Singer Hadiqa Kiani has said she is “deeply honoured and humbled” having received Sitara-i-Imtiaz, adding that the recognition felt unbelievable given that it came two decades after she first received the Tamgha-i-Imtiaz.
Sharing the news on Instagram, Kiani dedicated the honour to her son, her listeners, supporters and family.
“I share this honour with my son, my listeners, supporters, family and everyone who has been part of this journey over the years,” she wrote, adding that she wore red to the ceremony just as she did 20 years ago.
Kiani was among a wide group of Pakistanis and foreign nationals who received civil awards on Wednesday for their contributions to different sectors.
At the main ceremony in Islamabad, President Asif Ali Zardari presented the Nishan-i-Imtiaz, Pakistan’s highest civil honour, to writers Atta ul Haq Qasmi and Irfan ul Haq Siddiqui for their contributions to literature.
Poet Zehra Majid Ali, better known as Zehra Nigah, received the Hilal-i-Imtiaz alongside playwright Asghar Nadeem Syed. Photographer Irfan Ahson and visual artist Hamra Abbas also received the Sitara-i-Imtiaz for their work in arts.
Actors Rashid Waheed Khawaja and Zahid Ahmed took home the President’s Pride of Performance Award.
Cricketer Shahid Afridi, mountaineer Shehroz Kashif, and the late equestrian Malik Ata Muhammad Khan each received the Hilal-i-Imtiaz for services to sports. Shooter Mohsin Nawaz and artist Waseem Ahmed received the Tamgha-i-Imtiaz.
In Peshawar, Governor Faisal Karim Kundi presented the Sitara-i-Imtiaz to former Pakistan women’s cricket captain Sana Mir. He also conferred the Pride of Performance Award on Jamshid Ali Khan for arts, direction, and production, and on Aminullah Daudzai for literature and poetry. Squash player Muhammad Hamza Khan received the Tamgha-i-Imtiaz for his contributions to the sport.
A separate ceremony in Karachi saw Governor Nehal Hashmi confer the Sitara-i-Imtiaz on actors Fazila Qazi and Savera Nadeem. Mukhtiar Naz Taj Mastani received the Pride of Performance Award for music, while naat khawan Qazi Shujaat Qadri received the Tamgha-i-Imtiaz.
Earlier, the president also posthumously conferred Sitara i Shujaat on a citizen who sacrificed his life while foiling a suicide attack in Attock’s Jand tehsil earlier this week.
