On March 23, Pakistan Day, President Dr Arif Alvi bestowed civil awards on 135 citizens and foreign nationals in recognition of their excellence and gallantry in their respective fields. Amongst numerous celebrities, late actor Qavi Khan was also conferred with a posthumous Nishan-i-Imtiaz for his work on television and films.
Upon seeing the honour’s pictures, actor Yasir Hussain took to his social media on Friday to express his dismay at the “well-deserved” but “late” recognition of the Quaid-e-Azam Zindabad star.
“I’m always late, whether it’s to say something important or to fulfil a promise, I’m always late,” wrote the Aik Thi Laila director in an Instagram Story. “Nonetheless, even if it [the award] came late, it was well-deserved. Every talented artist above the age of 50 should receive Tamgha-i-Imtiaz [civil accolades] within their lifespan, not after. What will anyone gain from keeping these honours?”
This is not the first time the entertainment fraternity has questioned the lack of or late acknowledgement of actors who spend a lifetime serving the show business. Last week, Ushna Shah tweeted about Khan not receiving a single lifetime achievement award from the TV industry before his passing.
“I have a question for the Pakistani drama industry: How many lifetime achievement awards did Qavi receive before he passed? I have a question for the audience: How many did he deserve?” asked the starlet.
I have a question for the Pakistani drama industry: How many lifetime achievement awards did Qavi sb receive before he passed?
I have a question for the audience:
How many did he deserve?
RIP Sir, we are sorry.— Ushna Shah (@ushnashah) March 10, 2023
Shah also recalled being heartbroken to find out that he was, in fact, expecting to be awarded by those he worked with, and hoped for her peers to do better.
“Sigh! I can’t believe I have to break this down, actually,” wrote the Habs actor later in an Instagram Story clarifying that she had tweeted about the awards presented by private TV channels, not the civil awards that are presented by the government of Pakistan annually. “The drama industry is privatised, as are the awards,” she noted.
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