ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday conferred civil awards upon recipients from different fields in recognition of their outstanding contributions in the fields of health, education, literature, journalism, fine arts and counterterrorism, among others.
A prestigious investiture ceremony was held at the Aiwan-e-Sadr where the recipients were decorated with various civil honours, including Nishan-i-Imtiaz, Hilal-i-Shujaat, Hilal-i-Imtiaz, Sitara-i-Pakistan, Sitara-i-Shujaat, Sitara-i-Imtiaz, Presidential Pride of Performance, Sitara-i-Khidmat, Tamgha-i-Shujaat and Tamgha-i-Imtiaz. The ceremony was attended by First Lady Aseefa Bhutto, federal ministers, Senate Chairman Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, parliamentarians, members of the civil society, diplomats, media and a large number of people. Traditionally, prestigious investiture ceremony used to be held on Pakistan Day on March 23 every year but it was postponed and held on May 13 this year.
President Zardari conferred Sitara-i-Shujaat upon the family of Shaheed Liaqat Ali, a former Pakistan Railways employee who embraced martyrdom while foiling a suicide attack in Attock. Nishan-i-Imtiaz (posthumous) was conferred upon late Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan in recognition of his outstanding services to the country.
The other recipients who were conferred upon with awards in different categories included late Senator Irfan ul Haq Siddiqui Nishan-i-Imtiaz (posthumous), Attaul Haq Qasmi Nishan-i-Imtiaz, Shahid Khan Afridi Hilal-i-Imtiaz, Sardar Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari Hilal-i-Imtiaz, Muhammad Ali Hilal-i-Imtiaz, Asghar Nadeem Syed Hilal-i-Imtiaz, late Senator Taj Haider (posthumous) Sitara-i-Pakistan, Moazzam Jah Ansari Hilal-i-Imtiaz, Engineer Jamaluddin Ahmed Hilal-i-Imtiaz, Mirza Rizwan Baig Hilal-i-Imtiaz, Muhammad Yousuf Khan Hilal-i-Imtiaz, Dr Ameer Muhammad Hilal-i-Imtiaz, Professor Dr Ikram ul Haq Hilal-i-Imtiaz, Zahra Majid Ali Hilal-i-Imtiaz, Shehroz Kashif Hilal-i-Imtiaz, late Malik Ata Muhammad Khan Hilal-i-Imtiaz (posthumous), Ehtesham ul Haq Hilal-i-Imtiaz, Azeez uddin Hilal-i-Imtiaz, Bahrain’s diplomat Mohammad Ebrahim Mohammad Abdul Qadir, Javed Ullah Khan Mehsood Sitara-i-Shujaat (posthumous), Nawab Ali Shaheed Sitara-i-Shujaat (posthumous), Senator Hidayatullah Sitara-i-Shujaat (posthumous), ASI Muhammad Akram Sitara-i-Shujaat (posthumous), SI Taj Meer Shah Sitara-i-Shujaat (posthumous), Constable Abdullah Shaheed Sitara-i-Shujaat (posthumous), Constable Samand Khan Shaheed Sitara-i-Shujaat (posthumous), Constable Zameel Badshah Shaheed Sitara-i-Shujaat (posthumous), Abdul Hameed Shaheed Sitara-i-Shujaat (posthumous), Constable Muhammad Siraj Shaheed Sitara-i-Shujaat (posthumous), Constable Muhammad Javed Shaheed Sitara-i-Shujaat (posthumous), Hafeezullah Shaheed Sitara-i-Shujaat (posthumous), Inspector Shariq Rizwan Shaheed Sitara-i-Shujaat (posthumous), Jawad Qamar Sitara-i-Shujaat (posthumous), Naek Gulzar Ali Shaheed Sitara-i-Shujaat (posthumous), Sepoy Uzair Khan Shaheed Sitara-i-Shujaat (posthumous), Sepoy