Hilal-i-Imtiaz
The Hilaal-e-Imtiyaaz (Urdu: ہلالِ امتیاز, pronounced [hɪ.lɑː.lɪ ɪm.t̪ɪ.jɑːz]), also spelled and transliterated as Hilāl-e-Imtiyāz ("Crescent of Excellence"), is the second highest civilian award and honour given to both civilians and military officers of the Pakistan Armed Forces by the Government of Pakistan. It recognises individuals who have made an "especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of Pakistan, world peace, cultural or other significant public endeavors". It is a civilian award, and not limited to the citizens of Pakistan.
Hilaal-e-Imtiyaaz | |
---|---|
Hilāl-e-Imtiyāz | |
Awarded by the Sovereign, on the advice of the Government | |
Type | Award |
Eligibility | Pakistani or Foreign citizen |
Awarded for | The highest degree of service to the state, and for services to international diplomacy. |
Status | Currently constituted |
Sovereign | President of Pakistan |
Sovereign | Prime minister of Pakistan |
Grades | 5 grade: Star (1st Class) Badge (Second Class) Ribbon (military only) Collar Chain (4th class) Medal (5th Class)[1] |
Statistics | |
First induction | 19 March 1957 |
Precedence | |
Next (higher) | Nishan-e-Imtiaz |
Next (lower) | Sitara-i-Imtiaz |
Ribbons: military (only) |
The honour is restricted to individuals who have made outstanding contributions in their fields that led to international recognition to the state. It is awarded in the fields of literature, arts, sports, medicine and science for civilians. It is announced every year on Independence Day (14ᵗʰ August), and given on Pakistan Day, 23ʳᵈ March, by the President of Pakistan. For officers in the military, it is given for distinguished service, and is also the highest medal awarded to those at the rank of Major General or Lieutenant General (Army), Air Vice-Marshals or Air Marshals (Air Force) and Rear-Admiral or Vice-Admiral (Navy, Coast Guard, and Marines). The Parliament's committee for award and recognition services selects the names of individuals and sends their report to the prime minister; on his advice, the president announces the awards in a ceremony that is broadcast by PTV. The award is usually given to individuals, not groups, because the purpose of the award is to recognise the recipients' individual contributions.
The award is a disc of golden jasminum between the five points of a pure gold star. The star has additional bright jasminum; in its centre there is a green emerald with a golden crescent.
A special grade of the medal has a larger execution of the same medal design worn as a star on the left of the chest. In addition, it is worn as a sash on the right shoulder, with its rosette (yellow with white for civilians and green for military officers) and white and yellow edge bearing the central disc of the medal at its centre, resting on the left hip. At the ceremony, both medals can be worn at the same time according to their achievements. The medal is suspended on a dark green ribbon with a light yellow and white central stripe and white edge stripes.
Some award recipients
- Lieutenant General Mohammad Asad Durrani (Director General Inter-Services Intelligence)
- Anwar Maqsood (Scriptwriter) (2013)
- Jansher Khan (Squash Legend) (1997) [2]
- Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary (Organic chemist) (2007)
- Abida Parveen (musician and Sufi music performer) (2013)[3]
- Josh Malihabadi (1894 – 1982) Urdu poet (2013)[3]
- Abdul Hafeez Kardar (1925 – 1996) former Pakistan Cricket Team captain (2013)[3]
- Ansar Burney (Human and civil rights activist) (2013)[4]
- Zia Mohyeddin (actor, television anchor and broadcaster) (2013)[4]
- Azhar Abbas (journalist) (2013)[4]
- Ashfaq Ahmed (1925 – 2004) (writer, playwright and television broadcaster) (2006)[5]
- Iftikhar Arif (poet, scholar and literary critic) (2006)[5]
- Zaheer Ayub Baig (2019)[6]
- Ghulam Asghar (2019)[6]
- Tasawar Hayat (2019)[6]
- Wasim Akram (2019)[6]
- Waqar Younis (2019)[6]
- Recep Akdag (Turkey-2019)[6]
- Michael Jansen (Germany-2019)[6]
- Abdul Bari Khan (2019)[6]
See also
References
- All these items are usually given all together. Only military officers from the Pakistan Defence Forces are awarded the ribbon which is attached to their uniform.
- "Pakistan Sports Board / Awards / Squash". www.sports.gov.pk. Pakistani Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism / Pakistani Ministry of Inter Provincial Coordination (2011). Retrieved 27 August 2018.
- "Recognition: President Zardari confers top civil awards (including award for Abida Parveen)". The Express Tribune (newspaper). 24 March 2013. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
- Ansar Burney and Zia Mohyeddin awards info on Dawn (newspaper) Published 14 August 2012, Retrieved 10 November 2018
- 182 Pakistan Civil Awards conferred Business Recorder (newspaper), Published 24 March 2006, Retrieved 10 November 2018
- Dawn.com (23 March 2019). "President Alvi confers top civil, military awards for excellence on Pakistan Day". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 25 March 2019.