<p>Sono Khaghrani was presented the 'Tamgha-e-Imtiaz', a civilian award, by Sindh Governor Ishratul Ebad on behalf of President Asif Ali Zardari in Karachi yesterday.<br />Khagrani, the chief doctor in Thardeep Rural Development Programme, was given the award on the occasion of Pakistan Day.<br /><br />He has been working for the uplift of impoverished sections of society, with special interest in the areas of health and education, for several years.<br />Khagrani said he was "very happy" that the government had acknowledged his work and that he had become the first Dalit in Pakistan to receive such an award.<br />"This is the first time that someone from my community has received an award, and I am unable to express my happiness in words," he told BBC.<br /><br />"I am proud of my work... Irrespective of which section of society one hails from, if one works hard and with honesty one's work will be praised one day," he said.<br />Khagrani said the award has been a boost for him and he now wanted to work not just in Sindh province but the whole of Pakistan.<br /><br />Khagrani, who hails from Tharparkar district, was born into a poor Dalit family in 1954.</p>
<p>Sono Khaghrani was presented the 'Tamgha-e-Imtiaz', a civilian award, by Sindh Governor Ishratul Ebad on behalf of President Asif Ali Zardari in Karachi yesterday.<br />Khagrani, the chief doctor in Thardeep Rural Development Programme, was given the award on the occasion of Pakistan Day.<br /><br />He has been working for the uplift of impoverished sections of society, with special interest in the areas of health and education, for several years.<br />Khagrani said he was "very happy" that the government had acknowledged his work and that he had become the first Dalit in Pakistan to receive such an award.<br />"This is the first time that someone from my community has received an award, and I am unable to express my happiness in words," he told BBC.<br /><br />"I am proud of my work... Irrespective of which section of society one hails from, if one works hard and with honesty one's work will be praised one day," he said.<br />Khagrani said the award has been a boost for him and he now wanted to work not just in Sindh province but the whole of Pakistan.<br /><br />Khagrani, who hails from Tharparkar district, was born into a poor Dalit family in 1954.</p>