Pakistan marked its 78th Independence Day with a grand ceremony at Aiwan-e-Sadr, where top civil and military figures were honoured for their exceptional services to the country.
The event was attended by President, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Senate Chairman, Speaker of the National Assembly, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, and Aseefa Bhutto Zardari, alongside senior cabinet members.
Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Information Minister Atta Tarar, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Rana Sanaullah and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari received the Nishan-e-Imtiaz.
Ishaq Dar and Bilawal Bhutto received awards for effectively presenting Pakistan’s stance at the diplomatic level and their significant contributions to international engagement.
Field Marshal Asim Munir and Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar were awarded the Hilal-e-Jurat, while Chairman Joint Chiefs General Sahir Shamshad Mirza and Naval Chief Admiral Naveed Ashraf received the Nishan-e-Imtiaz.
Diplomatic delegation members, including Senator Sherry Rehman, Faisal Subzwari, Hina Rabbani Khar, Khurram Dastgir Khan, Bushra Anjum, Umar Farooq, Jalil Abbas Jilani, Musadik Malik, and Tariq Fatemi, also earned the Hilal-e-Imtiaz for representing Pakistan’s stance on international platforms.
Pakistan Air Force pilots, including Wing Commander Bilal Raza, Wing Commander Hammad Ibn Masood, Squadron Leader Muhammad Yousaf Khan, Usama Ashfaq, Muhammad Hassan Anees, Talal Hassan, Fida Muhammad Khan, and Muhammad Ashhad, were honoured with the Sitara-e-Jurat for exceptional aerial missions defending national borders.
Martyrs were also honoured, including Lance Havaldar Amir Shiraz, Lance Naik Ikramullah, and Sepoy Adeel Akbar, who received the Tamgha-e-Jurat posthumously. Sepoy Nisar Ahmed Shaheed was posthumously awarded the Sitara-e-Basalat, along with Lieutenant Generals Muhammad Asim Malik, Nauman Zakria, Muhammad Zafar Iqbal, Syed Amir Raza, Shahid Imtiaz, and Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry.
Other recipients of the Sitara-e-Basalat included Vice Admiral Raja Rab Nawaz, Rear Admiral Abdul Muneeb, Rear Admiral Faisal Amin, Major General Wajid Aziz, Air Vice Marshal Muhammad Ihsan ul Haque, Major General Kashif Abdullah, Air Vice Marshal Aurangzeb Ahmed, Rear Admiral Shehzad Hameed, Major General Muhammad Jawad Tariq, and Major General Tajdeed Mumtaz.
The award was also conferred on Air Commodores Attaullah Zaib, Zia Aftab, Muhammad Nauman Ali Khan, Ali Javed Hashmi, and Sajjad Haider, along with Captain Asif Ameen and Captain Muhammad Haider Ali.
