Pakistan’s 79th Independence Day was celebrated with great enthusiasm across the country, marked by vibrant parades and aerial displays. However, amid the patriotic fervor, there were noticeable absences and questionable practices that merit critical reflection. Pictures of key national icons such as Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father and visionary of Pakistan, and Allama Dr. Muhammad Iqbal, the philosopher-poet who inspired the creation of Pakistan, were conspicuously missing from the celebrations.

Instead, the event seemed overshadowed by a conspicuous display of medals and awards, which appeared to be handed out with little regard for their true significance or merit.
Immediately following the award ceremony, I was inundated with calls from curious individuals asking about the identities of the award recipients and the criteria for these honors. Frankly, apart from some Air Force officers who had distinguished themselves during a brief Indo-Pak conflict on May 25, I was unfamiliar with the majority of the awardees.

This lack of public recognition and transparency raises concerns about the legitimacy of the awards. It has become evident within journalistic circles that many recipients are honored not for outstanding service or achievement, but rather for their political affiliations or roles in regime changes. Alarmingly, the President of Pakistan himself awarded high-profile medals to his own son and daughter, a practice reminiscent of autocratic traditions where family members receive the highest state honors regardless of merit.

Furthermore, the list of awardees included numerous ministers, members of the National Assembly, senators, and coalition partners from the ruling party, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). Since 2022, the awarding of medals has devolved into a political tool, dispensed to those who remain loyal to the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and its allied factions. This practice dilutes the value and prestige of these honors, reducing them to mere tokens of political favoritism. Genuine merit and service appear to have been sidelined in favor of political expediency.

The media fraternity also felt the sting of selective recognition. Many senior journalists and anchors who have dedicated their lives to independent reporting and sacrificed for their profession were ignored. Instead, awards were given predominantly to journalists who align closely with the government’s narrative, highlighting a troubling trend of rewarding loyalty over journalistic integrity.

On the military side, the awards primarily went to Air Force officers for their commendable service during the recent conflict. However, many medals were also given to members of the armed bureaucracy in recognition of their lifelong service. While acknowledging dedicated service is important, the overall pattern of awards suggests an entrenched system where medals are dispensed according to bureaucratic and political convenience rather than genuine merit.

Curious about the official criteria for these civil and armed forces awards, I conducted research and found that concerns over their selection have a long history. Notably, during the Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) tenure from 2008 to 2013, the late Senator Mushahid Ullah Khan raised serious questions about the transparency and fairness of award nominations. It appears that the PPP, like the current government, engaged in awarding large numbers of civilians and politicians, often to secure political loyalty.

In conclusion, while Independence Day is a moment for national pride and reflection, the conduct surrounding the awards ceremony reveals troubling trends of politicization and favoritism. The true spirit of these medals — to honor exceptional service and sacrifice — is being undermined. For Pakistan to progress, it is essential that awards and honors be bestowed purely on merit and integrity, free from political influence and nepotism. Only then can these medals regain their rightful prestige and inspire genuine patriotism.