Civil decorations of Pakistan explained

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.

Civil Awards

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]

Civil decorations of Pakistan!!Pakistan!Shujaat (bravery)!Imtiaz (excellence)!Quaid-i-Azam* (leadership)!Khidmat* (service)
Citation:Services in distinction of the stateActs of heroism, courage in the face of danger and gallantry in saving lifeDistinction in the fields of arts, literature, academia and businessFor special merit or eminent services freely givenFor 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-PakistanTamgha-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

Sitara-e-Pakistan (Star of Pakistan), stands third in hierarchy of civilian awards after the Nishan-e-Pakistan and the Hilal-e-Pakistan.

YearNameField Country
1958Aslam KhattakPolitician/chairman, Human Rights Commission of PakistanPakistan
1959Abdus SalamScientist and Science Advisor to the Government of PakistanPakistan
1965Air Commodore Władysław Turowiczmilitary scientist and engineerPakistan
1965Vice-Admiral Syed Mohammad AhsanNaval intelligence officer and Chief of Naval StaffPakistan
1966A G N KaziChairman Water and Power Development AuthorityPakistan
1970Jamil AnsariEditor-in-Chief Dawn 1965–1972[4] Pakistan
1971Rear Admiral Leslie MungavinNaval OfficerPakistan
1972Chief Justice Bashiruddin Ahmed KhanJudgePakistan
Akhtar Hameed KhanSocial scientist, he pioneered microcredit, microfinance, and rural development initiativesPakistan
Syed Hashim Raza[5] Former Governor of East Pakistan, first administrator of Karachi (1948–1951)Pakistan
1998Himalaya SJB RanaFirst governor of Central Bank of Nepal, Former UN delegate to Pakistan – for his role in the development of Pakistan-Nepal friendshipNepal
2002Mumtaz TararChairman Human Rights commission Pakistan
Habibullah Khan Khattakfor action in Burma during World War IIPakistan
Bronte Clucas Quayle, CB, OBE, QC, Australia
1991James M. Shera, MBEPolitician, Head of the International Curriculum Support Services, Education DepartmentUnited Kingdom
2006surgeon, leprosy expertAustralia
2009Greg Mortensonhumanitarian, Central Asia Institute – for promoting girls' literacy and education, and establishing schools in PakistanUnited States
2008Khaled Almaeena[6] journalist, Saudi Gazette – JournalismSaudi Arabia
2009An Qiguang[7] Former Counsel General of China in Karachi for his notable services in strengthening the relations between Pakistan and ChinaChina
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
2022Sheikh Ahmed bin Hamad Al-KhaliliGrand Mufti Of Sultanate of Oman Sultanate of Oman
2022Darren Sammy[13] Saint Lucian Cricket PlayerSaint Lucia

Recipients of the Tamgha-e-Pakistan

Tamgha-e-Pakistan (Medal of Pakistan), stands fourth in hierarchy of civilian awards after the Nishan-e-Pakistan, Hilal-e-Pakistan, Sitara-e-Pakistan.

YearNameField
1959Sartaj Aziz
1964Zohra Begum KaziPhysician
1965Naval officer
1965Maqbool Ahmed Ansari Naval officer
1967Hermanegild Marcos Antonio DragoCommunity service
1968Aslam Azhar[14] Television Broadcasting
1971Ahmed Hussain A KaziPublic Service
1987Neerja BhanotPublic Service
2012Emmanuel NicholasCommunity (Education)
2012Li XiaolinCommunity (Investment)
2015Manju Ratna SakyaAwarded Tamgha-e-Pakistan for his services in strengthening Pakistan-Nepal relations
2022Shahzad Asghar AliBusiness
2022Iqbal MasihActivism against child labor (awarded posthumously)

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Constitution of Pakistan 1973. Government of Pakistan. 12 February 2017.
  2. Web site: Pakistan Honours and Awards Policy. pakdocs.com. 11 August 2012. 11 February 2017.
  3. Web site: Decorations and Medals of Pakistan, images and descriptions. 12 February 2017.
  4. Book: Dawn: The History. Khan. Humaira M.. Sadriwala. Maryam Murtaza. 2004. Department of Mass Communication, University of Karachi. en. 61.
  5. News: Hashim Raza passes away . . 1 October 2003 . 14 November 2017.
  6. Web site: 22 January 2009 . Sitara-i-Imtiaz conferred on Saudi journalist . AsiaMedia . 2014-03-07 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140307141211/http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article-southasia.asp?parentid=103708 . 2014-03-07 . dead .
  7. Web site: President confers Sitara i Pakistan on former Chinese envoy . Associated Press Of Pakistan . October 3, 2009 . 2014-03-07 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140307143037/http://www.app.com.pk/en_/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=87048&Itemid=1 . 2014-03-07 . dead .
  8. News: Recognising excellence: Manto among 192 recipients of top civil award . The Express Tribune . 14 August 2012 . 28 May 2016.
  9. News: 24 May 2014 . Gen. Srilal Weerasuriya honored in recognition of receiving top civil award . The Island . 18 July 2016.
  10. News: 29 April 2018 . Sitar-e-Pakistan laureate Kimihide Ando's achievements marked . The Nation.
  11. News: 141 to get civil awards on Yaum-i-Pakistan . Dawn . March 16, 2018.
  12. News: Joel Lee . 13 August 2018 . Ex-Korean envoy receives Pakistan's highest civilian honor . The Korea Herald.
  13. News: Darren Sammy Receives his Sitara i-Pakistan . Pakistan Obersever.
  14. News: Aslam Azhar — a hard but happy life . . 15 January 2011 . 6 June 2016.