UN to Honour Two Pakistani Peacekeepers Posthumously

The United Nations will pay tribute to two Pakistani peacekeepers who lost their lives in the line of duty during a ceremony at its headquarters on Thursday to mark the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, observed annually on May 29.

The Pakistani personnel to be honoured posthumously with the prestigious Dag Hammarskjöld Medal are Sepoy Muhammad Tarique and Havildar Ahsan Ullah Khan, both of whom served with the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA).

During the event, UN Secretary-General António Guterres will lay a wreath in remembrance of the more than 4,400 peacekeepers who have died in service since 1948. He will also lead a ceremony in the Trusteeship Council Chamber where the Dag Hammarskjöld Medals will be presented to 57 fallen peacekeepers—including military, police, and civilian personnel—who lost their lives while serving under the UN flag in the past year.

Pakistan remains one of the leading contributors to UN peacekeeping missions, currently ranking fifth globally. Over 2,800 Pakistani military and police personnel are deployed in missions across Abyei, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cyprus, Somalia, South Sudan, and Western Sahara.

Peacekeeping remains a vital instrument of the UN in maintaining international peace and security. Since its first deployment in 1948 to monitor the Israel-Arab Armistice Agreements—marking the beginning of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization—more than two million peacekeepers have served in 71 missions around the globe.

At present, approximately 68,000 military, police, and civilian peacekeepers from 119 nations are stationed in 11 active missions across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.