Nishan-i-Imtiaz

Nishan-e-Imtiaz
Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Order of Excellence), 3rd class. (1956 - Present)
Awarded by the Sovereign, on the advice of the Government
Type	Award
Day	August 14
Eligibility	Pakistani or Foreign citizen
Awarded for	The highest degree of service to the state, and for services to international diplomacy.
Status	Currently constituted
Sovereign	President of Pakistan
Sovereign	Prime minister of Pakistan
Grades	5 grade: Star (1st Class) Badge (Second Class) Ribbon (military only) Collar Chain (4th class) Medal (5th Class)
Statistics
Established	23 March 1956.
First induction	19 March 1957
Total inductees	34
Precedence
Next (higher)	None
Next (lower)	Hilal-i-Imtiaz
Ribbons: military (only)

The Nishan-i-Imtiaz (Urdu: نشان امتیاز‎, English: Order of Excellence) is one of the state organized civil decorations of State of Pakistan. It is the highest honour given to any civilian in Pakistan based on their achievements towards world recognition for Pakistan or an outstanding service for the country. The award is not limited to citizens of Pakistan and, while it is a civilian award, it can also be awarded to military personnel and worn on the uniform. Nishan, translates as Decoration/Order, is a highly restricted and prestigious award roughly equivalent to Presidential Medal of Freedom (United States) and Order of the British Empire (United Kingdom), and is the first category award of Order of Imtiaz. The other three descending categories are Hilal-i-Imtiaz, Sitara-i-Imtiaz and Tamgha-e-Imtiaz. Usually, it is regarded as the highest award one can achieve in Pakistan since the higher award Nishan-e-Pakistan is awarded only to foreign Heads of States.

The award was established in March 19, 1957, following the proclamation of State of Pakistan as a Parliamentary republic, by the 1956 Constitution. The award is the top decoration in the country, given to a person who has accomplished duty beyond what is assigned to him/her. The person has to show eminence and be outstanding in providing excellent service in a significant field of activity. It means that he/she has to prove that he/she has achieved distinction.

The award may be awarded and may also be awarded to an individual more than once, though it has not been awarded twice since 1999. Nishan-i-Imtiaz, is an honour given by the Government of Pakistan to both the military officers of the Pakistan Armed Forces and civilians who have outstanding contributions that prompted world recognition of Pakistan. For civilians, it is awarded for distinguished merit, honouring their excellence in their respected fields of literature, arts, sports, medicine, or science. The award is usually given to individuals not groups because the whole purpose of the award is to recognise individual excellence.