Aitzaz Hassan, Zahra Shahid, Iqbal Haider, Misbahul Haq among 110 recipients of civil awards

President to confer 39 awards himself.

On Sunday March 23, 2014, 110 civil awards will be awarded to Pakistanis and foreign nationals, recognising their service to the country, including 35 pride of performance awards.

Among these, 39 will be awarded by President Mamnoon Hussain at his first ever investiture ceremony in Islamabad. Of these, five are being awarded to foreign nationals.

Governor of the Punjab will decorate 20 recipients on behalf of the President in Lahore, while Governor Sindh will decorate 12 recipients in Karachi at their respective governor houses.

The governor of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa will decorate nine recipients, while governor of Balochistan will decorate five recipients at their respective governor houses.

The Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee will decorate 25 recipients of national civil awards at an investiture ceremony at the Joint Services Headquarters on March 24, 2014.

Pakistani heads of missions will be decorating three recipients, including a Pakistani expatriate, at their respective missions.

Among those being recognised are Ghulam Nabi for his work in the field of physics. He is being conferred the Nishan-i-Imtiaz (civil).

Others being recognised are Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s slain member Zahra Shahid Hussain, who is posthumously being awarded the Tamgha-e-Shujaat for gallantry.

A Sitara-i-Shujat is being bestowed upon Aitzaz Hassan Bangash for tackling a suicide bomber before sacrificing himself to save his schoolmates. Samia Noreen, the school teacher who rescued children from a burning school van, is also being conferred the Sitara-i-Shujaat.

Malala Yousufzai too is being conferred the Sitara-i-Shujaat.

Human rights activist Syed Iqbal Haider is posthumously being awarded a Hilal-i-Imtiaz. Slain DIG Fayyaz Sumbal is being conferred the Hilal-i-Shujaat.

Slain journalist Wali Khan Babar, whose killer were recently sentenced, is posthumously being conferred the President’s pride of performance award.

Pakistan cricket team captain Misbahul Haq is being awarded the pride of performance for services to cricket. He is joined by blind cricketer Zeeshan Abbasi among those who are being awarded the pride of performance badge.

Ali-e-Muhammadi Khorosani  is being conferred the pride of performance award for literature.

Former Group Captain Cecil Chaudhry too is being recognised with a pride of performance award.