Khatab ul Rehman Shaheed Sitara-i-Shujaat (posthumous), Sepoy Gul Umarzai Shaheed Sitara-i-Shujaat (posthumous), Sepoy Abdul Sameed Shaheed Sitara-i-Shujaat (posthumous), Sepoy Imran Khan Shaheed Sitara-i-Shujaat (posthumous), Naeb Subedar Muhammad Jan Shaheed Sitara-i-Shujaat (posthumous), Lance Naek Syedur Rehman Sitara-i-Shujaat (posthumous), Sepoy Hazratullah Shaheed Sitara-i-Shujaat (posthumous), Sepoy Khunzada Shaheed Sitara-i-Shujaat (posthumous), Sepoy Mushtaq Ahmed Sitara-i-Shujaat (posthumous), Sepoy Baseerullah Shaheed Sitara-i-Shujaat (posthumous), Sepoy Mehtabur Rehman Shaheed Sitara-i-Shujaat (posthumous), Sepoy Sher Rehman Shaheed Sitara-i-Shujaat (posthumous), Sepoy Fazal Kareem Shaheed Sitara-i-Shujaat (posthumous), Sepoy Syed Amin Shaheed Sitara-i-Shujaat (posthumous), Shah Wali Khan Shaheed Hilal-e-Shujaat (posthumous), ASI Muhammad Ejaz Khan Shaheed Hilal-e-Shujaat (posthumous), SI Laiq Zada Shaheed Hilal-e-Shujaat (posthumous), Constable Alam Zeb Shaheed Hilal-i-Shujaat (posthumous), Constable Muhammad Ejaz Shaheed Hilal-i-Shujaat (posthumous), Waseem Ahmed Khan Shaheed Hilal-i-Shujaat (posthumous), Sepoy Azhar Mehmood Shaheed Hilal-i-Shujaat (posthumous).
The personalities who received Sitara-i-Shujaat included Sepoy Muhammad Yousaf Shaheed (posthumous), Constable Muhammad Shehryar Shaheed (posthumous), Faisal Ismail Shaheed (posthumous), Abdul Wakeel Shaheed (posthumous), Fazal Manan Shaheed (posthumous), ASI Noor Hakeem Shaheed (posthumous), Constable Zahidullah Shaheed (posthumous) and Liaqat Ali Shaheed (posthumous).
Similarly the personalities who received Sitara-i-Imtiaz included Interior Secretary Captain (retd) Muhammad Agha, Dr Muhammad Fakhare Alam, Nabeel Munir, Iftikhar Amjad, Lt (retd) Sohail Ashraf, Dr Naseem Faraz, Javed Akbar Riaz, Brigadier Faisal Shaukat Jehangiri, Ahmed Abdul Moeez Khawaja, Irfan Ahsan, Hamza Tabani, Dr Arshad Rehan (US/Pakistani), late Munir Ahmed Chaudhry, Muhammad Yaseen Khan, Arshad Wali Muhammad, Ahmed Raza, Prof Sarwar Muhammad Khawaja, Hamra Abbas, late Justice Syed Deedar Hussain Shah, Nadeem Hussain and Nadeem Mehboob. Rashid Waheed Khawaja and Zahid Ahmed received Pride of Performance award while Muhammad Saeed Sheikh received Sitara-i-Khidmat and Shahid Hussain received Tamgha-i-Shujaat award.
Those received Tamgha-i-Imtiaz included IG Sindh Javaid Akhtar Odho, Nadir Shafee Dar, Dr Muhammad Shahbaz Chaudhry, Muhammad Kashif Ashfaq, Chaudhry Amanat Hussain Mahr, Dr Farhat Akhtar Raja, Dr Khurum Hayat Khan, Dr Muhammad Shabi Ahmed, Dr Zeeshan Ali, Syed Zahid Hussain Shah, Raja Suleman Raza, Sajid Abbas, Naveed Anwar Chaudhry, Abdul Waheed Khan, Abdul Wahab Sheikh, Waqas ul Hassan, Shazia Sikandar Rana, Mohsin Nawaz, Muhammad Arsalan Zafar, Syed Abdul Mohi Shah (The News), Dr Rao Kamran Ali, Dr Imran Syed, Dr Muhammad Naeem Malik, Nasir Aftab, Professor Dr Fateh Muhammad Marri, Aamir Javed Sheikh, Dr Anam Fatema, Captain (retd) Qazi Ali Raza, Capt (retd) Chaudhry Awais Afzal, Sahibzada Muhammad Yousuf, Waseem Ahmed, Professor Muhammad Tayyeb, Smeda CEO Nadia Jehangir Seth and Zia ul Hassan Lanjar.
