PESHAWAR: Bill Gates, co-chairman of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, was granted Hilal-e-Pakistan in recognition of his meritorious services to the people of Pakistan, particularly for the eradication of polio.
He was on the one-day visit to Pakistan.
Gates has met Prime Minister Imran Khan and later, in a ceremony at President house, he was conferred Pakistan’s second highest civilian honor, the Hilal-e-Pakistan. Earlier, Prime Minister Imran Khan hosted a luncheon in his honor which was also attended by federal ministers.
Gates also visited the National Command and Control Center (NCOC) [a federal committee on Covid-19] where he attended a meeting with Federal Minister for Planning Asad Umar and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Health Dr Faisal Sultan. The NCOC said that Gates and his delegation were briefed on the role of NCOC, its achievements since the onset of the pandemic and Coronavirus situation across Pakistan.
He was informed about the NCOC efforts for controlling the spread of the disease and ensuring public safety. The statement further said that Gates took keen interest in various initiatives of NCOC, especially the implementation of smart lock-down strategy.
Earlier, Dr Faisal Sultan, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Health, welcomed the arrival of Bill Gates in Pakistan. Dr Faisal Sultan said in a twitter post that in addition to reviewing polio eradication in Pakistan, Gates will also visit the NCOC and the Ehsas program office. Bill Gates will also meet with President Arif Alvi and provincial health department leaders.
Gates is one of the leading figures the ongoing polio eradication efforts around the world. In April 2020, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced a grant of over $2 million to support Pakistan’s efforts to contain the coronavirus pandemic. Gates also visited the Covid-19 hospital in Chak Shahzad. According to sources, Microsoft founder will return this evening.