Star athlete Arshad Nadeem was awarded the second-highest civil award of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Hilal-e-Imtiaz, on Thursday by the President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari for his ground-breaking performance in the Paris Olympics 2024.
The President conferred the civil award upon Arshad Nadeem during a special ceremony held in recognition of his prominent performance in sports.
Earlier, on August 10, President Zardari approved the civil award for javelin champion under Article 259 (2) of the Constitution, President Secretariat Press Wing said in a press release.
Under the constitutional provision, the president can confer Pakistani citizens with civil awards in recognition of their meritorious services in different fields of life.
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Hilal-e-Imtiaz is Pakistan’s second-highest civilian award, given to both civilians and military personnel for exceptional contributions.
For the unversed, Arshad Nadeem ended Pakistan’s 32-year medal drought in the Olympics and became the first-ever individual Olympic gold medalist from the country.
In the javelin throw event, Arshad 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.
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