Families of servicemen who laid down their lives in the 26/11 attacks of 2008, as well as families of the civilians who lost their lives in the attacks, were among the several people who received the Mother Teresa International Awards for Social Justice on Sunday.
The awards function, organised by the Harmony Foundation at the J W Marriott Hotel in Sahar, was attended by former Afghan President Hamid Karzai, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah and Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Syed Ata Hasnain among others.
The awards were given to the families of Maj. Sandeep Unnikrishnan of the National Security Guard, former Maharashtra ATS chief Hemant Karkare, Additional Commissioner of Police Ashok Kamte and PI Vijay Salaskar.
“I never thought terrorism could come to my very doorstep. Terrorism is an insect which should be crushed. Everybody should follow their religion, but let them do it at home. When you come out of your house, you have to be global. Peace is a huge responsibility and we all need to come together and take it up so that nobody else loses their entire life in one night like I did,” Mr. Salaskar's daughter, Divya, said.
Among the others who received the awards were Special Police Officer Rukhsana Kausar with the J&K Police, who fought LeT terrorists in 2009 when they entered her house and killed her parents, and Faraaz Ayaaz Hossain, who stuck with his two non-Bangladeshi friends when terror struck at the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka, and lost his life.
