The Hilaal-e-Imtiaz (Urdu: ہلالِ امتیاز, lit. 'Crescent of Excellence'; pronounced [hɪ.lɑː.lɪ ɪm.t̪ɪ.jɑːz]), also spelled and transliterated as Hilāl-e-Imtiyāz, is the second-highest (in the hierarchy of "Hilal")[2] 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.
| Hilal-e-Imtiyaaz ہلالِ امتیاز | |
|---|---|
 Hilāl-e-Imtiyāz | |
Awarded by  Government of Pakistan | |
| Type | Award |
| Ribbon | .png){kind=small} Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Civilian)  Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Military) |
| 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) | |
| Next (lower) | |
The honour is restricted to individuals who have made outstanding contributions in their fields that led to international recognition for 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 (14 August), and given on Pakistan Day, 23 March, by the President of Pakistan.
For officers in the military, it is given for distinguished service. The first Hilal e Imtiaz Military in the history of Pakistan was awarded by PM ZA Bhutto to 4 star General Zia ul Haq after Zia was appointed Chief of the Army in 1976. Initially awarded exclusively to officers reporting directly to the Secretary of Defense, after 1979 it began to be award in a new format to officers who were up to two steps removed from the Secretary of Defense, such as 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.
Military officers who receive the award are given a Non-Prohibited Bore Arms License.
Grades of the Order of Imtiaz
editThis award is the 2nd Grade in the Order of Imtiaz (Excellence). The four Grades in the Order of Imtiaz are:
- Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Order of Excellence; Urdu: نشانِ امتیاز)
- Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Crescent of Excellence; Urdu: ہلالِ امتیاز)
- Sitara-i-Imtiaz (Star of Excellence; Urdu: ستارہ امتیاز)
- Tamgha-e-Imtiaz (Medal of Excellence; Urdu: تمغہِ امتیاز).[3]
| ORDER OF IMTIAZ (CIVILIAN) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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Hilal-e-Imtiaz |
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| ORDER OF IMTIAZ (MILITARY) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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Hilal-e-Imtiaz |
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Service Ribbon insignia
editThe ribbon for the Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Civilian) is:
- Yellow with a white centre band and a narrow Pakistan Green stripe in the middle.
The ribbon for the Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Military) is:
- White edges with Pakistan Green centre band and a single white stripe in the middle.
Recipients
edit- Arshad Nadeem (2024), Athlete, Olympic gold medallist in Javelin throw
- Cardinal Joseph Coutts (2024)
- Shahid Mahmood Baig, FPAS (2023), for contributions in the field of Science [4]
- Former Ambassador Syed Tariq Fatemi (2023) for his dedication to Public Service [4]
- Adil Najam (2023), for contributions to Environment and Education[4]
- Syed Babar Ali (2023), Philanthropist[4]
- Rahat Fateh Ali Khan (2023), Singer and Qawalli[4]
- Amjad Saqib (2024), Social Development[4]
- Amjad Islam Amjad (2022), Poet[5]
- Bilquis Edhi (2022)[5]
- Li Xiaopeng (2022) former Minister of Transport of the People's Republic of China[6]
- Rohail Hyatt (2021)
- Kishwar Naheed (2021)[7]
- Asif Mahmood Jah (2021)[8]
- Song Tao (2020) Director of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council/Taiwan Work Office of the Central Committee of the CCP[9]
- Lieutenant General Mohammad Asad Durrani (Director General Inter-Services Intelligence)
- Abdul Bari Khan (2019)[10]
- Zaheer Ayub Baig (2019)[11]
- Ghulam Asghar (2019)[11]
- Tasawar Hayat (2019)[11]
- Wasim Akram (2019)[11]
- Waqar Younis (2019)[11]
- Recep Akdag (Turkey-2019)[11]
- Michael Jansen (Germany-2019)[11]
- Hussain Dawood (Business and Philanthropy) (2018)[12]
