Award

Young achievers of Pakistan are making their protest heard by refusing awards. If justice cannot be achieved in a proper way and if media is not playing its role in raising issues then people do make efforts like these. Samad Khurram was the first drop of  rain and Asma Waheed is the latest. I am impressed by the awareness and understanding of todays youth regarding the situation prevalent in the country. They are not only aware of the happenings but are bold enough to make their voices heard. I find them better then people like me who sit at home and cry their heart out for Dr. Aafia Siddiqui.

“OPF declines to recieve award from minister

The News-Afshan S. Khan

Islamabad

In a surprising incident, a student of ‘O’ levels, Asma Waheed, declined to receive her excellence award and certificate from Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Dr. Farooq Sattar on account of what she termed helplessness of the government in the case of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui currently detained in the US.

The incident took place at the oath-taking ceremony of the newly-elected students council members and award distribution ceremony of the OPF Girls College, F-8/2, here on Thursday.

“I want the government to bring back Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, who is the daughter of Pakistan. Her safe return to Pakistan is 100 times more important than receiving an excellence award from the federal minister. I would be a dummy if I don’t vent out my feelings towards her and her sovereignty,” she said on the stage before receiving a round of applause from the audience, comprising students, parents, faculty members and guests.

This is the third incident of this kind where students have refused to receive merit certificates from government officials on account of their political differences.

Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Dr. Farooq Sattar said that he was happy to see the courage of the girl, who has shown her strong emotions and feelings towards Dr. Aafia Siddiqui and termed it their democratic right.

“I am equally worried over this issue and I consider this a democratic right of people to express themselves in whatever way they feel like,” he said. He offered to take the students’ council delegation to the president, prime minister and the US ambassador for talks on Dr. Aafia Siddiqui’s safe return to Pakistan.

Dr. Farooq Sattar said: “We are going through a bad phase but we have to work really hard to mobilise the country, which can be done by the unity of working class and middle class. We need to shun feudalism, capitalism and tribalism, which have destroyed the fabric of our society. We need to develop our socio-economic stature on war footings and that can be done only by collective leadership, collective wisdom and collective decision through which we can have collective responsibilities.”

He said: “The dreams can only come true if vision and action are brought together. We need to recognise our national heroes on every front so that there is more inspiration for the younger generation. Our IQ level is far better than citizens of most countries. We just need to utilise it at the right time.”

http://teeth.com.pk/blog/2008/06/18/student-refuses-award-from-us-ambassador

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