The civil decorations of Pakistan were established on March 19, 1957, following the proclamation of Pakistan as an independent republic on March 23, 1956. The announcement of civil awards is generally made once a year on Independence Day, August 14, and their investiture takes place on the following Pakistan Day, March 23. According to Article 259 of the Constitution of Pakistan 1973,[1] along with the Decorations Act, 1975, the President of Pakistan confers civil awards on Pakistani citizens in recognition of gallantry. Awards for Pride of Performance are conferred for outstanding achievements in the fields of art, literature, science, sports and nursing.
| Civil decorations of Pakistan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Awarded for | In recognition of gallantry, academic distinction or distinction in the fields of sports or nursing. |
| Country | Pakistan |
| Presented by | President of Pakistan |
| First awarded | 1957 |
In December, the ministries and their divisions are invited to recommend candidates to the Cabinet Division. Received nominations are considered by three awards committees after which final proposal is sent to the President for approval. After the President's approval, the announcements are made on Independence Day and investiture takes place on Pakistan Day.[2]
The President of Pakistan can confer awards to foreign nationals any time during the year. For such awards, proposals are made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and approved by the President prior to conferral.
Civil Awards
editThe Civil Awards comprise four orders,[3] each with four descending classes: Nishan (Order (Grand Cross); Urdu: نشان), Hilal (Crescent (Grand Officer); Urdu: ہلال), Sitara (Star (Commander); Urdu: ستارہ) and Tamgha (Medal; Urdu: تمغہ).[3]
Order Class
|
Pakistan | Shujaat (bravery) | Imtiaz (excellence) | Quaid-i-Azam* (leadership) | Khidmat* (service) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Citation: | Services in distinction of the state | Acts of heroism, courage in the face of danger and gallantry in saving life | Distinction in the fields of arts, literature, academia and business | For special merit or eminent services freely given | For long and meritorious services to nation-building, especially amongst the poor |
1. Nishan (Order) |
Nishan-e-Pakistan (1) | Nishan-e-Shujaat (2) | Nishan-e-Imtiaz (3) | Nishan-e-Quaid-i-Azam (4) | Nishan-e-Khidmat (5) |
2. Hilal (Crescent) 
|
Hilal-e-Pakistan (6) | Hilal-e-Shujaat (7) | Hilal-e-Imtiaz (8) | Hilal-e-Quaid-i-Azam (9) | Hilal-e-Khidmat (10) |
3. Sitara (Star)
|
Sitara-e-Pakistan (11) | Sitara-e-Shujaat (12) | Sitara-e-Imtiaz (13) | Sitara-e-Quaid-i-Azam (14) | Sitara-e-Khidmat (15) |
4. Tamgha (Medal) 
|
Tamgha-e-Pakistan | Tamgha-e-Shujaat (17) | Tamgha-e-Imtiaz (18) | Tamgha-e-Quaid-i-Azam (19) | Tamgha-e-Khidmat (20) |
* Only awarded to foreign nationals.
Number in parentheses indicates order of precedence.
Recipients of the Sitara-e-Pakistan
editSitara-e-Pakistan (Star of Pakistan), stands third in hierarchy of civilian awards after the Nishan-e-Pakistan and the Hilal-e-Pakistan.
| Year | Name | Field | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | Aslam Khattak | Politician/chairman, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan | Pakistan |
| 1959 | Abdus Salam | Scientist and Science Advisor to the Government of Pakistan | Pakistan |
| 1965 | Air Commodore Władysław Turowicz | Military scientist and engineer | Pakistan |
| 1965 | Vice-Admiral Syed Mohammad Ahsan | Naval intelligence officer and Chief of Naval Staff | Pakistan |
| 1966 | A G N Kazi | Chairman Water and Power Development Authority | Pakistan |
| 1970 | Jamil Ansari | Editor-in-Chief Dawn 1965–1972[4] | Pakistan |
| 1971 | Rear Admiral Leslie Mungavin | Naval officer | Pakistan |
| 1972 | Chief Justice Bashiruddin Ahmed Khan | Judge | Pakistan |
| Akhtar Hameed Khan | Social scientist, he pioneered microcredit, microfinance, and rural development initiatives | Pakistan | |
| Syed Hashim Raza[5] | Former Governor of East Pakistan, first administrator of Karachi (1948–1951) | Pakistan | |
| 1998 | Himalaya SJB Rana | First governor of Central Bank of Nepal, former UN delegate to Pakistan – for his role in the development of Pakistan-Nepal friendship | Nepal |
| 2002 | Mumtaz Tarar | Chairman Human Rights Commission | Pakistan |
| Habibullah Khan Khattak | for action in Burma during World War II | Pakistan | |
| Bronte Clucas Quayle, CB, OBE, QC, | for his services in drafting the 1962 Constitution of Pakistan | Australia | |
