Martyred Pakistani peacekeeper Naik Muhammad Naeem Raza honored with UN medal

The United Nations (UN) has honored the Dag Hammarskjold medal to a Pakistani soldier, Naik Muhammad Naeem Raza, who embraced martyrdom while serving in the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

UN Secretary General António Guterres, awarded the Dag Hammarskjold medal posthumously during a solemn ceremony held at UN Headquarters in New York to commemorate the International Day of Peacekeepers. The award was received by Pakistan's permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi.

Lodhi said that she was 'humbled and honored' on receiving the award on behalf of the family of the slain Pakistani, local media reported. "Pakistani peacekeepers continue to serve UN peacekeeping missions with distinction and fly the flag of Pakistan high," the country's ambassador to UN added.

I accepted this posthumous award for our shaheed Naik Muhammad Naeem Raza at the Medal Award ceremony where SG@antonioguterres is honouring UN Peacekeepers who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. Naik Naeem Raza embraced shahadat in Democratic Republic of Congo(DRC) pic.twitter.com/UACG0qlo5l

— Maleeha Lodhi (@LodhiMaleeha) May 24, 2019

The UN has also honored 118 brave individuals including military and police personnel, international civil servants, and UN staff from 38 countries serving in 12 different UN Peacekeeping Operations around the world.