- Rear Admiral Moazzam Ilyas (2015)
- Mahmood Qureshi (2013)[13]
- Anwar Maqsood (Scriptwriter) (2013)
- Faiz Hameed (general) (2013)
- Abida Parveen (musician and Sufi music performer) (2013)[13]
- Josh Malihabadi (1894–1982) Urdu poet (2013)[13]
- Abdul Hafeez Kardar (1925–1996) former Pakistan Cricket Team captain (2013)[13]
- Ansar Burney (Human and civil rights activist) (2013)[14]
- Zia Mohyeddin (actor, television anchor and broadcaster) (2013)[14]
- Azhar Abbas (journalist) (2013)[14]
- Khalid Abbas Dar (actor, playwright, anchor, entertainer, director, theatre producer, mimic) (2013)
- Abdul Halim Mohd Hanifah (Royal Brunei Navy commander) (2012)[15]
- Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary (Organic chemist) (2007)
- Iftikhar Arif (poet, scholar and literary critic) (2006)[16]
- Ashfaq Ahmed (1925–2004) (writer, playwright and television broadcaster) (2006)[16]
- Halbi Mohd Yusof (Royal Brunei Armed Forces commander) (2006)[17]
- Faridullah Khan (politician) (2005)[18]
- Mushtaq Ahmed Yousfi (writer) (2002)
- Jansher Khan (Squash Legend) (1997)[19]
- Imran Khan (Sports) 1992
- A. Q. Khan (Nuclear scientist) 1989
- Munir Ahmad Khan (Nuclear Science) 1989
- Lieutenant General Mian Muhammad Afzaal (Shaheed) (Military) 1987
- Hamoodur Rahman (academic) 1984
- Ruth Pfau (Humanitarian) 1979[20]
- Major General S A Nawab (Military) 1979
- Admiral Mohammad Shariff (Military) 1979
- General Zia ul Haq (Military) 1976
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ 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.
- ^ "Civilian Awards - Emerging Pakistan". Emerging Pakistan. 1 July 2020. Archived from the original on 1 July 2020. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
- ^ "Decorations and Medals of Pakistan, images and descriptions". Retrieved 12 February 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f "President Announces 2023 Civil Awards". 14 August 2023.
- ^ a b "President Arif Alvi Confers Civil Awards on 253 Personalities". 14 August 2022.
- ^ "巴基斯坦向交通运输部部长李小鹏授予"卓越新月勋章"". news.bjd.com.cn. 29 June 2022. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
- ^ "President confers 126 civil awards". 14 August 2021.
- ^ "Hilal-e-Imtiaz conferred on Chief Collector of Customs". thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
- ^ "宋涛会见巴基斯坦驻华大使哈克". www.idcpc.org.cn. 19 November 2020. Archived from the original on 14 November 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
- ^ "CEO IHN receives Hilal-e-Imtiaz | Indus Hospital & Health Network". 23 March 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g Dawn.com (23 March 2019). "President Alvi confers top civil, military awards for excellence on Pakistan Day". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
- ^ "141 to get civil awards on Yaum-i-Pakistan". DAWN.COM. 16 March 2018. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
- ^ a b c d "Recognition: President Zardari confers top civil awards (including award for Abida Parveen)". The Express Tribune (newspaper). 24 March 2013. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
- ^ a b c Ansar Burney and Zia Mohyeddin awards info on Dawn (newspaper) Published 14 August 2012, Retrieved 10 November 2018
- ^ "News - Commander Royal Brunei Navy Investiture Ceremony..." mindef.gov.bn. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
- ^ a b 182 Pakistan Civil Awards conferred Business Recorder (newspaper), Published 24 March 2006, Retrieved 10 November 2018
- ^ "Commander RBAF Hands Over Duty And Welcomes A New Leader". www.mindef.gov.bn. Archived from the original on 12 November 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
- ^ "President confers 192 civilian awards". 14 August 2005.
- ^ "Pakistan Sports Board / Awards / Squash". Pakistan Sports Board website. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
- ^ "» Inspiring life of Ruth Pfau – the Savior of Leprosy Patients in Pakistan". atlascorps.org. Retrieved 31 December 2020.