Top National Honors Awarded to Athletes Including Arshad Nadeem and Murad Sadpara

KARACHI: President Asif Ali Zardari announced civil awards for seven prominent figures from the world of sports on the occasion of 77th Independence Day.

These awards are being given in recognition of their outstanding contributions to sports.

Olympic gold medallist Arshad Nadeem will be honoured with the Hilal-e-Imtiaz in recognition of his remarkable achievements. Nadeem brought glory to the country by winning a gold medal in the javelin throw event at the Paris Olympics, earning him this prestigious award.

Similarly, the late renowned mountaineer Murad Sadpara will be posthumously awarded the Sitara-e-Imtiaz in recognition of his contributions to mountaineering. He conquered many high peaks and played a significant role in the field of mountaineering in Pakistan. Recently, he was instrumental in retrieving the body of the late mountaineer Hassan Shigri from K2. Murad Sadpara tragically lost his life after suffering a head injury on Broad Peak earlier this month

Blind cricketer Amir Ashfaq will be honoured with the Pride of Performance Award in recognition of his outstanding performances, while Pakistan hockey team captain Imad Shakeel Butt will be awarded the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz for leading his team to notable successes.

Former squash player Maqsood Ahmed will also receive the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz. Maqsood Ahmed was part of the squad that won the World Team Squash Championship twice and was ranked among the top ten squash players in the world.

Famed off-road rally racer Nadir Magsi will be conferred with the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz. His skills and achievements in the field of off-road rallying are commendable. Kabaddi player Rehman Ishtiaq will also be awarded the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz in recognition of his performances.

These awards will be presented on Pakistan Day, March 23rd.