ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari approved key appointments, civil awards, and special remission to prisoners, officials said.
Zardari signed 10 amendment bills passed by Parliament, making them law. The legislation includes measures on citizenship, media regulation, newspaper employees’ conditions of service, Zakat and Ushr, and national archives.
Other laws approved cover the prevention of unauthorized use of Pakistan’s name and symbols, the APP Corporation, the Naya Pakistan Housing Authority, and Danish University Islamabad.
Alongside legislation, Zardari granted special pardons to prisoners on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr and Pakistan Day 2026. The pardons will result in the release or sentence reduction for several inmates on humanitarian grounds.
Pardons will not apply to convicts involved in murder, adultery, espionage, anti-state activities, terrorism, financial crimes, or actions harming the national treasury.
Appointments include Aizaz Aslam Dar as a member of the Federal Public Service Commission from Balochistan’s quota.
Civil awards approved include the Sitara-e-Imtiaz for Professor Sarwar Khawaja, Rashid Malik, and Zain-ul-Abidin Ahsan.
The decisions reflect the government’s focus on legal reform, recognition of public service, and selective humanitarian relief.
