Punjab governor confers civil awards on 12 personalities

LAHORE: Punjab Governor Chaudhry Sarwar conferred civil awards on 12 personalities from different walks of life on Pakistan Day, Wednesday. Addressing on the occasion, the governor said that the defence of Pakistan is in strong hands.

The whole nation salutes the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the protection of the country's borders. All sections of society should go beyond personal interests and make decisions keeping in

view the interest of the country and the nation, he added. A prestigious ceremony in this regard was held at the Governor’s House here Wednesday.

Provincial Minister for Religious Affairs Syed Saeed-ul-Hassan Shah, Chief Secretary and others were also present. Chaudhry Sarwar conferred awards on Dr Irfanullah Khan, Dr Aftab Muhammad Rafique, and Prof Dr Muhammad Junaid Mughal for their outstanding work in the field of science; Prof Dr Rubina Farooq in the Department of Education, posthumous award to Late Muhammad Anis Nagi in the field of literature, film star Saima Noor in the acting profession, Tamgha-e-Imtiaz to Mansoor Hassan Siddiqui in public service, while Rifat Abbas alias Ghulam Abbas in literature, actor Shahid in acting, Na’at Khawan Noor Muhammad Jiral in Na’at recitation, Shehryar Zaidi for exceptional performance in acting was awarded the Presidential Award of Outstanding Performance while the famous actress Nelo was also awarded the Posthumous Presidential Award for Excellence in Performing Arts which was received by his son film star Shan. The governor congratulated the awardees. He said that this homeland was created by our forefathers after continuous struggle and sacrifices and our vision is only to make the country strong, prosperous, peaceful and stable.

Therefore, it is imperative that the golden rule of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Faith, Unity and Discipline must be implemented and the one who has been given the responsibility by Allah Almighty should do full justice to it. He said that when everyone works hard honestly no power in the world can stop Pakistan from moving forward. Chaudhry Sarwar said that the people got their rights and religious freedom with the establishment of Pakistan, adding that the religious freedom and protection given to minorities in Pakistan today is unparalleled in the entire region and the world. The present government is striving to make Pakistan a true Islamic Welfare State, he added.