ISLAMABAD  -  President Asif Ali Zardari has conferred Pakistan’s second highest civilian award “Hilal-e-Imtiaz” on iconic musician Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan for his services to the Pakistani and South Asian music in­dustry at Aiwan-e-Sadr on the eve of the Pakistan Day. The music sensation was awarded for his services in the areas of arts, Qawwali and singing and for taking Pakistani arts to the global level through his live rendition of Qawwali and mod­ern music. Rahat Fateh Ali Khan said he was grateful for the honour. The singer said: “It is with profound gratitude that I accept the prestigious Hilal-e-Imtiaz & Sitara-I-Imtiaz awards bestowed upon me by the esteemed President. I extend my heartfelt appreciation to my cher­ished family, friends, and devoted fans whose unwavering support has been my guiding light on this remarkable journey. Together, we stand in humble reverence, inspired to continue our pursuit of excel­lence.” Rahat Fateh Ali Khan told a local news channel, it’s a huge honour for him that he was first given Sitara-I-Imtiaz in 2018 and now Hilal-e-Imtiaz in 2024. “I will do my best to continue promoting the soft side of Pakistan to the world. These are the highest civilian honours, it’s my duty to promote the legacy of my uncle and teacher Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan through modern Qawwali. I am thankful to the whole nation and my fans globally from across the world who have always stood by me.” Two weeks ago, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) said there is no evidence of renowned singer Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s involve­ment in money laundering, tax evasion or any other illegal activity. Pakistan’s premier investigation agency confirmed that it has closed its investigation into a case of al­leged money-laundering and tax evasion, involving the renowned singer, due to a lack of evidence of any wrongdoing. FIA’s La­hore Zone additional director confirmed that the competent authority has authorised closing the investigation against Khan and others, in accordance with the recommendations put forth by the field inquiry unit. “There is no evi­dence found in the available records that implicates Khan in any illegal currency smuggling activities,” the FIA senior of­ficer said. According to details provided by FIA Lahore, an inquiry was initiated in January against the singer and 182 other frequent commuters who have travelled abroad for work from Lahore Interna­tional Airport. The money laundering and tax evasion investigation was based on data concerning frequent travellers, with a specific focus on identifying any individuals involved in currency smug­gling or money laundering, the report stated. “The data of 182 travellers was provided by the deputy director of Immi­gration at Allama Iqbal International Air­port, Lahore. Consequently, the proceed­ings were initiated to detect any frequent traveler found in smuggling off currency or money laundering.