mehriban Aliyeva is the first ever first lady to be honored with this order.
The president of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation expressed her gratitude for the award.
“Azerbaijan and Pakistan are united with strong friendship, cooperation and strategic partnership, based on historical and cultural roots. Our countries cooperate in many areas, and I am sure that your visit to Azerbaijan will play an important part in the further development of these ties,” she said.
"The Heydar Aliyev Foundation has actively work toward further broadening friendly relations and humanitarian ties between the two countries," she emphasized.
She went on to say, that a number of significant projects and charity programs are underway around Pakistan.
“We are very pleased that our first project - the construction of an all girls' school, which was destroyed by a powerful earthquake in Muzaffarabad in October 2005, was very successful and laid a good foundation for our future cooperation,” Aliyeva noted.
The Foundation carries out projects in the field of education, health and social services.
“We’ve received great support from the local population during the implementation of projects in different parts of Pakistan, and have thus established a wide format of contacts between people, that are an integral part of our bilateral relations.”
She expressed hope that the activity of the Foundation will continue in Pakistan with support of both presidents.
The Heydar Aliyev Foundation, which for over 10 years has implemented various projects in education, health, culture, sports, and environment in Azerbaijan and abroad, started its activity in Pakistan in 2007 after it was hit by a strong earthquake in October 2005.
The organization took an active part in various humanitarian projects such as the construction of ab all girls' school in the village of Rara, Muzaffarabad, after it was destroyed by the earthquake.
The school was again damaged in 2011 following a flood. It was completely remodeled, renovated and equipped in 2012 and female students who distinguished themselves in their studies, were granted scholarships.
Moreover, hepatitis B vaccines have been delivered to the Edhi Homes Orphanage in the city of Islamabad. This vaccine was made available to about 40,000 people.
In addition, the Foundation supplied a fully equipped ambulance car and 2,000 blood bags to Hamza Foundation for blood transfusion, as well as provided financial support for the construction of a new block at the Khyber Eye Foundation Hospital in Peshawar.
In 2013, the organization allocated 36 scholarships at 12 prestigious universities in Azerbaijan for Pakistani students.
The same year, the Foundation’s head Aliyeva was awarded with Benazir Bhutto Woman Excellence Prize in Pakistan.
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Nigar Orujova is AzerNews’s staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @o_nigar
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