President Arif Alvi has approved the civil award Tamgha-e-Shujaat for Malik Adnan – the person who tried to save the Sri Lankan manager in the Sialkot lynching incident which shocked the nation.

The government would give the civil award to Adnan on March 23, 2022, according to the official statement shared by APP.

Alvi used his powers under Article 259 (2) of the Constitution to give the award.

Enraged workers of a garment factory in Sialkot on December 3 tortured Sri Lankan general manager Priyantha Kumara to death over allegations of blasphemy and set the body ablaze. With every passing day, videos of the incident were coming to light that helped police to arrest the culprits.

One of the videos showed that Adnan was trying to calm the mob down and later shielded Kumara when the matter escalated, but in vain.

This effort prompted Prime Minister Imran Khan to announce a civil award for the Sialkot incident ‘hero’. He lauded Adnan’s courage. Then on December 7, PM Imran presented Adnan with a letter of appreciation at a ceremony in Islamabad.

“I had the feeling to save and rescue this person [Priyantha Kumara]. To avoid any such incident that damages my country’s name. I made this effort to protect my country’s image,” Adnan had told reporters after receiving the letter of appreciation. He had also announced his intention to dedicate the award to Kumara.

The state-level appreciation has been lauded by many but also raised questions on the people’s preferences and mindset while responding to different circumstances like “doing a good act to improve the country’s image.”

It also highlights how awards have been used to make statements about larger issues.

Take the case of eminent gastroenterologist Dr Saad Khalid Niaz who, on September 2, returned his Tamgha-i-Imtiaz, awarded in 2013, to President Alvi. He did so to protest the government’s “ignorant attitude” towards healthcare workers and professionals who laid down their lives to save hundreds of thousands of patients during the coronavirus pandemic.

Niaz believed the state should have recognized the sacrifies made by those in the healthcare industry in 2020.

The government awarded 22 men in the gallantry with the Tamgha-e-Shujaat in 2020.

News about Malik receiving the award has been met with mixed responses.

While welcoming the award, former lawmaker Farhatullah Babar asked if it meant a "paradigm shift to distinguish heroes from villains?"

Pakistan civil awards comprise five orders: The Order of Pakistan, The Order of Shuja‘at, The Order of Imtiaz, The Order of Quaid-i-Azam, The Order of Khidmat, and (vi) President‘s Award for Pride of Performance. “In accordance with the Decorations Act, 1975 the term ―Gallantry has been redefined to include ―an act of bravery, heroism, courage and rendering dedicated services with selfless devotion in human rights and public service,” according to the official document.

Moreover, Rs800,000 is the grant amount of monetary benefit attached to the Tamgha-e-Shujaat when granted to awardees who are alive and Rs900,000 for posthumous or seriously disabled.

Social activist Jibran Nasir was of the view that the state had apparently tried to seek refuge in one man's act of humanity in order to hide its failure.

Journalist Amber Shamsi reminded the people of other civil awards given to other people and the aftermath.