Honour lies in honest toil. Grover Cleveland An acrimonious debate has erupted on the conferment of civil awards given by the PPP-led government on Pakistans Independence Day. In the past, too, reservations were made on their distribution to men and women of 'some substance. But this time round the ugly face of politics has emerged in the debate where certain politicians or leaders have accused the federal government of nepotism, despite recognising the outstanding services of men and women who were rewarded this year. Also, it is a fact that the President cannot confer a civil award, since it is given strictly on the recommendations of the Prime Minister. Out of the 27 Nishan-i-Imtiaz that were awarded this year, seven were given to the persons who belonged to PPP, three to PML-N, three to PML-Q, two to MQM, four to ANP, and one each were given to JI, JUI-F, PPP (sherpao), BNP, NPP, PML-F, PkMAP, and one to an independent from FATA. Twenty-two of these awards were given to members of the Constitutional Reforms Committee on Pakistan Day, while the remaining three were given on the Independence Day. Therefore, the only award that was conferred on the Independence Day was to Interior Minister Rehman Malik for his role in the war on terror. It can, however, be argued that the award to Malik should have been given after he had made a significant progress against the miscreants in Karachi. Since the mayhem continues in the port city, it seems a little premature that the award was given to him. Another PPP member, Farzana Raja, who was awarded the Hilal-i-Imtiaz has been working relentlessly for the welfare of the poor. She has succeeded in enrolling nearly four million families throughout the country under the Benazir Income Support Programme. Similarly, Khushbakht Shujaat of the MQM was awarded in recognition for her social and religious work. As far as Sharmila Farooqi is concerned, she was awarded on the recommendation of the Government of Sindh for her commendable work in jails and the relief that was provided due to her tireless efforts to vulnerable women. It is also well known that several awards were given to members of different political parties when Nawaz Sharif was Prime Minister and General (retd) Pervez Musharraf was the President. Here one can quote the examples of Senator Qazi Anwar, who was conferred a high civil award by Nawaz Sharif, and Daniyal Aziz was awarded by Musharraf. It is pertinent to point out that Hasan Waseem Afzal, who was Joint Secretary when Nawaz Sharif was Prime Minster, was given a civil award for being a member of the notorious Saifur Rehman team. Similarly, Musharraf distributed high civil awards to Governor State Bank Dr Ishrat Hussain, Ex-DG IB Col (retd) Bashir Wali, DG FIA Tariq Pervaz, DG IB Brig (retd) Ijaz Ahmad, and Secretary Interior Kamal Shah, besides others that included DIG Multan Iftikhar Ahmad. Also, he awarded several officers, who belonged to his personal staff and members of the bureaucracy. It has been a tradition in the country that several Secretary Generals and Deputy Chairman Planning Commission, including Aziz Ahmad Khan, AGN Qazi and Altaf Gohar, received the awards during their tenures. While there may be some fact in the criticism of Salman Farooqi, who is also the recipient of an award by the government, the fact remains that his immediate predecessors, including Lt Gen Hamid Javed and Dr Akram Sheikh, were also awarded by the government of their day. Initially, Farooqi was appointed Secretary General by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in 1993 with the status of Minister of State; but is now working as Secretary General in the presidential office. Another public servant who received the civil award and is being severely criticised for it is Hussain Haqqani, Pakistans Ambassador to the United States. Haqqani began his journey as a member of the Jamaat-i-Islami, but was later appointed Media Advisor to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. He has also worked as Pakistans Ambassador in Sri Lanka and has to his credit teaching stints in Boston, besides contributing to several journals and newspapers as a political analyst. This, however, proves that while borderline cases have always existed whenever the government confers civil awards on men and women of letters, it does not mean that a vast majority of those whose services are recognised by the State should be condemned in such severe terms. It will be of interest for the readers to know that in the past a doctor, who has written several books and is a known plagiarist, was conferred a high civil award by a previous government. Likewise, this year, unfortunately, a television anchor, who has made no contribution in the field of journalism or literature, was given an award that has raised many an eyebrow in the journalistic circle of the country. These aberrations aside, mostly the awards have been conferred on merit for the services rendered by the Pakistani nationals in different fields. Therefore, they should not be criticised or politicised as is being done today. However, the government must consider the formation of small committees, who should scrutinise the name of candidates recommended by various bodies before they receive a final nod by the Prime Minister, who then sends these names to the President. For example, in the field of journalism a Committee could be made under the chairmanship of Mr Majid Nizami and a few other journalistic stalwarts, who have the power to strike down those names that smack of opportunism or favouritism. Similarly, committees should be formed for other sectors, like trade and commerce, sciences, education, and for that matter all other disciplines, which comprise eminent individuals who should give their comments to the Prime Minister on the names he considers for the conferment of civil awards by the Government of Pakistan before they are finally approved. One hopes that these committees will work transparently and in line with the laid down procedure that will stop people from sneaking in, especially those who do not deserve to be awarded. Besides, there are many people who have made substantial contributions in the fields of art and literature, but have remained unsung. If the government accepts these recommendations and makes committees that will vet the names, which the Prime Minister considers to confer awards, but should also allow people to apply along with their work to be considered for an award in their respective fields. And in case they pass the test by these committees, their services must be recognised because productive encouragement would lead to more positive and productive work that is desirable for any country. n The writer has been associated with various newspapers as editor and columnist. At present, he hosts a political programme on Pakistan Television. Email: zarnatta@hotmail.com