ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari has directed for the conferment of Hilal-e-Imtiaz upon star athlete Arshad Nadeem for his ground-breaking performance in the ongoing Paris Olympics 2024, ARY News reported.
“The President will confer the civil award upon Arshad Nadeem during a special ceremony to be held in recognition of his prominent performance in sports. The President will confer the civil award under Article 259 (2) of the Constitution,” President Secretariat Press Wing said in a press release, on Saturday.
Under the constitutional provision, the president can confer Pakistani citizens with civil awards in recognition of their meritorious services in different fields of life.
Upon the President’s directive, a letter had been dispatched by the Aiwan-e-Sadr to the Cabinet Division, in this regard.
President Zardari said that Arshad Nadeem, with his brilliant performance, had made the nation proud in the field of sports.
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Nadeem’s marvellous achievement at the international level brought laurels to the nation. He had raised the name of the country in athletics, said the contents of the letter, shared by President Secretariat Press Wing with the media.
The gold medalist will arrive in Lahore at 1 am, on Sunday, travelling via Istanbul. He will be accompanied by the Chairman of South Asian Athletics, Muhammad Akram Sahi.
Upon his return to homeland, a grand reception is planned for the champion, with his coach, Salman Butt, also returning alongside him.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will receive Pakistan’s javelin thrower Olympic gold medalist Arshad Nadeem at Lahore airport, his coordinator Rana Mashood confirmed.
Arshad Nadeem became the first-ever individual gold medalist in the Olympics for Pakistan.
In the first stage, the star javelin player failed to make a mark in his first attempt, however, he made a remarkable recovery with 92.97m in his second attempt, a new Olympic record, which was eventually proved sufficient for him to secure the gold at the Paris Olympics.