Nishan - e - Imtiaz The Nishan - i - Imtiaz ( , English : " Order of Excellence " ) is one of the state organized civil decoration s of State of Pakistan . It is the highest honor — along with comparable to optimum award Nishan - e - Pakistan — given to any civilian in Pakistan based on their achievements that caused the world recognition for Pakistan or / done 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 optimum award Nishan - e - Pakistan is awarded only to foreign Heads of State s . The award was established in March 19 , 1957 , following the proclamation of State of Pakistan as Parliamentary republic , by the 1956 Constitution . The award is a top and prestigious decoration in the country . It is given to a person who has accomplished duty beyond what is assigned to him / her . To receive this honor , the individuals are must understand the fact , that just accomplishing routine duty is not the criterion for the award . 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 posthumously 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 honor given by the Government of Pakistan to both the military officers of the Pakistan Armed Forces and civilians who have done outstanding contributions that prompted world recognition of Pakistan . The award is highly restricted and most prestigious award that is only conferred if the individuals met the criteria and nominations for receiving this honor . For civilians , it is awarded for distinguished merit , honoring their excellence in their respected fields of literature , arts , sports , medicine , or science . The award is usually given to individuals in isolation not in groups because the whole purpose of the award is to assess the recipients individual capabilities in par excellence . For those in the military it is given after distinguished service and is also the highest medal award that can be awarded to those at the ranks of General s ( Army ) , Air Chief Marshal s ( Air Force ) , and the Admiral s ( both Navy , Coast Guard , and Marines ) . Parliament ' s committee for Award and Recognition Services for State of Pakistan , selected the names of individuals and sent final report to Prime minister of Pakistan . On advice of Prime minister , the President organized the colorful ceremony that is telecast and broadcast by the PTV . This award is held once in a year , nominees are announced on the Independence Day and the award ceremony takes place on Pakistan Day in a Presidential Palace . Nishan - i - Imtiaz is awarded to the nominees by the President of Pakistan in a colorful public ceremony broadcast by the PTV . The badge of the Nishan - e - Imtiaz is in the form of pure golden star with light - white enamel , with well polished green emerald circumference to the inside the golden star . Written in gold words around the green emerald , it reads as نشان امتیاز . A golden Jasminum stands between the point of the star . It is worn around the neck with yellow bright yellow and white ribbon ( for civilians only ) or / bright green and white ribbon ( for military officers only ) with white edge stripes . A special pecial grade of the medal / award has larger execution of the same medal design worn as a star on the left chest . In addition , it is worn as a sash on the right shoulder , with its rosette ( yellow with white ( for civilians ) or / green ( Military officers only ) with white and yellow edge , bearing the central disc of the medal at its center ) resting on the left hip . At the ceremony , both medals can be wear at the same time according to their achievements . For military officers , the medal is accompanied by a ribbon bar for wear on military service uniform , a miniature medal pendant for wear on a mess dress , and a lapel badge for wear on civilian clothes .