MULTAN: There will be no distribution of Pride of Performance Award (Tamgha-i-Husn-i-Karkardagi) on the Pakistan Day as the federal government has not announced the names of the recipients, Dawn has learnt.

The government usually announces recipients of the civil award on Aug 14 and their investiture takes place on the following Pakistan Day (March 23) under the president of Pakistan.

Sources said due to the disqualification of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on July 28, the government failed to make the announcement.

It’s the second time in the country’s history that the awards, that started on March 19, 1957, are not being conferred. The first time happened during the tenure of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

The government gives the Pride of Performance Awards to civilians in recognation of their extraordinary work in the fields of literature, arts, sports, medicine and science.

District governments from across the country send recommendations for the award to their provincial governments and then these recommendations are sent to the cabinet division.

Writer and poet Shahkir Husain Shakir says although the literary personalities from south Punjab have always been ignored while conferring the award as the decisions takes place at the provincial capital level or Islamabad; however, not conferring the award is unfortunate. He has demanded the government announce the awards without any delay as the Pakistan Day is going to be celebrated after a couple of weeks.

Additional Deputy Commissioner Malik Shafiq says recommendations from Multan district were sent to the authorities concerned and the district government has no role in any further process.

Cabinet Secretary Sohail Amir was not available for comment.

AWARDED: The World Health Organisation has conferred regional service award for a polio-free world on a Multan-based philanthropist, Salman Mubarak.

The WHO selected 55 dedicated members of the Rotary Club working for polio eradication from seven worldwide regions.

Mr Mubarak who has represented Pakistan at various international forums is a dedicated Rotarian since 1999 and has working actively for polio eradication since 2005. He is an active member of World’s Greatest Meal programme and is also the country chair for Rotarian Action Group for Population Development since 2015.

Talking to Dawn, Mr Mubarrak said that as of Nov 2017 Rotary funding for the polio eradication was $1.782bn out of which funding for Pakistan was $184mn and for Afghanistan $137m.

Published in Dawn, March 12th, 2018