- President Asif Ali Zardari announced national awards for 104 individuals, including Pakistanis and foreign nationals, recognizing their contributions in various fields such as science, arts, sports, public service, and gallantry.
- The awards will be officially presented on Pakistan Day, March 23, 2025, with the highest honor, Nishan-i-Pakistan, posthumously awarded to former President and Prime Minister Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.
- Notable recipients include Olympic gold medalist Arshad Nadeem, climber Murad Sadpara, and Saudi Prince Abdulaziz Bin Salman al Saud, among others recognized for their excellence and service to Pakistan.
On Wednesday, President Asif Ali Zardari announced the bestowal of national awards to 104 Pakistanis and foreign nationals in recognition of their contributions, excellence, and sacrifices in various fields.
The announcement coincided with Pakistan’s 78th Independence Day, with the awards to be officially presented during a ceremony on Pakistan Day, March 23, 2025, as reported by the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP).
The awards span numerous categories, including science and engineering, education, medicine, arts, literature, sports, social services, philanthropy, entrepreneurship, public service, gallantry, and contributions to Pakistan.
The Nishan-i-Pakistan, the highest civilian award, was posthumously awarded to former President and Prime Minister Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto for his significant public service.
In sports, Arshad Nadeem received the Hilal-i-Imtiaz for his gold medal and record-breaking performance at the Paris 2024 Olympics. The Sitara-i-Imtiaz was posthumously awarded to renowned climber Murad Sadpara, who recently passed away after a rescue operation on Broad Peak in Gilgit-Baltistan. Additional sports awards included the Tamgha-i-Imtiaz for Maqsood Ahmed, Amad Shakeel Butt, Rehman Ishtiaq, and Mir Nadir Khan Magsi, and the Presidential Pride of Performance for Amir Ishfaq.
In the field of science, Hilal-i-Imtiaz was awarded to Amir Hafeez Ibrahim, while Dr. Ghulam Muhammad Ali and Sardar Muhammad Aftab Ahmed Khan received the Sitara-i-Imtiaz. The Tamgha-i-Imtiaz was awarded to Dr. Sara Qureshi, Dr. Rafiuddin, and Professor Dr. Usman Qamar.
For education, Sadia Rasheed was awarded the Hilal-i-Imtiaz, with the Sitara-i-Imtiaz going to Dr. Suleman Shahabuddin and Syed Azhar Hussain Abidi. The Pride of Performance was conferred upon Barkat Shah, Abdul Rasheed Kakar, and Aneeqa Bano.
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In the medical field, Hilal-i-Imtiaz was awarded to Dr. Shahryar and Dr. Zaryab Sethna, while Dr. Akifullah Khan, Dr. Syed Abid Mehdi Kazmi, and Ikramullah Khan received the Tamgha-i-Imtiaz.
For their contributions to the arts, Sitara-i-Imtiaz was awarded to Collin David, while Arshad Aziz Malik, Bakhtiar Ahmed, and Barrister Zafarullah were honored with the Tamgha-i-Imtiaz. Fariha Pervaiz, Hamid Rana, Shiba Arshad, and Naveed Ahmed Bhatti were recognized with the Pride of Performance award.
In literature, Hilal-i-Imtiaz was conferred upon Javed Jabbar; Salman Awan, Zafar Waqar Taj, and Muniza Shamsi received the Sitara-i-Imtiaz; Tamgha-i-Imtiaz went to Syed Jawad Husain Jafari, and Ambreen Haseeb received the Pride of Performance. The Nishan-i-Imtiaz was posthumously awarded to Nasir Kazmi.
Other recipients of the Sitara-i-Imtiaz include Mian Aziz Ahmed, Hunaid Lakhani, Sana Hashwani, and Safinaz Munir, with the Hilal-i-Imtiaz going to Khwaja Anver Majeed and Hussain Dawood. Recognized taxpayers and exporters who received the Sitara-i-Imtiaz include Syed Imran Ali Shah, Nazimuddin Feroz, Imtiaz Hussain, Adnan Niaz, Zahid Ahmed Ghareeb, and Syed Asad Hussain Zaidi.
President Zardari also announced the Sitara-i-Shujaat for Panjgur Deputy Commissioner Zakir Hussain Baloch, who was martyred in a recent terrorist attack in Mastung. Meanwhile, Capt. (Retd) Muhammad Khurram Agha, Dr. Syed Tauqir Hussain Shah, and Umar Farooq were awarded the Hilal-i-Imtiaz.
In public service, the Sitara-i-Imtiaz was awarded to Dr. Rubaba Khan Buledi, Dr. Hamid Attiq Sarwar, Waqasuddin Syed, Jameel Ahmed, Ayaz Khan, Ahmed Ishaq Jahangir, and Irfan Nawaz Memon. The Tamgha-i-Imtiaz was conferred upon Syed Shakeel Shah, Ashhad Jawad, Rubab Sikandar, Muhammad Yousuf Khan, Cardinal Joseph Coutts, Rehan Mehtab Chawla, Rear Admiral Tanvir, and Amir Mahmood Lakhani.
For their bravery, the president posthumously awarded the Hilal-i-Shujaat to Sub Inspector Taimur Shehzad Shaheed, Sepoy Muhammad Asif Shaheed, SP Muhammad Aijaz Khan, DSP Sardar Hussain Shaheed, DSP Allama Iqbal Shaheed, LHC Muhammad Farooq Shaheed, Additional SHO Adnan Afridi Shaheed, Allah Rakhio Nandwani, Constable Jahanzeb, and Constable Irshad Ali Shaheed. Malik Sabz Ali Shaheed and Retired Captain Hamza Anjum were awarded the Sitara-i-Shujaat, while the Tamgha-i-Shujaat was conferred upon Malik Mahmood Jan Shaheed, Saeed Khan, Samiullah Shaheed, Sahib Khan, and Dr. Shafi Muhammad Bazenjo.
Several foreigners were also honored for their services to Pakistan. The Hilal-i-Imtiaz was awarded to Saudi Prince Abdulaziz Bin Salman al Saud, the Hilal-i-Quaid-e-Azam to Fu Zhiheng and Mohammad Saif Al Suwaidi, the Sitara-i-Pakistan to Majid bin Abdullah Al Kassabi and Abdullah Al-Swaha, the Sitara-i-Quaid-e-Azam to Haydar Qurbonoy and Dr. Christine Schmotzer, and the Tamgha-i-Pakistan to Mountaineer Lukas Woerle, Dr. Aurore Dither, Prof. Valeria Fiorani Piacentini, and Agostino Da Polenza. Additionally, the Tamgha-i-Quaid-e-Azam was awarded to Zhang Baozhong and Xinmiin Liu, and the Tamgha-i-Khidmat to Diana McArthur.