File photo of K-P Governor Engineer Shaukatullah Khan. PHOTO: FILE
On behalf of the President of Pakistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Governor Shaukatullah Khan on Saturday presented national awards, including four Sitara-e-Imtiaz and seven Tamgha-e-Imtiaz to eleven personalities of the province for their extraordinary achievements in their respective disciplines.
Chief Secretary Ghulam Dastagir Akhtar read out the citations of the award winners at the ceremony held at the Governor House. The winners of Sitara-e-Imtiaz include Senator Haji Ghulam Ali and ex-provincial minister Syed Aqil Shah for their contribution in the field of public services, renowned educationists Vice Chancellor of Abdul Wali Khan University Professor Dr Ihsan Ali and Professor Dr Khan Bahadur Marwat for their contribution to archaeology and agriculture, respectively.
Those awarded Tamgha-e-Imtiaz include Dr Murad Ali and Dr Tasleem Akhtar for their achievements in research work in Chemistry and Medical Sciences, respectively. Dr Masood Khan of the Department of Mathematics, Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad, was honoured for his contribution in the field of mathematics. Ahmad Gul and Said Rehman Sheeno were awarded for their works in the field of art. Syed Hussain Ali Shah was not available to receive his award and it was given to his next of kin. Lastly, Syed Mir Mehdi Shah was given a posthumous award for his services in journalism and poetry which was also received by his next of kin.
National pride
Pakistan Day was observed with great pomp and show in Matta tehsil, which was once a Taliban stronghold.
To commemorate the day, a grand function was organised at Afzal Khan Lala College, Matta. The function was attended by students, civil society members, tribal elders and Pakistan Army officials.
On the occasion, school children participated in various activities including skits, singing national songs, speeches and quizzes. In their speeches and songs, students stressed Pakistan was one nation, but that ethnicity and sectarian differences had created disunity between people. They asked the tribal elders to unite and form one nation as envisioned by Quaid-e-Azam.
District Education Officer Dilshad Begum, who was representing schools for girls at the function, said Pakistanis were lucky to have a country as beautiful as this for their own. “Now, it is our responsibility to make this country peaceful and developed,” she said, adding education was the most important tool in this regard as it could ensure younger generations grew up to be good citizens.
“We should not be limited to performances and functions; we also have to be practical to deliver for our country.”
Chief guest Brigadier Zahid Hussain thanked all the participants and expressed his appreciation for the students’ performance.
“The children today truly pointed out that this is not Jinnah’s Pakistan,” he said. “Freedom does not mean cutting each others’ throats and blowing one another up. It does not mean violating human rights and promoting corruption. Freedom means to honour individual rights and love humanity. Great nations respect freedom with responsibility.”
Hussain said the spirit of Pakistan’s youth should serve as a beacon of hope. “In the form of such great young potential, I am optimistic that we will soon come out of these difficult days.”
Prizes and trophies were later distributed among students who performed at the function.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 24th, 2013.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