Civil decorations of Pakistan
Awarded forIn recognition of gallantry, academic distinction or distinction in the fields of sports or nursing.
CountryPakistan
Presented byPresident of Pakistan
First awarded1957

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,[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]

Civil decorations of Pakistan
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. Nishaan (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 (16) 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

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, 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

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 Economics
1964 Zohra Begum Kazi Physician
1965 Rashid Ahmed 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[8] 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)

References

  1. ^ "Constitution of Pakistan 1973". Government of Pakistan., Retrieved 12 February 2017
  2. ^ http://www.pakdocs.com/honours-and-awards-policy/, 'Pakistan Honours and Awards Policy' on pakdocs.com website, lished 11 August 2012, Retrieved 11 February 2017
  3. ^ a b "Decorations and Medals of Pakistan, images and descriptions". Retrieved 12 February 2017.
  4. ^ Khan, Humaira M.; Sadriwala, Maryam Murtaza (2004). Dawn: The History. Department of Mass Communication, University of Karachi. p. 61.
  5. ^ "Hashim Raza passes away". Dawn. 1 October 2003. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  6. ^ "Sitara-i-Imtiaz conferred on Saudi journalist". AsiaMedia. 22 January 2009. Archived from the original on 2014-03-07. Retrieved 2014-03-07.
  7. ^ "President confers Sitara i Pakistan on former Chinese envoy". Associated Press Of Pakistan. October 3, 2009. Archived from the original on 2014-03-07. Retrieved 2014-03-07.
  8. ^ a b "Recognising excellence: Manto among 192 recipients of top civil award". The Express Tribune. 14 August 2012. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
  9. ^ "Gen. Srilal Weerasuriya honored in recognition of receiving top civil award". The Island. 24 May 2014. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  10. ^ a b c d "141 to get civil awards on Yaum-i-Pakistan". Dawn. March 16, 2018.
  11. ^ "Sitar-e-Pakistan laureate Kimihide Ando's achievements marked". The Nation. 29 April 2018.
  12. ^ Joel Lee (13 August 2018). "Ex-Korean envoy receives Pakistan's highest civilian honor". The Korea Herald.
  13. ^ "Darren Sammy Receives his Sitara i-Pakistan". Pakistan Obersever.
  14. ^ "Aslam Azhar — a hard but happy life". Dawn. 15 January 2011. Retrieved 6 June 2016.

External links

Civil decorations of Pakistan
Orders, decorations, and medals by country
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