The government of Pakistan, on Sunday, issued a list of 127 people who will be receiving civil awards, on Pakistan day. These awards will be presented by the current President Dr. Arif Alvi for their excellence, in various fields in a ceremony, on March 23. The list includes a number of prominent names from the industry such as Reema Khan, Nasir Adeeb, Babra Sharif, Shabbir Jan, Iftikhar Thakur, Sajjad Ali, Attaullah Esakhelvi and none other than, Mehwish Hayat.
We did a detailed article on the list, that can be accessed here.
As soon as the list came out, keyboard warriors on social media came out with their uncalled for daggers and began criticizing Mehwish Hayat’s nomination for the acclaimed Tamgha-e-Imtiaz. A lot of things were said, that were, let’s just say, not very nice and it doesn’t make sense to reproduce them here.
Amidst all of this, what Pakistanis have forgotten is that Mehwish Hayat has given some of the most successful box office films, in the past few years. She has worked hard to get where she is today.
However, before we delve deeper into Mehwish’s accomplishments, let’s see what exactly does Tamgha-e-Imtiaz entail.
What is Tamgha-e-Imtiaz?
Tamgha-e-Imtiaz or the Medal of Excellence, is the fourth-highest decoration given to any civilian in Pakistan, based on their achievements. While it is primarily a civilian award, it can also be given to military personnel and foreigners. In the past, the award has been given to a number of prominent names from the industry such as Atif Aslam, Saba Qamar, Hadiqa Kiani etc.
On why Mehwish deserves the award
First and foremost, it is imperative to recognize that Mehwish is a versatile artist; she is an actress, a model and a singer. She has acted in some of the most successful films to have come out of Lollywood in the past few of years, including Punjab Nahi Jaungi and Actor in Law that generated 55+ and 30 crores, respectively.
Some of her other laudable films include Jawani Phir Nahi Ani 1 and the more recent, Load Wedding. Although, Load Wedding didn’t do that well on the box office, the film, nonetheless, was a treat to watch; from its direction to its music and acting.
In addition to her contributions to the silver screen, Mehwish has also worked in a number of drama series such as Ru Baru, Unsungi, Dil Lagi and Mirat-ul-Uroos.
Keeping everything in view, it is unfair not only to Mehwish but to the entire industry to not acknowledge her contributions. Here’s hoping that our fellow countrymen learn to be happy for our artists and their accomplishments. You go, Mehwish!
