Daughter of late poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Ms. Moneeza Hashmi, an acclaimed television producer and President of the Public Media Alliance, has been awarded the prestigious Japan Prize 2015 (the President of the NHK prize) for tremendous achievements in educational media. Ms. Hashmi has made an outstanding contribution in creating awareness in the important fields of women empowerment, education and human rights that was widely acknowledged and appreciated. She was presented with the award by NHK President Mr. Katsuto Momii at a grand Ceremony in Tokyo at NHK Broadcasting Centre which was attended by Ambassador Farukh Amil as well. His Imperial Majesty Naruhito the Crown Prince of Japan was the Guest of Honour with producers and writers from across the world present on the occasion. In receiving the award Ms. Hashmi expressed her determination to persevere with efforts to improve education standards and media activities in Pakistan. To the packed auditorium she proclaimed that “she was proud to be a Pakistani, proud to be a Pakistani woman”.
Earlier the Ambassador hosted a dinner at Pakistan residence in honour of Ms. Hashmi along with two other renowned television personalities from UK and USA dealing with children’s education. They were also recipients of the same Award. Appreciating the considerable contribution and strong commitment of Ms. Hashmi in the important areas of gender equality, science and technology education and women empowerment, the Ambassador said that she was a source of inspiration for thousands of girls and a positive and soft image of Pakistan for the world that was now being celebrated and recognized in Japan at the highest level.
