Celebs laud Humayun Saeed, Ali Zafar for being conferred with civil awards

On the occasion of the Independence Day, the President of Pakistan Dr Arif Alvi announced civil awards for 184 Pakistanis and foreigners in recognition of their services to the country and for showing excellence and courage in their respective fields.

The awards will be handed out by the President in a ceremony scheduled for Pakistan Day, March 23, 2021.

According to the list of names announced, Bushra Ansari and Talat Hussain will be receiving the Sitara-i-Imtiaz whereas the Pride of Performance accolade will be given to Humayun Saeed, Sakina Samo and Ali Zafar. Not to mention, singer Abida Parveen, painter Sadequain Naqvi and poet Ahmed Faraz have been conferred with a Nishan-i-Imtiaz.

Following this, several celebrities took to social media to congratulate the ones shortlisted for the honours, whereby, many sung praises for the Meray Paas Tum Ho actor and the Chal Dil Merey singer.

Saeed took to Twitter on August 14 to officially announce the award conferred upon him. He wrote, "Thank you Allah for Your infinite blessings, for all the success you have given me and for all the achievements You have bestowed upon me. It is a great honour to receive the Pride of Performance from the Government of Pakistan. Thank you all for all your love, support and appreciation."

In response to his tweet, Tamgha-e-Imtiaz recipient Mehwish Hayat wrote, "Bohot Bohot Mubarak ho aapko (Many many congratulations to you) Humayun! Welcome to the club!" Whereas television actor Aijaz Aslam claimed that the honour was "well deserved." Singer Shafqat Amanat Ali and 2008 Pride of Performance recipient also wrote, "Heartiest congratulations brother. Welcome to the club."

Whereas writer Vasay Chaudhry, in a seperate tweet, congratulated his friend and actor. "Atlast, a Pride of performance for Humayun Saeed.The man who gave three blockbusters of Pakistani cinema. Made and peroformed in one of the biggest TV serial of Pakistan's history and has had a career of more than 24 years as an actor and producer," he wrote.

Zafar, on the other hand, made a video to thank his fans and the Government of Pakistan for bestowing him with the honour.

Following this, Hayat also congratulated the Channo singer saying, "Heartfelt Congratulations to you Ali - Onwards and upwards!"

Yesterday, actor Shaan Shahid also took to Twitter to congratulate legendary singer Abida Parveen for her well-deserved recognition. He wrote, "Her voice is the vocal identity of Pakistan. Her voice as pure as the Land of the pure it shows the path of the sufi," the Waar star shared. "Shukriya Pakistan for honouring her with Nishaan-i-Imtiaz."

Last year, Hayat, Babra Sharif, Reema Khan, Iftikhar Thakur, Shabbir Jan, singers Attaullah Essakhelvi, Sajjad Ali and Sardar Ali Takkar received the Pakistan Civil Awards on account of their contributions to the entertainment industry and the country.

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