The International News: February 2, 2014 Banned across the world, asbestos continues to plague Pakistan
ADAO Blog:January 15, 2014: The Ahmed Family: Bringing Asbestos Awareness and Action to Pakistan
The International News: July 12, 2013 Two million Karachiites face cancer threat
The International News: July 15, 2013 Asbestos and cancer
Posted on February 3, 2014
Sugio Furuya, Syed Fareed Ahmed, His Highness Barrister Samin Khan Lord of Sherpur, and Syed Mezab Ahmed
Absolutely incredible! On February 1, 2014, the Ahmed family gathered more than 170 dignitaries, experts, and general public for the first Pakistani Ban Asbestos Conference was held in the city of Karachi.
Our enthusiasm for this historic event was shared by the President Mamnoon Hussain of Pakistan. “I … wish to congratulate Syed Haroon Ahmed, Syed Mezab Ahmed and the organizers of this conference for their efforts to raise greater awareness about asbestos and various health issues involved with its use,” commented President Mamnoon Hussain. “Scientific research has proved that asbestos is a human carcinogen and there is no safe level of asbestos exposure.”
Syed Mezab Ahmed shared this photo of his father, Syed Haroon Ahmed with Dr. Farooq Sattar, a Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan, and Sugio Furuya, coordinator of the Asian Ban Asbestos Network.
ADAO was delighted to have the opportunity to present via Skype and video. Lou Williams, asbestos patient and Awareness and Information Officer for the Australian Bernie Banton Foundation, also gave a presentation. All three presentations may be viewed below. For more information about Pakistan’s Ban Asbestos Conference, click here.
The International News reported, in response to the Pakistan conference, that Muhammed Yaseen Azad, a former president of Supreme Court Bar Council, said: “We need to value human lives. I do not care if a factory employing hundreds closes down if it is responsible for taking even one life.”
Syed Haroon Ahmed continued the ongoing fight to ban asbestos in Pakistan by filing a complaint in 2009 within the Pakistani judicial system in regards to the death of his brother, Syed Fareed Ahmed. His case has been taken all the way to the Supreme Court, but today remains still unresolved. Most horrifically, no action has been taken to protect the people being exposed due to the improper disposal of asbestos containing building materials at the Karachi Dumping site in Gadap Town. Due to the delay between asbestos exposure and the onset of diseases, we know that preventable deaths will continue far into the future and the ramifications of the exposure have not even really begun to surface. As The News International reported in July 2013: “A personal loss has unfolded a collective tragedy in Karachi where a factory dumping site in Gadap Town exposes over two million residents to cancer-causing chemicals (Chrysotile asbestos) that annually take 100,000 lives at the global level resulting in its ban in 52 countries.”
At ADAO, we have seen that change can start with one voice. Thanks to many of you, ADAO was able to make a financial contribution to this important conference. The Ahmed family refuses to give up. We look forward to Mezab’s presentation at our 10th Annual Asbestos Awareness Conference.
In unity,
Linda Reinstein