President Dr. Arif Alvi conferring the Pakistan Civil Award of Sitara-i-Imtiaz upon Dr. Anees Ahmed in recognition of his services as a Religious Scholar at the Investiture Ceremony on Pakistan Day, held at Aiwan-e-Sadr
President Dr. Arif Alvi conferring the Pakistan Civil Award of Nishan-i-Imtiaz upon Ahmed Ghulam Ali Chagla (late) in recognition of his services in the field of Art (Musician/Composer) at the Investiture Ceremony on Pakistan Day, held at Aiwan-e-Sadr. His award is being received by the Secretary Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Ms. Shahera Shahid
President Dr. Arif Alvi conferring the Pakistan Civil Award of Nishan-i-Imtiaz upon Muhammad Qavi Khan (late) in recognition of his services in the field of Performing Arts (Drama, film & stage) at the Investiture Ceremony on Pakistan Day, held at Aiwan-e-Sadr. His award is being received by Sohail Ahmad
Kingdom stood by Pakistan through thick and thin since its independence: Saudi envoy
ISLAMABAD, Mar 23 (APP): Saudi Ambassador Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki, reviewing the historic relations between two brotherly countries, said the Kingdom had always stood by Pakistan through thick and thin since its independence in 1947.
Addressing an event, organized by the embassy’s media bureau, the other day, to confer awards to winners who participated in a short video competition on Pakistan and Saudi Arabia relations, he said Saudi Arabia paid special attention to its relations with Islamic countries, particularly Pakistan as it was one of the most important Islamic countries for the Kingdom.
The Saudi envoy said, “The relationship between two countries is based on sincerity, brotherhood and pure love for each other.”
He, eulogizing Saudi Press Attaché Dr. Naif Alotaibi and his team for organizing such an informative activity on behalf of the royal embassy, felicitated the winners of competition and expressed the hope that it would further boost their confidence and help them in their future endeavors.
During his welcome address, Dr. Naif Alotaibi said this healthy competition was organized to celebrate 70-year bilateral relations between the two countries as in March, 1953 the Governor General of Pakistan Ghulam Muhammad during his first official visit to Kingdom of Saudi Arabia held an exclusive meeting with King Shah Abdul Aziz bin Abdur Rehman Al-Saud.
Briefing the audience, he informed that the royal embassy received 114 videotapes on Pak-Saudi relations which had always been a fascinating chapter in the diplomatic history of two countries.
He said the videos were of good quality and content adding that out of the total, ten documentaries were selected for the prizes.
The first prize holder got $2,000 while those who stood second and third were given $1,500 and $1,000, respectively, he said adding that the remaining seven video clip makers received $500 each, however, other contestants were awarded vouchers of SAR 2,000 and free visas to perform Umrah.
It is worth mentioning here that a silent video enthralled the audience very much as the story was a mouth-piece of overseas Pakistanis who were not only earning bread and butter for their families but also adding a huge foreign exchange in the national kitty.
It showed that after the death of a Pakistani laborer, how the Saudi government supported his family and translated his daughter’s dream into reality of becoming a doctor in the life.
There were other videotapes which showed that how Saudi Arabia was helping Pakistan at trying times throughout history.
Pakistan Day celebrated at embassies with traditional zeal, fervour
ISLAMABAD, Mar 23 (APP): Ceremonies were held at embassies of Pakistan in different parts of the world on Thursday to mark the Pakistan Day with traditional zeal and fervour.
Pakistani embassies’ staff and their families and Pakistani community celebrated the Day in India, Russia, Belgium, United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Egypt, Canada, Japan and other countries. Pakistani flag was hoisted and the national anthem was played on the occasion. Messages of President Dr Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif were read out. The President and Prime Minister in their respective messages congratulated the nation and paid tributes to the dynamic and visionary leadership of the founding fathers of the nation. They reaffirmed their commitment to make tireless efforts to realize the vision of the founding fathers to make Pakistan a strong and prosperous country.
At the ceremonies, photo exhibitions were held to highlight the Pakistan Movement and special cakes were cut.
Special documentaries were screened which shone light on key moments of the struggle for Pakistan including the historic passage of Pakistan Resolution in Lahore on 23 March, 1940.
