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First Lady of Azerbaijan, President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Mehriban Aliyeva has been honored with Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women Excellence Award-2013.
The Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women Excellence Award-2013 ceremony was held in Larkana, Pakistan. The event was attended by former Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister of Sindh Province Qaim Ali Shah, ministers, members of National Assembly and senators.
Addressing the ceremony, PPP co-chairman and former president Asif Ali Zardari said Benazir Bhutto had fought against dictators for restoration of democracy in the country. He said because of her sincere efforts women rose to prominence in society and enjoyed the status they deserved.
Later, the former president announced that First Lady of Azerbaijan, President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, UNESCO and ISESCO Goodwill ambassador Mehriban Aliyeva was honored with Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women Excellence Award-2013.
Sindh Minister for Women Development, Special Education and Social Welfare Rubina Qaimkhani said Benazir Bhutto made huge contributions to development of science, education and culture in the country. The minister said Benazir Bhutto fought and gave her life for saving whole world from terrorism and for freedom of women and children.
Qaimkhani pointed out that on Mehriban Aliyeva`s initiative and support, large-scale projects had been implemented in education, health and humanitarian areas of Pakistan. “The Heydar Aliyev Foundation has realized many projects in various cities of Pakistan. As part of the humanitarian assistance program for Pakistan, the Heydar Aliyev Foundation had built a school for girls and later reconstructed in Kashmir’s city of Muzaffarabad in 2012. In addition, at the initiative and with the support of Mehriban Aliyeva, the Heydar Aliyev Foundation funded a vaccination campaign against hepatitis B in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, organized examinations of cerebral palsy, open heart surgery in clinics located in the same province, blood transfusion in the districts along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, and provided financial assistance for the construction of an eye care clinic, animal sacrifice in 2012 in the tribal areas, Punjab province, and arranged Iftar parties for orphans in all provinces of Pakistan on the occasion of the Ramadan in 2012-2013.”
The minister also recalled her meeting with first lady Mehriban Aliyeva in Baku in March, 2013, and shared her impressions.
Turkish first lady Hayrunnisa Gul was also given the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women Excellence Award-2013.
