French President Emmanuel Macron will make 73-year-old Ali Akbar a knight of the National Order of Merit in September this year, an honor given in France for distinguished services in the civil or military sector.
Daily Dawn News, Dawn TV Report
Paris: It has been announced that a Pakistani man who sold newspapers in the French capital, Paris, for half a century will be awarded France’s highest civilian award.
According to the British news agency Reuters, the 73-year-old Pakistani citizen Ali Akbar hails from Rawalpindi and has been selling newspapers on the streets, in restaurants and other places in the city’s fashionable Leyton Quarter since 1973.
When the demand for newspapers decreased after the introduction of online editions on TV and the Internet, he resorted to humor and other measures to sell them, thanks to which people are attracted to him.
In September, French President Emmanuel Macron will award Ali Akbar with the National Order of Merit, an award given by the government in recognition of distinguished service to the country in the civil or military field.
After the advent of TV in the 70s, selling newspapers was a profession that was dying out because it allowed news to reach people quickly, while the advent of the Internet accelerated it.
However, Ali Akbar is the last hawker in the city who continues to sell newspapers to this day.
Leave a Reply