ISLAMABAD, March 23: President Asif Ali Zardari conferred national civil awards on 67 distinguished individuals, including five foreign nationals, at a ceremony held at the Aiwan-i-Sadr here on Friday.

The ceremony, held each year on Pakistan Day, was attended by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, Speaker of the National Assembly Dr Fehmida Mirza, three services chiefs, federal ministers, senior civil and military officers, diplomats and prominent personalities from all walks of life. Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was also present.

President Zardari had approved 189 civil awards on August 14 last year. Nine of them were approved later as special cases.

Sixty-seven recipients were decorated at the Aiwan-i-Sadr and the others at governor’s houses in the four provinces and Gilgit-Baltistan and at the JSHQ. President Zardari conferred Nishan-i-Imtiaz on late Begum Nusrat Bhutto and former Punjab governor late Salman Taseer (posthumously) and on Dr Fehmida Mirza, Interior Minister Rehman Malik, former Senate chairman Farooq H. Naek and Secretary General to the President M. Salman Faruqui in recognition of their public services.

Begum Nusrat had been awarded Nishan-i-Imtiaz also in 1996.

Sanam Bhutto received the award on behalf of her mother and Amna Taseer on behalf of her husband Salman Taseer.

Fehmida Mirza received the award for her services and struggle for the cause of parliamentary democracy, spanning over two decades.

Rehman Malik got the award for his efforts to curb terrorism. “He has survived five terrorist attacks and his timely decisions, strategy and deep planning have resulted in busting of terrorist networks in the country,” it was said.

The president conferred Hilal-i-Imtiaz on Oscar winner filmmaker Ms Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, Benazir Income Support Programme chairperson Farzana Raja, president’s spokesman Farhatullah Babar, federal secretary Nargis Sethi, Zamurrad Khan (public service), Sultan Ali Lakhani (public service), Mian Amer Mahmood (public service), Nazir Naji (journalism), late Prof Mohammad Waris Mir (journalism) and late Prof Dr Syed Wadal Shah (science and education).

Hilal-i-Pakistan was awarded to Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador Abdul Aziz Al-Ghadeer in recognition of his services to Pakistan.

The president conferred Sitara-i-Pakistan on Adnan Bin Mohammad Amin Katib (services to Pakistan) and Dr Mohammad Farqad Alamgir (services to Pakistan/medicine). Sitara-i-Shujaat was conferred on Abdul Aziz Bullo Shaheed (gallantry). The recipients of Sitara-i-Imtiaz are: Ms Nasara Wazir Ali (public service), Sikandar Ahmed Rai (public service), Ghulam Murtaza Solangi (public service), music director Sohail Ahmed Rana (art), Hanif Khalid (journalism), Zahid Malik (journalism), Hafiz Tahir Khalil (journalism), late Dr Zaheer Ahmed (public service), Burhan Kayaturk (services to Pakistan), Gohar Ejaz (public service) and Jamil Ahmed Khan (public service).

Actress Meera Irtaza Rubab, actor Mohammad Naumaan, actor/director Jawed Sheikh, Muhammad Azmat Shigeyuki Ataka (arts & literature) and W.A. Tai (sports -- martial art/yoga) received the President’s Award for Pride of Performance.

The recipients of Tamgha-i-Shujaat are: (gallantry) Jamal-ud-Din Shaheed, Abdul Kabir Khan Shaheed, Abdul Rashid Khan, Said Ahmad Khan, Abdullah Jan Tareen Shaheed, Asif Rehman Khan (Khurram Khan), Irshad Ali Raza, Gulfat Hussain Shaheed, late Ms Shazia Gul, Shah Iran Shaheed, Ighdali San, Mohammad Hussain Shaheed, Mohammad Tariq, Major (retd) Dawar Bin Zahoor, Lieutenant (retd) Muhammad Athar Iqbal, Kachkol Khan Shaheed, Haji Saleem Khan Shaheed, Sadiq Amin Shaheed, Attaullah Shaheed, Faridullah Shaheed, Ms Shamshad Begum Shaheed, Wesal Khan Shaheed, Malik Manasib Khan Shaheed, Malik Fazal Manan Shaheed and Muhammad Naveed Younus Shaheed.

The president conferred Tamgha-i-Imtiaz on cameraman Syed Javaid Hasnain Kazmi (art), photographer Abdul Jabbar Bhutto (fine arts), Lt (retd) Maqsood Ahmed (public service), Ishtiaq Baig (public service), Malik Muhammad Asif (services to Pakistan) and Raihan Ali Merchant (public service).

The Punjab governor conferred civil awards on 49 distinguished personalities, Sindh governor on 27, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor on 15, Balochistan governor on six and Gilgit-Baltistan governor on one on behalf of the president at ceremonies held at governor’s houses in Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta and Gilgit.

The chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee decorated 22 recipients with civil awards on behalf of the president at a ceremony at the JSHQ.