ISLAMABAD: (Kashmir English): President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday conferred top civil and military awards on civilian leaders, military commanders, and government officials in recognition of their services during Marka-e-Haq at a ceremony held at Aiwan-e-Sadr in Islamabad.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir received the Hilal-e-Jurat for leading the Pakistan Army from the front and formulating war strategy, while Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar Sidhu was awarded the Hilal-e-Imtiaz.
Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Sahir Shamshad Mirza, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf, were conferred the Nishan-e-Imtiaz, and DG ISI Lt Gen Asim Malik was awarded the Sitara-e-Basalat.
Federal ministers, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, and other notable figures received the Nishan-e-Imtiaz in recognition of Pakistan’s decisive victory in the Marak-e-Haq against India.
Zardari also presented the Nishan-e-Imtiaz to Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Parliamentary Committee Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto, Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, and Prime Minister’s Adviser Rana Sanaullah.
Other recipients of civil awards included Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Ahsan Iqbal, Sherry Rehman, Faisal Subzwari, Musadik Malik, Hina Rabbani Khar, Tariq Fatemi, and Khurram Dastgir Khan.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Attaullah Tarar received the Nishan-e-Imtiaz for effectively presenting Pakistan’s national narrative on the global stage during the recent Pakistan-India tensions.
Tarar coordinated seamlessly with civil and military institutions to counter Indian propaganda and highlighted Pakistan’s stance at international forums.
Director General Military Operations (DGMO) of Pakistan, Major General Kashif Abdullah, Air Vice Marshal Aurangzeb Ahmed, and Rear Admiral Shahzad Hamid received the Tamgha-e-Basalat.
Prime Minister’s media coordinator Badr Shehbaz was awarded the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz for his pivotal role in journalism during the Battle of Truth.
