Hollywood star and humanitarian Angelina Jolie has said the flood disaster in Pakistan should be a “wake-up call” for the world regarding climate change, calling for more international aid after meeting with victims. While the fans were overjoyed by Jolie's presence in Pakistan, they felt betrayed as a number of Pakistani artists were off to Canada for the Hum Award show.
Jolie's visit to Pakistan raised some concerning questions when it came to the stance of our local celebrities. While the Wanted star has been visiting flood-hit areas, the likes of Sharmila Faruqi and former actor Noor among fans are calling out Pakistani artists for making a trip to Canada to attend a local award show.
The organisers have once again taken to social media and issued a statement. "As announced earlier, HUM Network is using the platform of HUM Awards Canada to raise funds for the flood affectees," the statement read. "Apart from donating a significant portion of revenue from the sale of tickets, we are organising a fundraising gala on September 22, 2022, in collaboration with the artists who have travelled for the awards."
The statement shared that all proceeds from the gala night including the sale of tickets and the auction of designers’ outfits and signed cricket bats and balls from former and current Pakistani cricket players will go to the flood relief and rehabilitation efforts.
Apart from the official statement, several actors who are in Canada for the show also addressed the issue.
Ahmed Ali Butt and Ushna Shah took to social media and commented on the 'needless' criticism. Butt took to Instagram and shared, "Since everyone is in awe of Angi (Angelina) visiting and how dare us Pakistani celebrities flew to Toronto to party? By party, you mean doing fundraising dinner for flood relief, which is sold out and a percentage of which will go to the flood victims again. Wow. Still, Angelina is better than us?" He went on to jibe at the politician and added how her party's work is clearly visible in Karachi.
Shah, too, shared a comment. "It's quite disconcerting to read the criticism for those of us who have come to Toronto to attend the award show. It is imperative that those affected by the floods know that they are not forgotten and we are working on the channels to raise funds through our industry," the Habs actor wrote in a descriptive note.
— Ushna Shah (@ushnashah) September 22, 2022
She added, "I can speak for myself and I am sure many other artists when I say that we have contributed to the relief funds (privately) and continue to do so. We are also partaking in auctions and fundraisers here for the victims, tickets for which have been sold out. We are trying to do our best we can with the platforms we have. I look forward to returning to Pakistan and to continue my part, as the rehabilitation of our fellow citizens after their horrific disaster is our collective responsibility."
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