KARACHI, May 23: Sindh Culture Department is organizing a function to confer “Mother of the Nation’s Blessing Award 2003” to the distinguished figures for their achievements and excellence in their respective fields in recognition of their valuable services to the country.

This was announced by the representatives of Zeenas Communications, the official event organizers appointed by the Culture Department, at a press conference at the press club here on Friday.

The provincial Culture Minister, Shabbir Ahmad Qaimkhani, also was to speak at the press conference, by could not turn up do to his pre-occupations.

Zeenas Communications’ Shahid Farhad, Ather Ali Khan, Farhan Subhani and Shahida Sabir told newsmen that some 30 distinguished personalities would be conferred the award at the function to be held at Gulshan-i-Jinnah (formerly Polo Ground).

The nominees, they said, included Gen Pervez Musharraf, whose award would be received by Maj-Gen Rashid Qureshi, who himself was among the nominees.

They revealed some other nominees’ names as Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan, Dr Atta-ur-Rehman, Dr Adeeb Rizvi, Abdul Sattar Edhi, Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehman, Akhtar Waqqar Azeem, Anwar Maqsood, Javaid Miandad, Madam Reshma, Mushtaq Ahmad Yousfi, Mehdi Hasan and the late Madam Noorjahan.