In India, the High Commission of Pakistan, New Delhi, celebrated the day. Salman Sharif, Chargé d’ Affaires, raised Pakistan’s flag to the tune of national anthem at an elegant flag-hoisting ceremony at the Chancery’s Lawns.
Congratulating the people of Pakistan on the historic day, Salman Sharif paid glowing tribute to the founding fathers and martyrs who sacrificed their lives in the quest for Pakistan’s independence. He lauded the vision of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah who led a heroic struggle that culminated in the creation of a separate homeland for the Muslims of Indian sub-continent and put Pakistan on the map of the world.
He highlighted that Pakistan had faced many challenges in the last 75 years, but the nation’s pursuit for progress continued with the same spirit today as it was when the country was founded in 1947. He underlined Pakistan’s crucial role in the world and acknowledged the valiant contribution of thousands of Pakistanis, particularly brave soldiers of the armed forces and law enforcement agencies, in the defence of the motherland against internal and external threats.
In Moscow, Pakistan’s ambassador to Russia Shafqat Ali Khan presided over the ceremony and hoisted the Pakistani flag.
In Brussels, Charge d’ Affairs, Syed Faraz Hussain Zaidi hoisted the national flag at the Chancery building.
In Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Pakistani ambassador Faisal Niaz Tirmizi, highlighted the significance of the national day. He also requested Pakistani community to promote tourism and investment opportunities in Pakistan among the nationals and residents of the UAE.
The ambassador also expressed satisfaction with the upward trajectory of Pakistan-UAE relations and thanked the government of the UAE and its leadership for their friendship.
Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Singapore Rukhsana Afzaal hoisted the flag at the High Commission in Singapore to mark Pakistan Day.
Meanwhile, the 83rd National Day of Pakistan was celebrated with traditional zeal and fervour in Cairo. Ambassador of Pakistan to Egypt Sajid Bilal hoisted the flag of Pakistan. Prayers were offered for the well-being, peace and prosperity of Pakistan.
Earlier, Chamberlain of the Presidency Abdel Aziz Al-Sharif called on the ambassador and delivered a congratulatory message from Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, President of Egypt on the National Day of Pakistan.
A flag hoisting ceremony was also held at the Embassy of Pakistan in Washington D.C to mark Pakistan Day.
Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States Masood Khan along with officials of the embassy of Pakistan and members of the Pakistani diaspora hoisted the flag. Similar flag hoisting ceremonies were also held at consulates of Pakistan in the United States.
In his remarks, the ambassador said, “On this day, we reaffirm our resolve to uphold the glory of our nation and work tirelessly for our state’s economic progress and enhanced prestige in the comity of nations.”
President Dr. Arif Alvi conferring the Pakistan Civil Award of Hilal-i-Imtiaz upon Sardar Ahmad Nawaz Sukhera in recognition of his services in the field of Public Service at the Investiture Ceremony on Pakistan Day, held at Aiwan-e-Sadr
President Dr. Arif Alvi conferring the President’s Award for Pride of Performance upon Ms. Taskeen Zafar in recognition of her services in the field of Art (News reader/Anchor) at the Investiture Ceremony on Pakistan Day held at Aiwan-e-Sadr
Balochistan Governor confers Presidential, Excellence awards
QUETTA, Mar 23 (APP):Balochistan Governor Malik Abdul Wali Kakar on Thursday conferred Presidential and Excellence Awards on several personalities for their outstanding performance and best services on the occasion of Pakistan Day.
A simple but dignified ceremony for the distribution of Presidential and Excellence Awards was held at Governor House Quetta.
Amanullah Khan Nasir, Professor Ubaidullah Darwish, Dr. Muhammad Ashraf Shaheen Qaisrani were honored with Presidential Excellence Award by Balochistan Governor.
Martyrs of Journalism Irshad Ahmad Mastoi and Ashraf Zehri were posthumously awarded the Medal of Distinction.
Later, the Governor Balochistan gave provincial excellence awards to twenty-four personalities including Sadiq Ali, Sharaf Shaad, Dr. Nasreen Gul, Asmat Durrani, Abdul Bari Asir, Rahmat Bibi alias Arzu Ziaratwala, Abdul Hayat, Nabi Baksh, Shazia Akram Shahwani, Muhammad Yasin, Rashid Hasrat and Shabana Sultan awarded in 2020.
