It’s a shame we don’t read more about people like this. Despite the stereotypes there are so many people who have done good that is never acknowledged. Anyway more power to people like this:
Dr Pfau’s services for leprosy eradication acknowledged
By our correspondent
KARACHI: Muhammad Ali Jinnah created Pakistan and Dr Ruth Pfau worked hard to make it a better place.
This was stated by the Federal Minister for Investment and Privatisation, Dr Hafeez Sheikh, while delivering the keynote address at a ceremony, arranged by the Jinnah Society at a local hotel on Friday, to confer the Jinnah Award on Dr Ruth Pfau of Marie Adelaide Leprosy Centre for her outstanding services to Pakistan from 1960 to 2003.
“There are a lot of similarities between Mr Jinnah and Dr Pfau: both are single-minded in their pursuit of ideas, both dedicated their lives to a cause and achieved success and both proved that one man or woman could make a difference,” said Dr Sheikh.
He said that the Jinnah’s message was much more relevant today. “His message of unity, faith and discipline is a timeless one. His personality holds a lesson for our leaders,” he said. “Jinnah wanted a religious, tolerant, and progressive Pakistan, but we have deviated from his vision,” he regretted.
Acknowledging the “valuable” services of Dr Ruth Pfau, he said that her coming to Pakistan, reaching out to the people in distress and dedicating her whole life to them “is really great”. Minister for State Dr Nasim Ashraf read out the message of President Pervez Musharraf, which said: “I am pleased to know about the Jinnah CD ROM and the Jinnah Anthology. Both the items contain valuable material about the life and personality of the Quaid-e-Azam. I appreciate Jinnah Society’s effort and wish it good luck.”
Dr Ashraf quoted President Musharraf as saying: “My vision and ideas of Pakistan are same as those of the Quaid. I wished to be at the ceremony, but was unfortunate not to come.”
In her address, Batool Mehmood, member, Executive Committee, Jinnah Society, gave a background about Dr Ruth Pfau. According to her, Dr Pfau was born in East Germany in 1929. She was raised amid the devastation of the World War-II and was a witness to the sufferings of the people. She decided to become a doctor to contribute to relieving the people of sufferings.
As a doctor, she decided to go to Bombay, but accidentally came to Karachi in 1960. She established a two-room Leprosy Colony on McLoed Road, Karachi, which later grew into a facility one could be proud of. She is successful in dramatically reducing leprosy in Pakistan and Afghanistan. An honorary citizen of Pakistan, Dr Pfau has received Sitara-e-Quaid-e-Azam, Hilal-e-Imtiaz and Hilal-e-Pakistan from the government of Pakistan for her outstanding services.
In her brief address, Dr Ruth Pfau thanked everyone involved in honouring her. She said that the reason why she stopped in Pakistan was that the people of this country did not have a voice. She announced with gratitude that the leprosy was now under control in Pakistan and it was controlled by ordinary people.
About her 42-year association with Pakistan, she, in a lighter vein, said: “This marriage between an NGO (Marie Adelaide Leprosy Centre) and the government is a typical Pakistani marriage. It’s an arranged marriage, we do fight but never separate. Now since there are so many children, there can be no divorce.”
Earlier, in his welcome address, the President of the Jinnah Society, Liaquat Merchant, informed the audience about the activities of the Jinnah Society. He said that the objective of the society was three-fold: to extend support and assistance in the development and management of projects, institutions and trusts dedicated to the memory of the Quaid-e-Azam with a view to keeping alive his name and projecting his achievements and image both within and outside Pakistan; to propagate the ideals, principles and vision of the Quaid as a nation-building exercise; and, to extend financial and other types of assistance to certain institutions.
In the second part of the programme, a multi-media presentation was made on the life and personality of the Quaid-e-Azam while Barrister Mahreen Khan conducted a live talk show with the audience, including Justice (retd) Saeed-uz-Zaman Siddiqui, Guljee, students from schools and colleges as well as mediamen.
The conclusion of the talks show was that Quaid’s vision of Pakistan has been distorted and we have deviated from his ideals. During the ceremony, Federal Minister for Investment and Privatisation, Dr Hafeez Sheikh, conferred Jinnah Award on Dr Ruth Pfau and presented her a medal.