On the elections day, while Pakistanis were glued to the television screens and on the social media to get the updates regarding the results, many noticed on how the prominent celebrities and figures of the entertainment industry fled the country for the 6th HUM Awards. The 6th HUM Awards are scheduled for the 28th of July, 3 days after the general elections. The venue of the award ceremony is Toronto, Canada.
Numerous celebrities, such as Mahira Khan, Yasir Hussain, Hania Amir, Atif Aslam, Ahad Raza Mir and Humayun Saeed left the country on the day of elections. These are the same celebrities who previously endorsed their political favorites and urged the locals to vote for them. This showcased their hypocrisy and Pakistanis were SUPER unhappy!
See Some of the Responses from the Locals
Before all these celebs HUM TV should apologize for scheduling their third class Indian copied awards at this crucial time. Ab 14th August/23rd March ko 3-4 telefilms chala dain gay aur patriotism k daaway karein gay.
— Areebah۰ (@areebah21) July 25, 2018
Yasir Hussain, Saheefa Jabbar even Hum Tv itself posted the lamest EXCUSE ever to defend flying out on Election day. That too after being bashed by Imran Abbas & Farhan Saeed they realise oh!! We made a boo boo. #BoycottHumAwards will only gain momentum now.
— Hina Safdar (@hinasafi) July 26, 2018
Absolutely criminal of Hum TV to take 200-300 educated people to Toronto and not allow them to vote.
— Azam Jamil (@AzamJamil53) July 25, 2018
Whist the backlash HUM TV and the celebs received, few celebrities came forward with their ‘explanations’ but no one fell for it. There were numerous celebrities, such as Hamza Ali Abbasi, Farhan Saeed and the Hocane sisters who flew to Canada after casting their votes. The other celebrities chose not to and blamed it on their job requirements.
Anyway, that aside, the channel now comes forward and issues their statement.
In A System Shared on Facebook, Here’s What HUM TV Has to Say to the Public:
Hum Network has always been very proud of being Pakistan’s most credible entertainment broadcast network.
Ever since its launch Hum Network has been a beacon of Pakistani dramas and format shows in all parts of the world (wherever there is Pakistani diaspora).
Over the years HUM NETWORK has become a global Pakistani brand portraying a POSITIVE & SOFT image of our country.
The date for 6th HUMAWARDS was decided months in advance to the announcement of election date. An event of this magnitude requires a lot of planning and preparation. Also, since a lot of resources have to be committed for the event and contractual commitments with international sponsors are made in advance it is not possible to change the date.
It is worth mentioning here that most of the Artists participating in the Awards have cast their votes today and then left for the Awards. However some had to leave earlier as they were required for rehearsals. It was a matter of prior commitment for them also.
As always we are confident that this event will go a long way in portraying a soft image of Pakistan globally and make all of us proud of being Pakistani.
Furthermore, Pakistan and Hum Tv are committed to this event for our global community and had contracts with various parties and people in Canada much before the election date was decided. We will not break our promise and contracts as we represent Pakistan. That can reflect bad on our country and people as we are struggling to show the world a different and positive face of Pakistan. We fulfill our contracts and promises and take our flag high across the globe
Last but not the least HUM NETWORK will proudly continue to work towards building the Pakistani brand on the global stage. #SupportHUMAwards#SupportPakistanGlobalImage #ISupportHUMAwards
What’s done is done. People continue remaining furious at the celebrities and the channel for making this decision.
What’s your take on this?
