PEKAN: Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin and Foreign Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah led the list of 128 recipients of awards, medals and honours in conjunction with the 62nd Birthday of Sultan of Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah.

       The Regent of Pahang Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah Al-Sultan Abdullah presented the awards and medals at the investiture ceremony held at Istana Abu Bakar here yesterday.

       Hamzah and Saifuddin were among the 15 recipients of the Sri Sultan Ahmad Shah Pahang (SSAP) award which carries the title “Datuk Seri”.

       The other recipients were Deru Semangat Sdn Bhd board member Datuk Raja Shaharudin Shah Raja Jalil Shah, Health Ministry secretary-general Datuk Mohd Shafiq Abdullah and Home Ministry secretary-general Datuk Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz.

       Also awarded the SSAP were Immigration director-general (DG) Datuk Khairul Dzaimee Daud, Deputy Chief of Air Force Lt General Datuk Mohd Asghar Khan Goriman Khan, Bukit Aman Special Branch director Datuk Zamri Yahya and former Works Ministry secretary-general Datuk Dr Syed Omar Sharifuddin Syed Ikhsan.

       Others were former Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department director Datuk Huzir Mohamed, former Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department director Datuk Zainuddin Yaacob, former Bukit Aman Internal Security and Public Order Department director Datuk Zainal Abidin Kasim, Gabungan AQRS Bhd group chief executive officer Datuk Azizan Jaafar, Maybank group president and chief executive officer (CEO) Datuk Abdul Farid Alias and former Customs DG Datuk Paddy Abd Halim.

       Meanwhile, nine individuals including Deputy Finance Minister Mohd Shahar Abdullah were conferred the Darjah Sri Indera Mahkota Pahang (SIMP) which carries the title “Datuk”.

       A total of 23 individuals received the Darjah Sultan Ahmad Shah Pahang (DSAP) which also carries the title “Datuk”.

       Among them were Pahang state legal adviser Saiful Edris Zainuddin, One Builtwell managing director Wan Putera Shahril Wan Shalihudin, Pahang Islamic Religious Department director Datuk Dr Zulkifle Ali, and Pahang Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council CEO Datuk Ahmad Hairi Hussain.

       Other recipients were senior private secretary to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Colonel Datuk Nazim Mohd Alim, Malaysian Handicraft Development Corporation DG Ibrahim Ismail, National Housing Department DG N. Jayaselan, Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research DG Dr Khairil Anwar Abu Kassim and Universiti Islam Pahang Sultan Ahmad Shah vice-chancellor Assoc Prof Dr Mohd Zawawi Zainal Abidin.

       Another 57 individuals were conferred the Darjah Indera Mahkota Pahang (DIMP) which carries the title “Datuk”.

       These included Yang di-Pertuan Agong Naval aide-de-camp First Admiral Datuk Sharum Shaim, Yang di-Pertuan Agong Army aide-de-camp Brig Gen Sharizan Wan Chik, Yang di-Pertuan Agong Police aide-de-camp SAC Azry Akmar Ayob, Cameron Highlands MP Ramli Mohd Nor, Pahang Public Works Department director Hafizah Zakaria, and Kabtiah Zakariah who was Tengku Hassanal’s former teacher at Sekolah Rendah St Thomas in Kuantan.

       The Darjah Setia Ahmad Shah Pahang was awarded to five recipients, Darjah Setia Mahkota Pahang (four) Darjah Ahli Ahmad Shah Pahang (three), Darjah Ahli Mahkota Pahang (seven), Pingat Kelakuan Terpuji (four) and Pingat Jasa Kebaktian (one). — Bernama