Professor Salamat Akhtar has been honored with the Cornelius Award in recognition of his long-standing educational, social and humanitarian services. The Implementation Minority Rights Forum presented the award at a dignified ceremony in Lahore, celebrating his lifelong commitment to justice and minority rights in Pakistan.
Nawaz Salamat, son of Professor Salamat Akhtar and a leader within the All Pakistan Christian League, expressed heartfelt gratitude for the recognition bestowed upon his father. He said Professor Akhtar has consistently raised a strong voice for human rights and the protection of minority communities, helping to shape public understanding and policy discourse.
Nawaz Salamat highlighted his father’s widely read book, Unsung Heroes of the Pakistan Movement, noting that Professor Akhtar dedicated a full chapter to the thoughts, character and national services of former Chief Justice Justice A.R. Cornelius. That chapter, he said, has played an important role in introducing younger generations to Justice Cornelius’s contributions to the nation.
The family conveyed deep thanks to the Implementation Minority Rights Forum for recognizing Professor Akhtar’s academic and social contributions and for presenting the Cornelius Award. Nawaz Salamat specifically thanked Forum Chairman Samuel Pyara and all organisers, describing the honour as encouragement not only for his father but for everyone working to promote interfaith harmony and human dignity in Pakistan.
The award was presented during the Lahore ceremony by Justice Aminuddin Khan, the first Chief Justice of Pakistan’s Constitutional Court. Professor Salamat Akhtar’s daughter, Sameera Asher, received the award on his behalf, accepting the tribute to her father’s decades of public service.