While Shuaib Ali, Arif Ali, Dr. Rahim Bakhsh Mehr, Dr. Abdul Rauf Rafiqi, Dar Muhammad Kasi, Dr. Abdul Rehman Kakar, Khudaidad, Khurshid Ali Hasan, Dr. Abida Baloch, Dawood Shah Tareen, Prof. Ahmed Waqas and Prof. Arifa Ali have been awarded Provincial Excellence Awards 2021.
On this occasion, the provincial ministers, members of the provincial assembly, senior government officials and people belonging to different fields participated in the ceremony for national honors.
J&K People’s Freedom League Chairman pays tribute to Pakistan’s founding fathers on 23rd March
ISLAMABAD, Mar 23 (APP): Chairman of J&K People’s Freedom League Muhammad Farooq Rehmani paid glowing tribute to the founding fathers of Pakistan on the 23rd of March, highlighting the pivotal role of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and other leaders in achieving the goal of creating Pakistan and ending the long trauma of the 1857 Muslims’ massacre by the British imperialist forces.
In his statement, Rehmani praised the dynamic leadership of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and leaders of the All India Muslim League– Quaed Azam, Dr.Iqbal, Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, liaqat Ali Khan along with other front-ranking leaders of the Pakistan movement, who sacrificed everything to create a new state on the map of the world.
Rehmani also acknowledged the sacrifices made by the people of Pakistan from every region and ethnic group in fighting foreign and domestic enemies over the past 75 years.
He emphasized that despite facing numerous challenges, Pakistan fought and repulsed foreign Indian aggression and battled internal enemies with the help of its people.
However, Rehmani expressed concern over the current economic turmoil but remained optimistic that with political wisdom and unity, the country would overcome these challenges.
He emphasized the importance of political and economic stability in thwarting India’s settler-colonialism in Jammu and Kashmir and preventing the genocide and conversion of Indian Muslims to Hinduism.
Rehmani expressed hope that Pakistan would be able to defeat the designs of its enemies and those of Islamophobia.
He concluded by extending his best wishes for the freedom struggle of Kashmir and Pakistan’s continued success. His tribute serves as a reminder of the sacrifices made by Pakistan’s founding fathers and the importance of unity and stability in achieving national goals.
President confers Pakistan civil awards on 135 individuals for public service, gallantry
ISLAMABAD, Mar 23 (APP): President Dr Arif Alvi on Thursday conferred Pakistan’s civil awards on 135 citizens as well as foreign nationals on Pakistan Day, in recognition of their excellence and gallantry in their respective fields.
The awards were conferred at an investiture ceremony held at the Aiwan-e-Sadr here, also attended by the cabinet members, diplomats and family members of the recipients of the awards.
The president distributed the civil awards in 10 categories including Nishan-i-Imtiaz, Tamgha-i-Imtiaz, Hilal-i-Imtiaz, Hilal-i-Quaid–Azam, Sitara-i-Shujaat, Sitara-i-Imtiaz, Presidential Award for Pride of Performance, Tamgha-i-Shujaata and Tamgha-i-Khidmat.
The president conferred Nishan-i-Imtiaz on Sartaj Aziz, Mir Hasil Bazinjo and late Justice (Retd) Rana Bhagwandas for their public service; Ahmed Ali Chagla (art), late Sufi Ghulam Tabassum (poetry), Muhammad Qavi Khan ( (drama, film) and Jahangir Khan and Jansher Khan (sports).
The Hilal-i-Pakistan award was given to Ambassador (retd) Robin Lynn Raphel for her services to Pakistan.
The president conferred the Hilal-i-Imtiaz award on Khawaja Abdul Hayee (education), Engineer Professor Ahmed Farooq Bazai (academic), Dr Talat Naseer Pasha (science), Hakeem Rizwan Hafeez (health), Dr Raja Ali Raza (engineering), Raees Ahmed (arts), late Amjad Islam Amjad (arts), late Arif Nizami, Mujibur Rehman Shami and Altaf Hassan Qureshi (journalism); Bilquees Bano Edhi (social services), Muhammad Ramzan Chhipa, Sardar Ahmed Nawaz Sukhera, late Maroof Afzal, Senator Talha Mahmood, Capt (retd) Sher Alam Mehsud, Justice (retd) Fazal Karim, Sultan Ali Alana and Hilalur Rehman (public service); Dr Gohar Ejaz (philanthropy) and Khawaja Masood Akhtar (sports exports).
