PESHAWAR: Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Shah Farman Wednesday conferred Presidential Awards to eight legendary personalities of the province. A distinguished awards ceremony on the occasion of ‘Pakistan Day’ is held here at Governor House Peshawar. The ceremony was attended by Deputy Speaker Provincial Assembly Mahmood Jan, administrative heads of various departments and family members of the recipients of the Presidential Awards. Governor Shah Farman conferred the Presidential Award to Syed Mumtaz Ali Shah for his outstanding services in the field of art, drama and acting. The Governor also conferred the Presidential Award to Shaukat Mahmood for his outstanding services in the field of music and singing, Qamaro Jan with the Presidential Award for Excellence in Art and Folk Singing, Tahir Afridi (late) for his outstanding services in the field of literature. His award was received by his nephew Muhammad Umar Khan. Governor Shah Farman awarded Presidential Award to Shahzada Sikandar-ul-Mulk for excellence in Polo and Sports, Prof. Dr. Usman Hassan for his outstanding services in the field of Education and Engineering, Lal Muhammad Awan for his outstanding services in the field of art and acting and Ijaz Sarhadi was awarded for his outstanding services in the field of art and composition. Governor Shah Farman congratulated the eminent personalities of the province on receiving the Presidential Civil Awards. Governor Shah Farman said that the adoption of the Pakistan Resolution on March 23, 1940 and the decision to create a separate state proved to be the right decision. He said, “We are proud of our forefathers through whose efforts we are living in a free and independent Islamic state today”. Pakistan, the only nuclear Islamic country, has a very important and strong position on the world map today, Governor Shah Farman said. He said that the OIC conference on Pakistan Day is a testament to the growing importance and prestige of Pakistan. He said that anti-national forces are engaged in conspiracies to divide us on the basis of language, race, color and sect. “We must remain united for the development and prosperity of the country”, Governor Shah Farman added.