A list of 184 civil awards recipients has been issued by the government on the occasion of Pakistan’s 73rd Independence Day, all of whom, including actors, poets, soldiers, television anchors, singers and foreign dignitaries, will be presented their respective honours by President Dr Arif Alvi in a ceremony on Pakistan Day next year.
Philanthropist and Edhi Foundation head Faisal Edhi will be awarded the Tamgha-i-Imtiaz. The Nishan-i-Imtiaz will be awarded to ace painter Sadequain Naqvi. Other recipients of the award include singer Abida Perveen and late poet Ahmed Faraz.
Actors Bushra Ansari and Talat Hussain have been named for the Sitara-i-Imtiaz award. They have entertained audiences both inside and outside Pakistan for more than two decades. Anchor Naeem Bukhari is also one of the recipients of the award.
President Alvi will also present the Pride of Performance award actors to Humayun Saeed, singer Ali Zafar and religious scholar Maulana Tariq Jameel. Sakina Samo will also get the same award for her acting skills.
Last year, Mehwish Hayat, Sajjad Ali, Attaullah Khan Esakhelvi, Babra Sharif, comedian Iftikhar Thakur and journalist Arshad Sharif were among others who received the awards.
Pakistan Civil Awards 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, and their investiture takes place on the following Pakistan Day, March 23.
According to Article 259(2) of the Constitution of Pakistan 1973, along with the Decorations Act 1975, the president 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 the final proposal is sent to the president for approval.
The president 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 awards comprise five orders, each with four descending classes: Nishan [Order], Hilal [Crescent], Sitara [Star] and Tamgha [Medal].
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