| 1991 | James M. Shera, MBE | Politician, Head of the International Curriculum Support Services, Education Department | United Kingdom |
| 2006 | Grace Warren | Surgeon, leprosy expert | Australia |
| 2009 | Greg Mortenson | Humanitarian, Central Asia Institute – for promoting girls' literacy and education, and establishing schools in Pakistan | United States |
| 2008 | Khaled Almaeena[6] | Journalist, Saudi Gazette – Journalism | Saudi Arabia |
| 2009 | An Qiguang[7] | Former Counsel General of China in Karachi for his notable services in strengthening the relations between Pakistan and China | China |
| 2012 | Rowan Douglas Williams[8] | Anglican bishop, Archbishop of Canterbury, public services to Pakistan | United Kingdom |
| 2014 | General Srilal Weerasooriya[9] | Former Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Pakistan | Sri Lanka |
| 2018 | Kimihide Ando[10][11] | Chief Executive Officer Mitsubishi Corporation Pakistan, services to Pakistan | Japan |
| 2018 | Haris Silajdžić[10] | Bosnian politician, former member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, services to Pakistan | Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| 2018 | Song Jong-hwan[10][12] | diplomat, former Korean ambassador to Pakistan, services to Pakistan | South Korea |
| 2018 | Sadiq Khan[10] | British politician, current Mayor of London, for services to Pakistan | United Kingdom |
| 2022 | Sheikh Ahmed bin Hamad Al-Khalili | Grand Mufti Of Sultanate of Oman | Sultanate of Oman |
| 2022 | Darren Sammy[13] | Saint Lucian Cricket Player | Saint Lucia |
Recipients of the Tamgha-e-Pakistan
editTamgha-e-Pakistan (Medal of Pakistan), stands fourth in hierarchy of civilian awards after the Nishan-e-Pakistan, Hilal-e-Pakistan, Sitara-e-Pakistan.
| Year | Name | Field | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Sartaj Aziz | Economics | Pakistan |
| 1964 | Zohra Begum Kazi | Physician | Bangladesh |
| 1965 | Rashid Ahmed | Naval officer | Pakistan |
| 1965 | Maqbool Ahmed Ansari | Naval officer | Pakistan |
| 1967 | Hermanegild Marcos Antonio Drago | Community service | Pakistan |
| 1968 | Aslam Azhar[14] | Television Broadcasting | Pakistan |
| 1971 | Ahmed Hussain A Kazi | Public Service | Pakistan |
| 1987 | Neerja Bhanot | Public Service | India |
| 2012 | Emmanuel Nicholas | Community (Education) | Sri Lanka |
| 2012 | Li Xiaolin[8] | Community (Investment) | China |
| 2015 | Manju Ratna Sakya | Awarded Tamgha-e-Pakistan for his services in strengthening Pakistan-Nepal relations | Nepal |
| 2022 | Shahzad Asghar Ali | Business | Pakistan |
| 2022 | Iqbal Masih | Activism against child labor (awarded posthumously) | Pakistan |
References
edit- ^ "Constitution of Pakistan 1973". Government of Pakistan. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
- ^ "Pakistan Honours and Awards Policy". pakdocs.com. August 11, 2012. Retrieved February 11, 2017.
- ^ a b "Decorations and Medals of Pakistan, images and descriptions". Retrieved February 12, 2017.
- ^ Khan, Humaira M.; Sadriwala, Maryam Murtaza (2004). Dawn: The History. Department of Mass Communication, University of Karachi. p. 61.
- ^ "Hashim Raza passes away". Dawn. October 1, 2003. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
- ^ "Sitara-i-Imtiaz conferred on Saudi journalist". AsiaMedia. January 22, 2009. Archived from the original on March 7, 2014. Retrieved March 7, 2014.
- ^ "President confers Sitara i Pakistan on former Chinese envoy". Associated Press Of Pakistan. October 3, 2009. Archived from the original on March 7, 2014. Retrieved March 7, 2014.
- ^ a b "Recognising excellence: Manto among 192 recipients of top civil award". The Express Tribune. August 14, 2012. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
- ^ "Gen. Srilal Weerasuriya honored in recognition of receiving top civil award". The Island. May 24, 2014. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
- ^ a b c d "141 to get civil awards on Yaum-i-Pakistan". Dawn. March 16, 2018.
- ^ "Sitar-e-Pakistan laureate Kimihide Ando's achievements marked". The Nation. April 29, 2018.
- ^ Joel Lee (August 13, 2018). "Ex-Korean envoy receives Pakistan's highest civilian honor". The Korea Herald.
- ^ "Darren Sammy Receives his Sitara i-Pakistan". Pakistan Obersever.
- ^ "Aslam Azhar — a hard but happy life". Dawn. January 15, 2011. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
External links
edit- Profiles of some 'Shaheeds' (martyrs) who were awarded Nishan-e-Haider Awards. Retrieved February 12, 2017.