In a significant ceremony held at Aiwan-e-Sadr, President Asif Ali Zardari presented civil awards to numerous individuals, both Pakistani and foreign, recognizing their exceptional contributions across various sectors. The event, conducted on Wednesday, celebrated achievements in fields such as health, education, literature, journalism, public service, research, diplomacy, sports, and the economy.
The investiture was attended by First Lady Aseefa Bhutto, federal ministers, the Senate chairman, parliamentarians, civil society members, diplomats, media representatives, and a large audience. Among the highest honors, the Nishan-e-Imtiaz (posthumous) was awarded to the late Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan and Irfan-ul-Haq Siddiqui for their remarkable services to the nation.
Other notable recipients included Attaul Haq Qasmi, who received the Nishan-e-Imtiaz, and Shahid Khan Afridi, honored with the Hilal-e-Imtiaz. The Hilal-e-Imtiaz was also bestowed upon Sardar Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari, Muhammad Ali, Asghar Nadeem Syed, Moazzam Jah Ansari, Engineer Jamaluddin Ahmed, Mirza Rizwan Baig, Muhammad Yousuf Khan, Dr Ameer Muhammad, Professor Dr Ikram ul Haq, Zahra Majid Ali, Shehroz Kashif, and the late Malik Ata Muhammad Khan (posthumous), among others.
Diplomatic recognition was extended to Bahrain’s Mohammad Ebrahim Mohammad Abdul Qadir with the Hilal-e-Imtiaz. Several individuals received the Sitara-e-Shujaat posthumously, including Javed Ullah Khan Mehsood, Nawab Ali Shaheed, Senator Hidayatullah, ASI Muhammad Akram, SI Taj Meer Shah, and numerous brave police personnel and soldiers who sacrificed their lives in service.
Additionally, the Hilal-e-Shujaat (posthumous) was awarded to Shah Wali Khan, ASI Muhammad Ejaz Khan, SI Laiq Zada, Constable Alam Zeb, Constable Muhammad Ejaz, Waseem Ahmed Khan, and Sepoy Azhar Mehmood, among others. The Sitara-e-Shujaat also honored Sepoy Muhammad Yousaf, Constable Muhammad Shehryar, Faisal Ismail, Abdul Wakeel, Fazal Manan, ASI Noor Hakeem, Constable Zahidullah, and Liaqat Ali, all posthumously.
Recipients of the Sitara-e-Imtiaz included Secretary Interior Captain (retd) Muhammad Agha, Dr Muhammad Fakhar-e-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), the late Munir Ahmed Chaudhry, Muhammad Yaseen Khan, Arshad Wali Muhammad, Ahmed Raza, Professor Sarwar Muhammad Khawaja, Hamra Abbas, the late Justice Syed Deedar Hussain Shah, Nadeem Hussain, and Nadeem Mehboob.
Rashid Waheed Khawaja and Zahid Ahmed were honored with the Pride of Performance award, while Muhammad Saeed Sheikh received the Sitara-e-Khidmat, and Shahid Hussain was awarded the Tamgha-e-Shujaat.
The Tamgha-i-Imtiaz was conferred upon a diverse group including Sindh IG Javaid Akhtar Odhoo, Nadir Shafee Dar, Dr Muhammad Shahbaz Chaudhry, Muhammad Kashif Ashfaq, Ch 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, Abdul Muhai Shah, 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, Captain (retd) Chaudhry Awais Afzal, Sahibzada Muhammad Yousuf, Waseem Ahmed, Professor Muhammad Tayyeb, CEO SMEDA Nadia Jehangir Seth, and Zia ul Hassan Lanjar.
