Mohsin Nawaz’s Tamgha-e-Imtiaz elevates shooting sports

The Mohsin Nawaz Tamgha-e-Imtiaz recognition is being seen as far more than an individual achievement. For Pakistan’s shooting community, it represents a rare moment of national acknowledgement for a sport that has long existed outside the country’s mainstream sporting landscape.

On May 13, Mohsin Nawaz became the first shooting sports athlete in Pakistan’s history to receive the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz, one of the country’s highest civilian honours, during the Presidential Awards ceremony in Islamabad. The award was conferred by President Asif Ali Zardari and marked a historic moment not only for Nawaz, but for shooting sports in Pakistan as a whole.

For years, Pakistan’s sporting ecosystem has revolved largely around cricket, leaving smaller disciplines struggling for visibility, infrastructure, and institutional support. Shooting sports, despite producing internationally competitive athletes, have rarely remained part of the national conversation.

Nawaz’s recognition has now shifted that narrative. “Receiving the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz as Pakistan’s first shooter is not just my victory, but a victory for the entire country,” Nawaz said after receiving the honour.

Born in Faisalabad in 1986, Nawaz began his competitive shooting journey in 2004 at the Pakistan Ordnance Factory shooting club in Wah. Unlike athletes in mainstream sports, his rise in F-Class long-range shooting came with limited institutional backing and minimal public recognition. Much of his international campaign was supported through self-funding, private sponsorships, and overseas coaching opportunities.

Despite those challenges, he quietly built one of the strongest international resumes in Pakistan’s shooting history.

Today, Nawaz holds 10 international individual medals in F-Class long-range shooting — the highest tally achieved by any Pakistani athlete in the discipline. His achievements include medals at the European Long Range Shooting Championship, the South Africa Long Range Open Championship, and the Western Bisley Long Range Championship.

In 2023, he also equaled a European record during the European Long Range Shooting Championship and became the first Pakistani shooter to secure lifetime membership with both the NRA UK and NRA USA.

Yet beyond medals and rankings, many within the shooting community view the Mohsin Nawaz Tamgha-e-Imtiaz moment as validation for a sport that has long operated quietly in the background.

Nawaz believes the recognition could inspire and create opportunities for younger athletes who previously saw little pathway forward in shooting sports. “I hope this moment opens doors for every young athlete in this country who is competing without recognition,” he said.

His recognition also reflects the gradual emergence of a more organised ecosystem around long-range shooting in Pakistan. Nawaz credited the Pakistan Long Range Rifle Association (PLRA) and its Patron-in-Chief, Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir, for helping establish a formal platform that allowed Pakistani shooters to gain international representation.

Before the establishment of the PLRA and its affiliation with the International Confederation of Full-bore Rifle Associations (ICFRA), Pakistani shooters lacked official international federation recognition and structured representation abroad.

“I specially thank the Patron-in-Chief of the PLRA, Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir. He created this entire platform and managed everything,” Nawaz said. “Through his leadership, Pakistan was able to gain recognition with world federations.”

The award has also reignited discussion around the challenges facing shooting sports in Pakistan. Nawaz has consistently advocated for reforms, including reduced import duties on specialised sporting equipment and the development of accessible shooting ranges in major cities.

According to him, talent in the country remains abundant, but opportunities continue to remain limited. “We have incredible talent in Pakistan, but without proper support, many young shooters may never reach their potential,” Nawaz said.

Alongside his competitive career, Nawaz also became a certified sports psychologist, sports nutritionist, and emotional wellness coach. He currently serves as a global brand ambassador for KAHLES Sports Optics of Austria and Peregrine Bullets of South Africa.

More recently, he joined Hawksmith Gun & Shooting Club DHA Karachi as a brand ambassador in an effort to support the development of professional shooting infrastructure and tactical sports facilities in Pakistan.

While recipients of the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz often emerge from politics, arts, literature, or mainstream sports, Nawaz’s recognition has brought attention to a discipline many Pakistanis rarely encounter.

For athletes competing in overlooked sports, the moment carries symbolic significance far beyond one ceremony or one individual. It signals that international achievement, even in lesser-followed disciplines, can still earn national recognition.

And for Pakistan’s shooting community, that recognition may ultimately prove as meaningful as the medals themselves.