Photo Credit: Kashif Sohail
Dr. Zulfiqar Kazmi and Mrs Tanvir Kazmi, prominent Pakistani-Americans in literary and interfaith circles, have been honored with Parents of the Year Award 2017.
The National Parents Day Coalition of faith organizations says in its citation that the award has been conferred on the couple to acknowledge their “outstanding example of sacrificial parental love, overcoming major obstacles, exhibiting qualities of moral virtue and their contribution to their community.”
Thomas McDevitt, Chairman United Peace Federation, USA and The Washington Times, conferred the award on the Kazmi couple at a ceremony at the Times Headquarters in Washington D.C.
McDevitt praised Dr. Kazmi’s commitment to interfaith efforts towards fostering mutual understanding, and noted that he motivated the Pakistani-Americans to join the “Peace Starts With Me” rally at Madison Square Garden New York last month.
Tom McDevitt and Dr. Kazmi at Madison Square Garden
Kazmi, who heads The Commongrounds, profusely thanked the coalition for the distinction bestowed on him and said has been striving for interfaith harmony considering it as his duty.
He thanked several Pakistani-American friends for their support for his interfaith work that ultimately led to the Parents of the Year Award, approved by Congress in 1990s and instituted formally by President Bill Clinton.
“It was exceptionally powerful and emotionally moving evening as I received a most prestigious NPD Award,” Dr. Kazmi later said.
Pakistani journalist Anwar Iqbal, who is Dawn newspaper’s Washington Correspondent, while expressing appreciation for Dr. Kazmi’s work, underscored the importance of work for peace. He said as war correspondent in Afghanistan he witnessed sufferings of children and families during the conflict – a painful experience which heightened his realization about the importance of having peace around the world.
Jamie Aziz, an attorney and interfaith activist and Tomiko Duggan, Director at UPF, Indian-American activist Sahs Agarwal, artist Asad and Kamal also applauded the contributions of Dr. Kazmi and his spouse Tanvir Kazmi.
