Civil, military leaders honoured on I-Day

Top civil and military leaders including Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir and the chiefs of the navy and air force were on Thursday awarded prestigious national awards for their exceptional performance in the recent conflict with India.

- Tariq Butt / Reuters

Marking the 78th Independence Day — celebrated with emphasis on Marka-e-Haq, the recent armed clash with India — the President House held a special investiture ceremony to honour the nation’s top civil and military leaders with awards.

Field Marshal Munir was bestowed with Hilal-e-Jurat by President Asif Ali Zardari for leading the army during the most difficult of times.

The awards ceremony came against the backdrop of the recent Pakistan-India conflict, which saw Washington brokering a ceasefire between the two nuclear-armed neighbours after New Delhi launched attacks inside Pakistan — under the pretext of targeting terrorists — which it said were responsible for the Pahalgam attack in Kashmir.

India’s attacks prompted Pakistan to launch Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos after downing six Indian Air Force fighter jets, including three Rafales, in response to Indian aggression.

Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Chief of Air Staff Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu was conferred with Hilal-e-Jurat at the ceremony.