The Punjab government has approved the nomination of 54 individuals for the Pakistan Civil Awards 2026 on Independence Day.
The nominations were reviewed and finalized by the Provincial Scrutiny Committee before being approved by the Punjab Cabinet. The list includes senior government and police officers, doctors, scientists, artists, writers, journalists, athletes and public servants who have delivered notable services in their respective fields.
Among the prominent recommendations in the public service and police category are former Punjab Inspector General Dr. Usman Anwar and Punjab IG Abdul Karim for the Sitara-e-Imtiaz. Several senior police officials, including Additional IG South Punjab Muhammad Kamran Khan, RPO Bahawalpur Ghazi Muhammad Salahuddin, DPO Rahim Yar Khan Irfan Ali Samo, RPO Dera Ghazi Khan Muhammad Azhar Akram and DPO Rajanpur Muhammad Imran, have been recommended for the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz.
DIG CCD Punjab Waqas Hassan, DIG Headquarters Central Police Office Dr. Muhammad Abid Khan and MD Punjab Safe Cities Authority Muhammad Ahsan Younis have also been recommended for the Sitara-e-Imtiaz, while Additional IG CCD Sohail Zafar Chattha has been recommended for the Hilal-e-Imtiaz.
The list also includes nominations from the fields of arts, culture, media and literature. Late musician Talib Hussain Dard has been recommended for the Pride of Performance, while Hamid Ghaznavi, Shafqatullah Mushtaq, Syed Wasi Ahmed Fatimi, Razi Ahmed, Shoaib Ahmed and singer Mushtaq Shafi have also been recommended for the honor in their respective fields.
Actor and comedian Iftikhar Thakur and actress Nisho Begum, also known as Balqees Bano have been recommended for the Sitara-e-Imtiaz.
Other nominations include Imran Qureshi for painting, Zohaib Hassan for music and sarangi, Muhammad Naeem Tahir for theatre and performing arts, Taranum Naz for singing, Syed Ghulam Abbas also known as Mohsin Naqvi, for poetry, and Bashir Ahmed for painting.
In sports, athlete Faiqa Riaz has been recommended for the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz.
The medical and scientific sector also features prominently in the recommendations. Dr. Sajjad Hussain has been recommended for the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz for services in science, engineering, agriculture and IT, while late Professor Tahir Shamsi has been recommended for the Sitara-e-Imtiaz for his contributions to bone marrow transplantation.
Professor Faisal Saud Dar, Dean, has been recommended for the Hilal-e-Imtiaz for services in organ transplantation and healthcare management, while Professor Muhammad Khurram has been nominated for the Sitara-e-Imtiaz in medicine and Dr. Urooj Saeed for the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz in science.
According to the document, 51 names were recommended by the Provincial Scrutiny Committee, while approval has also been given for the nominations of Zahoor Ahmed Khan in public service, musician Zulfiqar Jabbar Khan, popularly known as Zulfi, and Syed Wahab Hussain Shah in performing arts.
The recommendations have been sent to the federal government which will take the final decision regarding the conferment of the Pakistan Civil Awards on the occasion of Independence Day 2026.