Decorations Act, 1975

This Act sets up the legal framework for how Pakistan's President creates and awards honours and medals. It covers decorations recognising gallantry (bravery, heroism, dedicated service in human rights and public service), meritorious service in the Armed Forces, academic distinction, and distinction in sports or nursing.

Section 3 lets the President institute or create new decorations by warrant, and set the conditions for awarding, withdrawing, forfeiting, or restoring them. Decorations can even be awarded posthumously, with any attached monetary reward going to the recipient's next of kin. Every award, withdrawal, forfeiture, or restoration must be published in the official Gazette, and all such decisions require the President's personal approval.

Section 4 continues in force all decorations that already existed before this Act (listed in the Schedule), along with their governing warrants and rules, until the President changes them. The President can also amend the Schedule to add or remove decorations, and can withdraw or forfeit any decoration at any time, though restoration remains possible.

Section 5 restricts who can create or confer decoration-like honours: no person or authority in Pakistan may institute or confer anything resembling an official decoration without following this Act, no Pakistani citizen or government servant may accept a foreign honour without Federal Government approval, and no one may falsely claim to hold a decoration they were not actually awarded.

Section 6 makes contravention of Section 5 punishable with a fine of up to twenty thousand rupees, and treats a person convicted of improperly accepting a foreign decoration as having been stripped of it. Prosecutions require the Federal Government's prior sanction, and only a Court of Session or higher may try such offences. The Schedule lists Pakistan's honours system, including Nishan-i-Haider, Nishan-i-Imtiaz, Hilal-i-Juraat, Sitara-i-Juraat, and various campaign and service medals. This is an older law, amended in 1981 and 1997, so anyone checking current eligibility criteria or the full current list of decorations should verify against the latest official text.