President Asif Ali Zardari conferred Pakistan’s civil awards on 69 individuals, including several foreign nationals, to honour their contributions. The ceremony took place at Aiwan-e-Sadr on Sunday.
Federal ministers, the Senate chairman, parliamentarians, diplomats, media representatives and members of civil society attended the event. They recognised the recipients for their achievements in health, education, literature, journalism, research, diplomacy, public service and the economy.
The government posthumously awarded the Nishan-i-Pakistan to former Prime Minister and founder of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, for his services to the nation and democracy. Zulfikar’s daughter, Sanam Bhutto, accepted the award on his behalf.
Amin Lakhani, who serves as the honorary consul general of Singapore in Pakistan, received the Tamgha-i-Imtiaz. He was recognised for his efforts in strengthening relations between Pakistan and Singapore, including facilitating the issuance of 200,000 visas for Pakistanis.
Read more: President Grants Remission to Prisoners for Pakistan Day and Eid
Other international recipients included Haydar Qurbonov and Dr Christine Brunhilde, who received the Sitara-i-Quaid-e-Azam. Agostino Da Polenza and Professor Valevia Piacentini received the Tamgha-i-Pakistan, while Dr Xinmin Liu received the Tamgha-i-Quaid-e-Azam.
The committee awarded the Presidential Prize of Performance to Naveed Ahmad Fareed, Rashid Waheed Khawaja, Mohtarma Aniqa Bano and Barkat Shah. They posthumously awarded Air Marshal (retd) Raja Shahid Hamid the Nishan-i-Imtiaz.
Many police officers and soldiers were awarded posthumous honours for their bravery. SP Muhammad Ejaz Khan, DSP Allama Iqbal, DSP Sardar Hussain, Constables Irshad Ali and Jahanzeb, and Additional SHO Adnan Afridi received the Hilal-i-Shujaat for their sacrifices.
Academics, scientists, and public servants and Business leaders, including Jimmy Engineer and Umar Farooq, received civil awards too.
The civil awards acknowledged individuals across multiple fields, celebrating their dedication and service to Pakistan.
Stay tuned to Brandsynario for latest news and updates.