The Pakistan Civil Awards were established on March 19, 1957, following the proclamation of Pakistan as an independent Republic on March 23, 1956. The announcement of civil awards is generally made once a year on Independence Day, August 14, and their investiture takes place on the following Pakistan Day, 23 March. According to the Article 259(2) of the Constitution of Pakistan 1973, along with the Decorations Act 1975, the President of Pakistan confers civil awards on Pakistani citizens in recognition of gallantry. Also, there awards for Pride of Performance is conferred for outstanding achievements in the fields of art, literature, science, sports and nursing. The Pride of Performance and the Orders of Bravery and Excellence are for Pakistani citizens only, but the remaining awards are open to all for eminence and outstanding services to Pakistan in a significant field of activity.
The Civil Awards comprise five Orders, each with four descending categories: Nishan (Order; Urdu: نشان), Hilal (Crescent; Urdu: ہلال), Sitara (Star; Urdu: ستارہ) and Tamgha (Medal; Urdu: تمغہ), as follows:
| Nishan-e-Pakistan (The Order of Pakistan) |
Nishan-e-Shujaat (The Order of Bravery) |
Nishan-e-Imtiaz (The Order of Excellence) |
Nishan-e-Quaid-i-Azam (The Order of the Great Leader) |
Nishan-e-Khidmat (The Order of Service) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nishan-e-Pakistan | Nishan-e-Shujaat | Nishan-e-Imtiaz | Nishan-e-Quaid-i-Azam | Nishan-e-Khidmat |
| Hilal-e-Pakistan | Hilal-e-Shujaat | Hilal-e-Imtiaz | Hilal-e-Quaid-i-Azam | Hilal-e-Khidmat |
| Sitara-e-Pakistan | Sitara-i-Shujaat | Sitara-i-Imtiaz | Sitara-i-Quaid-i-Azam | Sitara-i-Khidmat |
| Tamgha-i-Pakistan | Tamgha-i-Shuja’at | Tamgha-e-Imtiaz | Tamgha-e-Quaid-e-Azam | Tamgha-i-Khidmat |
Famous quotes containing the words civil and/or decorations:
“Damn with faint praise, assent with civil leer,
And, without sneering, teach the rest to sneer;
Willing to wound, and yet afraid to strike,
Just hint a fault, and hesitate dislike;
Alike reserved to blame, or to commend,
A timorous foe, and a suspicious friend;
Dreading e’en fools, by flatterers besieged,
And so obliging, that he ne’er obliged;
Like Cato, give his little senate laws,
And sit attentive to his own applause:”
—Alexander Pope (1688–1744)
“Let the realist not mind appearances. Let him delegate to others the costly courtesies and decorations of social life. The virtues are economists, but some of the vices are also. Thus, next to humility, I have noticed that pride is a pretty good husband. A good pride is, as I reckon it, worth from five hundred to fifteen hundred a year.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)