President Dr Arif Alvi on Tuesday conferred Pakistan’s highest civil award Nishan-e-Pakistan on the spiritual leader of the Dawoodi Bohra community Dr Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, in recognition of his services to Pakistan in the field of spiritual guidance and social services.

The special investiture ceremony took place at the Aiwan-e-Sadr in Islamabad on Tuesday, which was attended by caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani, Senate Deputy Chairman Saleem Mandviwalla, and Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori.

Last month, the president approved the conferment of the civil award under Article 259 (2) of the Constitution, which pertains to awarding civil awards, and the Decorations Act 1975.

Dr Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin is the 53rd al-Dai al-Mutlaq and head of the Dawoodi Bohra community, according to the citation that was read in the President’s House. His followers are spread across all continents. A large number of his followers are Pakistani citizens.

It mentioned the Bohra community leader’s contribution to establishing the building of the School of Law at the University of Karachi. He has also launched a project to establish a state-of-the-art university in Pakistan.

Dr Mufaddal has repeatedly emphasized the importance of conserving and protecting the environment. In the past few years alone, over 100,000 trees have been planted by his followers in different parts of Pakistan.

He also launched a global initiative named ‘Project Rise’ encompassing a range of areas, including healthcare, nutrition, sanitation and hygiene, environmental responsibility and conservation, and education.

He urged his followers to contribute actively to Pakistan’s socioeconomic progress and explore business opportunities in the country besides developing an extensive network of schemes offering interest-free loans.