ISLAMABAD: Minister for Power Sardar Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari and Advisor to the Prime Minister on Privatisation Muhammad Ali will be conferred the Hilal-i-Imtiaz, while Secretary Power Division Dr. Fakhre Alam Irfan will receive the Sitara-i-Imtiaz in recognition of their key roles in addressing Pakistan’s longstanding issues of circular debt and implementing critical energy sector reforms.
The civil awards will be presented on March 23, 2026, during a ceremony to be held at Aiwan-e-Sadr.
According to the Cabinet Division, citing the Power Division’s Office Memorandum dated August 12, 2025, the President of Pakistan has approved these awards in acknowledgment of the individuals’ significant contributions to the power sector.
To complete codal formalities in line with government policy, the Cabinet Division has requested the following documents by September 10(today) , 2025:
(i) A duly filled recommendation form, along with three recent photographs, and (ii) Citations in both English and Urdu, including soft copies in MS Word format.
Earlier, on July 30, 2025, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in separate letters, praised Minister Leghari and Secretary Dr Fakhre Alam for their outstanding performance in steering the government’s power sector reform agenda during a particularly challenging period.
In his appreciation letter, the Prime Minister noted that the reduction of Rs. 780 billion in circular debt, bringing the overall stock down to Rs. 1,614 billion, was a Herculean achievement, made possible through their persistent efforts and effective institutional collaboration.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025