Founding Editor of Pakistaniat.com, our very own Dr. Adil Najam has just been awarded the Sitara-i-Imtiaz by the government of Pakistan for his contribution and public service in the field of environment and development policy.
Adil is known to all of us as the founder of this blog, but his full time work is as the Frederick S. Pardee Professor of Global Public Policy and the Director of the Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future at Boston University. At Boston University he also serves as a Professor of International Relations and of Geography and Environment.
A world expert on matters related to environment and development, and specially on global climate change – he was part of the team of authors that wrote the IPCC reports, work for which the IPCC was awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize – for us, he remains the creator of Pakistaniat.com (here, here, here). And we are delighted to see this honor being given to him.
Pakistan’s civil awards are announced by the President of Pakistan every year Independence Day (Aug 14) every year and then awarded on the following Pakistan Day (March 23). Like always, the list of award winners includes Pakistanis and those who have contributed to Pakistan in many areas of expertise. The full list of award winners for this year can be seen here. Some of the interesting and important people who were given Civil Decorations this year, in addition to Adil Najam, include: Bano Qudsia (Hilal-i-Imtiaz), Asma Jahangir (Hilal-i-Imtiaz), Prof. Ayesha Jalal (Sitara-i-Imtiaz), Prof. Hasan Askari (Sitara-i-Imtiaz), F.E.Chaudhry (Sitara-i-Imtiaz), Jamil Naqsh (Sitara-i-Imtiaz), Javed Ahmed Ghamidi (Sitara-i-Imtiaz), Prof. Rasul Bakhsh Rais (Sitara-i-Imtiaz), Allama Talib Johri (Sitara-i-Imtiaz), Hanif Ramay (Sitara-i-Imtiaz), Fehmida Riaz (Literature – Pride of Performance), Masud Mufti (Literature – Pride of Performance), Younus Khan (Cricket – Pride of Performance), Shahid Khan Afridi (Cricket – Pride of Performance), Zakauddin (Hockey – Pride of Performance), and many more.
On behalf of all of our readership, I want to congratulate Adil on this honor. Well done Adil Bhai from all of us!
Congratulations on winning the award. I have a question though, i have recently been studying symbolism and could not help wonder why this award has an upside down star. It looks very much like a Pentogram, used in devil worship and Illuminati agendas. So i cant help but wonder who designed the award and why no one questions the upside down Star design. ALso why do we have a cresent moon on most mosques. if as Muslims we are not supposed to worship celestial bodies . Can someone , WHO KNOWS!!, explain please?
Dear Adil Bhai
You probably don’t realise how much hope you give us Pakistanis… and how much pride.
Heatiest congrats.
:)
A very well deserved Award. CONGRATS!!
We are really proud of you Sir!
Congratulations Dr Adil Najam for this Award!
We need great minds like you here in Pakistan in these circumstances your country is facing rather than escaping and contributing your talent to another country.
Please read recent very though provoking two articles by Orya Maqbool Jan on the subject.
http://www.pkcolumns.com/2009/08/03/brain-derain-b y-orya-maqbool-jan/
http://www.pkcolumns.com/2009/08/06/seg-zemana-hai -by-orya-maqbool-jan/
The writer of these articles Orya Maqbool Jan is a serving senior bureaucrat and is presently working as Director General Walled City Project in Lahore after having worked as Information Secretary to the Punjab Government. A well known intellectual, playwright and a literary person.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orya_Maqbool_Jan