The president conferred the Hilal-i-Quaid-i-Azam award on Dr James M. Shera for his services to Pakistan.
The Sitara-i-Shujaat award was given to Malik Muhammad Hassan, late Malik Gangrai, Malik Shumali Khan, late Fiza Tariq Malik, Raja Mustafa Ali, Muhammad Afzal Sheikh and Sajid Kiani (Gallantry) and Mansoor Ahmed Khan (services to Pakistan).
The president awarded Sitara-i-Imtiaz to Muhammad Afzal Javed and Zafarulah Khan (services to Pakistan), Dr Saeed Akhtar (medicine), late Humayun Khan (agriculture), Dr Sharif Malik (medicine), Mahfoozur Rehman (education), Fakhar-e-Alam (hosting), late Saghar Siddiqui (poetry), late Shama Khalid (art); late Ziauddin, Javed Chaudhry and Nadeem Malik (journalism); Dr Anees Ahmed and Maulana Hanif Jalandhari (religious scholar), and Waqar Ahmed Malik (public service).
Among others who were also conferred the Sitara-i-Imtiaz award included Syed Murataz Mahmood (public service), Imdadullah Bosal (public service) and Mirza Ishtiaq Baig (social service); Lt Gen Noman Zakaria, Major General Muhammad Idris Dastgir, Brigadier Salman Rashid Hussain, Muhammad Iqbal Khan, Asim Ali Khan, Samina Chagali, Dr Amir Malik, Tahir Rai and Riazuddin Sheikh (public service); Behroz Sabzwari and Tariq Mahmood (art).
The president awarded Presidential Award for Pride of Performance to Dr Ayesha Siddiqa (medicine), Anjum Shaheen (acting); Taskeen Zafar, Syed Shamoon Hashmi and late Prof. Jahazeb Niaz Khan (art); Shahida and Irfan Mehsud (sports); and Tika Khan and Hafiz Tahir Khalil (journalism).
In recognition of their gallantry, the Tamgha-i-Shujaat award was conferred on Amir Nawaz Shaheed, Muhammad Kamran Shaheed, Sher Ahmed, Tanveer Hussain Tonio, Amjad Ahmed Sheikh, Mazhar Nawaz Sheikh, Bashir Ahmed Barohi, Zeeshan Ahmed, Naved Ahmed, Ziaur Rehman, Javedullah Shaheed, Dr Akbar Nasir Khan, Sohail Zafar Chattha, Sadiq Shah, Raja Muhammad Majid, Bilal Raja, Mubashir Saleem, Minhas Ahmed Khan, Ijaz Hafeez, Aqeel Ahmed Siddiqui and Waseem Ahmed Khan.
President Alvi conferred Tamgha-i-Imtiaz on Sindh Governor Kamran Tesori, Achad Bhuglah (services to Pakistan), Jehan Ara (IT), Uzma Batool (medicine), Dr Rizwan Uppal (health), Dr Tanvir Khaliq (medicine), Dr Syed Abbas Raza (medicine), Prof. Dr Khalid Mehmood (medicine), Der Zahoorul Haq (higher education) Dr Samreen Hussain (education), Rustam Ali Lone (art), Arif Khan (art), Nigar Nazar (art), Dr Ikramullah (Qiraat) and Bisma Maroof (sports).
The recognition of their public service, the president conferred Tamgha-i-Imtiaz on Cristina VON Sperling Afridi, Saima Saleem, SP Sumera Azam, Shehzad Afzal Khan, Major Muhammad Ali Tehseen, Major Atif Naveed, Saleh Azeem, Insaf Shah, Amin, Khawaja Adnan Zaheer, Ahmed Farooq, Imran Rasool, Nadeem Akhtar Sherazi, Tahir Akbar Awan, Syed Ali Hasnain Hussain and Dr Asif Bashir. Whereas Dr Shahid Masood got the said award for his services in (medicine), Khansa Maria (literature) and Amin Haswani (philanthropy) and Amir Ilyas Rana (journalism).
The president awarded Tamgha-i-Khidmat to Chaudhry Pervez Iqbal Lusar for his services to Pakistan.