A ceremony to award civil honors to Pakistani and foreign nationals for their exceptional contributions in various fields was held at Aiwan-e-Sadr, Islamabad, on Sunday.

President Asif Ali Zardari presented the awards to the recipients.

The Pakistan Day celebrations were also marked by a military parade in Islamabad.

Other notable recipients included Sultan Alai Akbar Allana, Dr. Syed Tauqir Hussain Shah, Ali Haider Gilani, Khawaja Anwar Majeed, Javed Jabbar, Saadia Rashid, Umar Farooq, Sana Hashwani, Safinaz Munir, Aneeqa Bano, Amin Muhammad Lakhani, Sarwar Munir Rao, Hassan Ayub, and Mir Nadir Khan Magsi.

Among the foreign nationals honored were Hyder Qurbanov and Dr. Christine Brunhilde, who were awarded the Sitara-e-Qauid-e-Azam, while Agostino Da Polenza and Professor Valeria Picacentini received the Tamgha-e-Pakistan, and Dr. Xinmin Liu was presented with the Tamgha-e-Quaid-e-Azam.