| Civil decorations of Pakistan | |
| Awarded For: | In recognition of gallantry, academic distinction or distinction in the fields of sports or nursing. |
| Presenter: | President of Pakistan |
| Country: | Pakistan |
| Year: | 1957 |
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.
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.
The Civil Awards comprise five orders, 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]
| 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) |
Sitara-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, | Australia | |||
| 1991 | James M. Shera, MBE | Politician, Head of the International Curriculum Support Services, Education Department | United Kingdom | |
| 2006 | 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] | Chief Executive Officer Mitsubishi Corporation Pakistan, services to Pakistan | Japan | |
| 2018 | Haris Silajdžić[11] | Bosnian politician, former member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, services to Pakistan | Bosnia and Herzegovina | |
| 2018 | Song Jong-hwan[12] | diplomat, former Korean ambassador to Pakistan, services to Pakistan | South Korea | |
| 2018 | 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 |
Tamgha-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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Sartaj Aziz | ||
| 1964 | Zohra Begum Kazi | Physician | |
| 1965 | Naval officer | ||
| 1965 | Maqbool Ahmed Ansari | Naval officer | |
| 1967 | Hermanegild Marcos Antonio Drago | Community service | |
| 1968 | Aslam Azhar[14] | Television Broadcasting | |
| 1971 | Ahmed Hussain A Kazi | Public Service | |
| 1987 | Neerja Bhanot | Public Service | |
| 2012 | Emmanuel Nicholas | Community (Education) | |
| 2012 | Li Xiaolin | Community (Investment) | |
| 2015 | Manju Ratna Sakya | Awarded Tamgha-e-Pakistan for his services in strengthening Pakistan-Nepal relations | |
| 2022 | Shahzad Asghar Ali | Business | |
| 2022 | Iqbal Masih | Activism against child labor (awarded posthumously) |