Muhammad Ali Jinnah

Pakistan's president conferred Pakistan's top civil awards upon two Turkish dignitaries at a special ceremony in Istanbul on Aug. 15.

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Arif Alvi conferred Sitara-e-Imtiaz upon Selami Kılıç and Sitara-i-Quaid-i-Azam upon Prof. Celal Soydan in recognition of their outstanding services to Pakistan.

Turkey on May 22 offered condolences to Pakistan over a deadly plane crash in the early hours of the day.

"We receive the news with deep sorrow that a Pakistan International Airlines plane crashed into a residential area close to Jinnah Airport in Karachi resulting in the loss of many lives," Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

AFP photographer Asif Hassan was shot Jan. 16 while covering an anti-Charlie Hebdo protest by religious party activists outside the French Consulate in Karachi, but appeared to be out of danger following surgery.