Government awards stand for respect and eminence for its recipients. But like a lot of other things in the country, these awards have come under a lot of scrutiny from the public. Actresses Mehwish Hayat and Sajal Aly have both been recepients of Tamgha-e-Imtiaz, and many in the public were not happy with this decision as they felt that there were more deserving candidates.

Nabeel Zafar, a veteran actor, had an interesting comment about awards these days. Famous for his comic role in sitcom Bulbulay that has been running for over 15 years, the actor appeared on a podcast where he was asked about his views on the subject. “If you have to justify your awards after receiving it, it is better that you don’t get it on the first place,” said the actor and continued, “It is wrong when a genuine and rightful recipient doesn’t get an award, that is when you create injustice in the community.” Nabeel further shared that he was once made a part of a jury team for an award show, when he questioned the decisions made on the panel, he was not invited the following year.