https://arab.news/zcydg
- President Zardari confers national awards on Saudi ministers of commerce and communications
- Confers highest civilian award on ex-PM Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Hilal-i-Imtiaz for athlete Arshad Nadeem
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday conferred awards on 104 Pakistanis and foreigners, including the Kingdom’s Commerce Minister Majid bin Abdullah Al-Kassabi, state-run media reported.
The awards were announced during Pakistan’s 78th Independence Day and will be presented in an investiture ceremony on Pakistan Day on March 23, 2025.
President Zardari conferred the awards in the fields of science and engineering, education, medicine, arts, literature, sports, social services, philanthropy, entrepreneurship, taxpayers and exporters, public services, gallantry, and services to Pakistan.
“President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday announced the conferment of Pakistan’s national awards on 104 Pakistanis and foreigners, in recognition of their services, excellence and sacrifices in their respective fields,” the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported.
For their services to Pakistan, Zardari conferred the Hilal-i-Quaid-e-Azam on Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, the director-general of the UAE’s aviation authority and the Sitara-i-Pakistan award on Saudi Commerce Minister Majid bin Abdullah Al-Kassabi. Zardari also conferred the Sitara-i-Pakistan on Abdullah bin Amer Al-Swaha, the Saudi minister for communications, APP said.
The Hilal-i-Pakistan is the second-highest civilian award in Pakistan followed by the Sitara-i-Pakistan Meanwhile, only foreign nationals are eligible for the Hilal-i-Quaid-e-Azam award for their eminent services to the country.
Meanwhile, Zardari conferred the country’s highest civilian award, the Nishan-i-Pakistan, on former prime minister and founder of his Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.
The president also announced the Hilal-i-Imtiaz award for javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem, who recently bagged a gold medal in the Paris Olympics 2024 and the Sitara-i-Imtiaz award for mountaineer Murad Sadpara, who passed away this week while descending the Broad Peak mountain.