The award was conferred at a special investiture ceremony held at the Aiwan-e-Sadr and attended by Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, services chiefs, the National Assembly speaker, the Senate chairman, federal ministers and parliamentarians.

Conferred to both Pakistanis and foreign nationals, the Hilal-i-Pakistan award is meant to “recognise those people who have made a meritorious contribution to the national interests of Pakistan”.

At the invitation of the Government of Pakistan, the special representative of Chinese President Xi Jinping is visiting Pakistan to attend the 10th-anniversary celebrations of CPEC.

He has played a “prominent role” in China’s international economic relations and implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative, of which CPEC is a flagship project, according to an earlier statement of the foreign office.

As the Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission (2017-23), he was “instrumental” in the planning and execution of multiple CPEC projects in Pakistan.