Islamabad: President Dr. Arif Alvi on Friday conferred military awards on the serving and martyred armed forces personnel at a Pakistan Day investiture ceremony held here at the President House.

A total of 49 officers and soldiers of the Pakistan Army, Navy and Air Force received the military awards including the families of four martyred troops in the categories of Order of Excellence, Crescent of Excellence, and Star of Good Conduct. Two foreign dignitaries from friendly countries also received prestigious awards.

Commander of Bahrain National Guards Shaikh Mohammed Bin Salman Al-Khalifa was awarded Order of Excellence (military) and Defence Attache of Saudi Arabia Major General (Pilot) Staff Awad Bin Abdullah Alzahrani was given Crescent of Excellence (military) in recognition to their illustrious services of strengthening defence ties with Pakistan.

The president conferred Star of Good Conduct on the martyrs of the Pakistan Army in recognition of their velour demonstrated while fighting terrorists in operation areas.

The awards were received by the family members of the martyrs, including Major Shujaat Hussain (30 Baloch Regiment, martyred in Angoor Adda, South Waziristan); Captain Bilal Khalil (Army Medical Corps, martyred in Noshki, Balochistan); Captain Faheem Abbas (72 Punjab Regiment, martyred in Jani Khel area of Bannu); and Sepoy Muhammad Waqas (18 Frontier Force Regiment, martyred in North Waziristan).

President conferred Crescent of Excellence (military) on Air Marshal Chaudhry Ahsan Rafiq (Air Headquarters), Air Marshal Waqas Ahmed Sulehri (AHQ), Maj Gen Khurram Nisar (Joint Services HQ), Maj Gen Qamar un Nisa Chaudhry (Army Medical Corps), Maj Gen Irfan Ali Mirza (AMC), Maj Gen Muhammad Rafiq Zafar (AMC), Rear Admiral Javed Iqbal (Naval Headquarters), Rear Admiral Muhammad Sohail Arshad (NHQ), Rear Admiral Salman Ilyas (NHQ), Air Vice Marshal Muhammad Nadeem Sabir (AHQ), Maj Gen Syed Khurram Shahzad (AMC), Maj Gen Bilal Umair (AMC).

Maj Gen Muhammad Wasim (AMC), Maj Gen Muhammad Suhail Amin (AMC), Maj Gen Ariq ur Rehman Sulehria (AMC), Maj Gen Muhammad Aleem (AMC), Air Vice Marshal Salman Abbas Shah (AHQ), Maj Gen Muhammad Avais Dastgir (GHQ), Maj Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry (JS HQ), Rear Admiral Muhammad Faisal Abbasi (NHQ), Maj Gen Omar Ahmed Bokhari (GHQ) were also included in the recipient of Crescent of Excellence.

Moreover, Maj Gen Inayat Hussain (GHQ), Maj Gen Kamal Azfar (Frontier Works Organization), Maj Gen Muhammad Aamer Najam (National Defence University), Maj Gen Adil Yameen (GHQ), Maj Gen Fahim Amer (Inter Services Intelligence), Maj Gen Shahid Manzoor (JS HQ), Maj Gen Muhammad Kashif Azad (ISI), Maj Gen Tabassum Habib (GHQ), Maj Gen Kamran Ahmed Satti (GHQ), Maj Gen Adil Rehmani, Maj Gen Muhammad Hassan Khattak (ISI), Maj Gen Muhammad Shuja Anwar (General Officer Commanding), Maj Gen Majid Jahangir (JS HQ) recived the award.

Maj Gen Azhar Waqas (Rangers), Maj Gen Asif Mahmood Goraya (Army Air Defence), Maj Gen Akif Iqbal (ISI), Maj Gen Rashid Mahmood, Maj Gen Muhammad Irfan (GOC), Maj Gen Dilawar Khan (JS HQ), Maj Gen Abdul Moeed (GOC), Rear Admiral Muhammad Saleem (NHQ), Air Vice Marshal Shams ul Haq (AHQ), Maj Gen Chaudhry Muhammad Qamar ul Haq Noor, and Air Vice Marshal Muhammad Qaiser Janjua (AHQ) were awarded with Crescent of Excellence .

Rawalpindi: Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) while conducting 10 operations in different areas of the country managed to recover over 283 kg drugs and arrested nine accused including a woman, said an ANF Headquarters spokesman here on Friday.

He informed ANF in an operation on Islamabad Motorway recovered 6.6 kg opium and 3.3 kg hashish from the possession of a drug smuggler resident of Mardan.

In another operation at Bacha Khan International Airport, ANF recovered 1.6 kg cocaine from the possession of a Doha-bound passenger resident of Karachi.

ANF foiled a bid to smuggle drugs from Peshawar to Rawalpindi and managed to recover 1.1 kg heroin from an accused resident of Peshawar arrested from Peshawar Ring Road Bus Stop.

ANF and Frontier Corps (FC) in two operations in Khyber recovered 38 kg hashish and 1.6 kg Ice drug.

Eight kg hashish was recovered near Kamoke Toll Plaza on Gujranwala G.T. Road and ANF also arrested two accused residents of Peshawar.

The spokesman informed that in an operation near National Highway Hyderabad, ANF managed to recover 108 kg hashish from secret cavities of a truck while two drug smugglers residents of Quetta were netted.

In an operation at a private courier office in Karachi, ANF seized over one kg heroin from a parcel booked for London.

The spokesman further informed that in a joint operation by ANF and Rangers near City Point, National Highway Sukkar, 10 kg hashish and four kg opium were recovered from the possession of an accused resident of Noshki.

In the tenth operation conducted near Pasni Zero Point, ANF recovered 100 kg hashish concealed in bushes to smuggle abroad.

Separate cases have been registered against the accused while further investigations were underway.

Karachi: Pakistani popular singer Atif Aslam and his wife Sarah Atif had been blessed with a baby girl who was named as Halima Atif Aslam.

According to details, the singer Atif turned to photo-sharing app Instagram and shared the good news

He wrote: “The wait is finally over, a new queen of my heart has arrived.”

Alhamdulillah Sarah and daughter are both healthy, Atif stated.

Fans and friends of Atif congratulated him as wishes poured in the comment section of the post.

The renowned vocalist requested his fans to remember his family in prayers. He also shared Ramadan wishes to everyone.