British-Pakistani educationist and former mayor of Rugby Dr James Shera will be conferred the ‘Freedom of the Borough of Rugby Award’ in a special ceremony to be held at the Rugby Borough Council on April 27, 2017.
The event will be attended by several distinguished personalities, including the High Commissioner of Pakistan to Britain Syed Ibn-e-Abbas. “The honour has been bestowed in recognition of his eminent services to the people of Rugby, championing equality and diversity at national and international level over many years; politically, socially and culturally, and with total commitment,” states the office of Mayor of Rugby in a press statement.
The honour of Freeman of the Borough of Rugby is conferred in line with the Honorary Freedom of Boroughs Act 1885 (an Act Parliament of the UK) that gave the councils of municipal boroughs in England and Wales the power to award the title of honorary freeman to “persons of distinction and any person who have rendered eminent services to the borough”.
Kamran Haider Rizvi, a human rights activist and adviser to the late prime minister of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto, also paid rich tributes to Dr James Shera. He said that he always looked upon Dr Shera as a role model. “Dr Shera’s belief in respect for humanity and his motto to serve every one without discrimination are the qualities that we need to instil among our children,” Rizvi added.
Dr Shera was elected mayor of Rugby in 1988, the first ever Pakistani to become a mayor. He had served as governor on the boards of two British Universities, the Coventry University and Newman University Birmingham, and had been governor of Warwickshire College, which is a consortium of five colleges, for seven years. He also served as chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Board, Rugby Borough Council, 2010 to 2014.
In recognition of his services particularly his campaigns as chair of Fellows of Warwickshire College, a road has been named in Rugby as ‘James Shera Way’ making him the only living person and first Pakistani to enjoy this honour. He was conferred with an honorary doctorate of Business and Administration by the University of Bedfordshire in 2010. Dr Shera served as a leader of Labour Group since 2005-2014.
In 2007 Dr Shera was honoured with an MBE by Her Majesty the Queen, for services to Health and Education. He is also the only overseas Pakistani to have received the highest accolade in 1992 by the president at the time, Sitara -e-Pakistan (the Star of Pakistan). This was awarded for his services to interfaith relations.
In 2014 Shera made a record by being elected as a councillor for the 10th consecutive term, from Benn Ward of Rugby, a ward from where he has been continuously contesting elections and elected since 1981. In 2015 he was bestowed with Distinguished Formanite Award by the FC College Lahore.
