Paris celebrates a Pakistani icon: newspaper hawker Ali Akbar awarded France’s Medal of Honour

PARIS: On a crisp winter morning at the Élysée Palace, beneath the glittering chandeliers and presidential banners, a moment decades in the making finally arrived. At 73, Ali Akbar, the iconic Pakistani newspaper hawker who has walked the cobblestone streets of Paris’ Latin Quarter for over half a century, was formally decorated as a Knight of the National Order of Merit by French President Emmanuel Macron – one of the country’s highest civilian honours.

The award was more than a medal. It was a tribute to a life shaped by perseverance, humility and connection.

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Before an audience of dignitaries, neighbours and journalists, President Macron spoke with warmth and admiration. He thanked Ali for filling the cafés and terraces of Paris, from Café de Flore to Deux Magots, with the sound of his voice and the rhythm of tradition, for bringing “the world in his arms and France in his heart.”

“Dear Ali,” Macron said, “thank you for warming the hearts of Parisians and visitors alike, and for being an example of the strength that comes from integration and kindness.”

When the medal was placed around his neck, Ali’s eyes glistened. Surrounded by family who had travelled from across France and beyond, he smiled with awe. “That’s it. I’m a knight! I’ve made it!” he exclaimed, voice catching with emotion, already imagining the joyful shouts he’d return to the Latin Quarter in the days ahead.

A LIFE OF GRIT AND GRACE

Born into a large family in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Ali left home as a young man with little more than hope and a handful of rupees, traversing through Afghanistan, Iran and Greece before finally reaching France in the early 1970s. With no safety net, no local support and limited language skills, he survived first as a sailor and kitchen worker before finding his calling on the streets of Paris.

Here, among the storied cafés and boulevards, Ali’s loud cry, once a tool of trade, became a beloved symbol of Paris itself. With wry humour and an unshakeable smile, he coaxed laughter from strangers and sold newspapers long after most of his peers had disappeared with the rise of digital media. Even as sales dwindled, his spirit never did.

Today, he still sells about three dozen papers each day, far fewer than the hundreds he once moved, but to locals and tourists alike, his presence is priceless.

THE HEART BESIDE THE HUSTLE

For many in the Latin Quarter, Ali is more than a hawker. He is family. Regulars at cafés recall how he once offered them not just newspapers but insight, jokes, shared humanity and sometimes even comfort on a grey Paris morning.

And yet, even with France’s recognition now pinned to his chest, Ali’s focus remains the same: community over acclaim, kindness over show, real paper over a glowing screen. At the Élysée, speaking softly after the ceremony, he said he has no intention of stopping. “I’m going to continue selling newspapers,” he said with a grin. “Entertainment and joy – that’s what I offer.”