ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday conferred prestigious national awards to federal ministers, civil servants, armed forces personnel, journalists, and other civilians, in recognition of their extraordinary valor, courage, and respective contributions during the Marka-e-Haq Operation Bunyan-Um-Marsoos.
The civil and military awards were conferred at a special investiture ceremony, held at the Aiwan-e-Sadr on the occasion of the Independence Day.
The president, accompanied by Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, was warmly welcomed at the venue by a smartly turned-out contingent of the President’s Bodyguard.
The highlight of the investiture ceremony was the special standing ovation of the attendees to the families of the martyrs, injured soldiers and widows of the martyrs who received the awards in lieu of the martyred soldiers.
The federal cabinet members, members of the parliament, civil and military officers and members of the civil society rose in their seats and rendered resounding applause for their sacrifice.
President conferred Hilal-i-Juraat on Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar Sindhu, Chief of Naval Staff, Nishan e Imtiaz on Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, Admiral Naveed Ashraf,
Nishan-i-Imtiaz on Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister, Ishaq Dar, Federal Minister for Law & Justice, Azam Nazeer Tarar, Federal Minister for Defence, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Attaullah Tarar, Federal Minister for Interior & Narcotics Control, Mohsin Naqvi,Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Ahsan lqbal Chaudry, MNA, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Advisor to Prime Minister on Political and Public Affairs and Inter Provincial Coordination, Rana Sana Ullah Khan.
The president also conferred Nishan-i-Imtiaz upon Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for his successfully diplomatic engagement post Marka-e-Haq that exposed India’s false and concocted narrative during the war.
Hilal-i-Imtiaz was conferred on Senior Defence Analyst, Lt. Gen (R) Muhammad Saeed, SAPM on Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Syed Tariq Fatemi, Minister for Climate Change and Environment Coordination, Musadik Masood Malik, Senator Sherry Rehman, Chairperson, National Assembly Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Hina Rabbani Khar, Ambassador at Large on Economic Diplomacy, Umar Farooq, Former Federal Minister, Engr. Khurram Dastgir Khan, Senator, Faisal Ali Sabzwari, Senator, Bushra Anjum, Former Foreign Secretary, Amb (R) Jalil Abbas Jilani, Former Foreign Secretary, Amb Tehmina Janjua, Attorney General of Pakistan, Mansoor Usman Awan, DG (I.B.), Fuad Asadullah Khan, Minister for Economic Affairs, Ahad Khan Cheema, and Advisor to the Prime Minister, Dr. Syed Tauqir Hussain Shah.
The Sitara-i-lmtiaz was conferred on Chairman PTA, Maj Gen (R) Hafeez-ur-Rehman, Foreign Secretary, Amna Baloch, Secretary Interior, Capt. Muhammad Khurram Agha, Home Secretary Punjab, Noor-ul-Amin Mengal, Chief Secretary AJ&K, Flight Lieutenant (R) Khushal Khan, Secretary Information Technology, Zarrar Hasham Khan, Secretary Information, Ambreen Jan, Secretary Water Resources, Syed Ali Murtaza, and Commissioner Indus Water Treaty, Syed Muhammad Mehar Ali Shah.
