Nishan-e-Imtiaz
The Nishan-e-Imtiaz is one of the state organized civil decorations of State of Pakistan. It is awarded for achievements towards world recognition for Pakistan or an outstanding service for the country. However, the award is not limited to citizens of Pakistan and, while it is a civilian award, it can also be awarded to military personnel and worn on the uniform. Nishan, translates as Decoration/Order, is a highly restricted and prestigious award roughly equivalent to Presidential Medal of Freedom and Order of the British Empire, and is the first category award of Order of Imtiaz. The other three descending categories are Hilal-i-Imtiaz, Sitara-i-Imtiaz and Tamgha-e-Imtiaz. Usually, it is regarded as the highest award one can achieve in Pakistan since the higher award Nishan-e-Pakistan is awarded only to foreign Heads of States.
The Award was established on March 19, 1957, following the proclamation of State of Pakistan as a Parliamentary republic, by the 1956 Constitution. The award is the top decoration in the country, given to a person who has accomplished duty beyond what is assigned to him/her. The person has to show eminence and be outstanding in providing excellent service in a significant field of activity. It means that he/she has to prove that he/she has achieved distinction.
The award may be awarded and may also be awarded to an individual more than once, though it has not been awarded twice since 1999. Nishan-i-Imtiaz, is an honour given by the Government of Pakistan to both the military officers of the Pakistan Armed Forces and civilians who have outstanding contributions that prompted world recognition of Pakistan. For civilians, it is awarded for distinguished merit, honouring their excellence in their respected fields of literature, arts, sports, medicine, or science. The award is usually given to individuals not groups because the whole purpose of the award is to recognise individual excellence.
For those in the military it is given after distinguished service and is also the highest award that can be awarded to those at the rank of Generals, Air Chief Marshals, and Admirals of the Navy, Coast Guard, and Marines.
Parliament's committee for the Award and Recognition of Services for the State of Pakistan, select individuals and send a final report to the Prime minister of Pakistan. On advice of the Prime Minister, the President organizes a colorful ceremony that is telecast and broadcast nationally.
This award ceremony is held once in a year, nominees are announced on Independence Day and the ceremony takes place on Pakistan Day in a Presidential Palace. Nishan-i-Imtiaz is awarded to the nominees by the President of Pakistan in a colorful public ceremony.
The badge of the Nishan-e-Imtiaz is in the form of pure golden star with light-white enamel, with well polished green emerald circumference to the inside the golden star. Written in gold words around the green emerald, it reads as نشان امتیاز. A golden Jasminum stands between the point of the star. It is worn around the neck with a yellow, bright yellow and white ribbon or bright green and white ribbon with white edge stripes.
A special grade of the award has a larger execution of the same medal design worn as a star on the left chest. In addition, it is worn as a sash on the right shoulder, with its rosette or/ green with white and yellow edge, bearing the disc of the medal at its center, resting on the left hip. At the ceremony, both medals can be worn at the same time.
For military officers, the medal is accompanied by a ribbon bar for wearing on military uniform, a miniature medal pendant for wearing on mess uniform, and a lapel badge for wearing on civilian clothes.
Recipients
| Name of the recipient | Field | Year | Country |
| Mohamed Hussein Tantawi | Egyptian field marshal | Egypt | |
| Majid Nizami | Journalist | ||
| Mohammad Abdul Ghafoor Hazarvi | 1958 | Pakistan | |
| Aga Khan IV | Religious leader | 1970 | |
| Ratna Rajya Lakshmi Devi | Queen | 1970 | Nepal |
| Abdus Salam | Scientist, nuclear physicist | 1979 | Pakistan |
| Abdul Sattar Edhi | Social activist | 1989 | Pakistan |
| Faiz Ahmed Faiz | Poet and scholar | 1990 | Pakistan |
| Abdul Qadeer Khan | Nuclear scientist | 1996 | Pakistan |
| Ishfaq Ahmad | Nuclear scientist | 1998 | Pakistan |
| Dilip Kumar | Indian film actor | 1998 | India |
| Riazuddin | Physicist | 1998 | |
| Sharifuddin Pirzada | Attorney-general of Pakistan | 1998 | |
| Muhammad Raziuddin Siddiqui | Educationist | 1998 | Pakistan |
| Abdul Qadeer Khan | Nuclear scientist | 1999 | Pakistan |
| Akhtar Hameed Khan | 2001 | ||
| Shahid Karimullah | 2002 | ||
| Atta ur Rahman | Scientist, educationist | 2002 | |
| Hakim Said | Social activist, philanthropist | 2002 | |
| Yaşar Büyükanıt | 2007 | Turkey | |
| Habib Jalib | Poet and scholar | 2009 | |
| Khurshid Ahmad | Professor | 2011 | |
| Mehdi Hassan | Film playback singer | 2012 | |
| Saadat Hassan Manto | Short story writer | 2012 | Pakistan |
| Abdul Sattar Edhi | Social activist, founder of Edhi Foundation | 2012 | |
| Munir Ahmad Khan | Nuclear scientist | 2012 | |
| Rahimuddin Khan | |||
| Rashad Mahmood | General in the Pakistan Armed Forces | 2013 | Pakistan |
| Pervez Musharraf | Former President of Pakistan | Pakistan | |
| Tariq Majid | |||
| Hilmi Özkök | Turkey | ||
| Shafi ur Rahman | Judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, Human Rights | 2000 | Pakistan |
| Sherry Rehman | Politician, journalist and ambassador | 2013 | - |
| Anwar Shamim | Air-Marshal, Pakistan Air Force | ||
| Raheel Sharif | Pakistan Army Chief | 2013 | Pakistan |
| Asma Jahangir | Human Rights activist, head of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan | 2018 | |
| Admiral Ravindra C. Wijegunaratne | Chief of Defence Staff, Sri Lanka | 2019 | Sri Lanka |
| Sadruddin Hashwani | Businessman | 2019 | Pakistan |