Mahira Khan comes under fire for not casting her vote

The Hum Awards scheduled to take place in Toronto Saturday have clashed with the general elections taking place on Wednesday in Pakistan. As a result of this, several Pakistani celebrities which include the likes of Mahira Khan, Sajal Aly, Ahad Raza Mir, Mikaal Zulfiqar, Hareem Farooq, Atif Aslam and Yasir Hussain are not present in the country to cast their votes as they flew to Canada earlier in the week for the rehearsals.

This did not go down well with their fans and audiences and many are calling out these stars for not fulfilling their national duties. Amidst all the controversy, Mahira Khan took to social media to express her regret for not being in the country on this momentous occasion.

“As much as I want to be there tomorrow, it is unfortunate that I can not be. There was absolutely no way to delay my work commitment which was scheduled months in advance, I tried my best. And so with a heavy heart, I will not be voting this year. I urge all of you to get out and vote!! May this year bring the change we all have been waiting to see. InshAllah. Pakistan Zindabad!,” read her note which she shared alongside a picture of the Pakistani flag.

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However, the actor received a lot of flak for her post which eventually led her to turn off the comments sections. This did not stop her enraged followers from expressing their anger and disappointment, who then began to post their thoughts on her previous pictures.

Hania Amir shared a post similar to Mahira and expressed her sadness for not being in the country on this occasion.

“Words alone cannot begin to describe how I feel on missing the elections this year due to prior commitments. I wish I could have been there to be part of the change myself and play my role in the democratic process as a Pakistani. I urge each and every one of you to go out there and make your voice heard through your vote. I wish the eve of today marks the beginning of a new chapter in Pakistan. InshAllah,” her post read.

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Hania also received the same backlash as Mahira as people labelled them “hypocrites.”

On the other hand, actors like Vasay Chaudry and Bilal Khan flew into Pakistan for the elections and to cast their votes, despite their work commitments. Bilal will also be attending the Hum Awards in Toronto but flew back to Pakistan for the elections.

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Model-actor Saheefa Jabbar Khattak, who is also currently in Canada, took to social media to defend the celebrities saying that the Hum Awards were announced before the date of the elections was announced.

In a 13-point note, the model elaborated that the awards were scheduled in April, before the election dates were announced. She asked the people to appreciate the fact that the country was going global instead of hating on the actors. Khattak encouraged everyone to go out and vote and concluded her note saying, “Don’t forget the eggs in your breakfast!”

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Acto Yasir Hussain also defended the celebs currently in Toronto. Talking on the same lines as Saheefa, Hussain pointed out that he and his colleagues had already entered into a contract with Hum Awards before the date for the election was finalised. He also spoke about the integrity of work and clarified that they were not “chilling in Canada” as the public perceived them to.

“I have voted twice before and it hasn’t made a difference. Am I not allowed to miss this year’s vote like any other ordinary citizen? Why are young people cursing veteran actors? Are you only taught to vote in your household, what about respect for your elders? If our mistake is a crime, the police can arrest us and file a case. Even we want better law and order in Naya Pakistan, let’s start there,” he wrote.

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Meanwhile, some Pakistanis have launched an online petition calling the audiences to boycott Hum TV and the celebrities who failed to vote. The petition requests “PEMRA to take notice of the careless attitude of HUM TV with regards to the General Elections. We would also like all Pakistanis around the world to boycott the HUM Awards and Hum TV channel as well as the celebrities who left without voting. We will unfollow all social media accounts of the celebrities in question and also those of HUM TV.”

The petition also called for a public apology from those who failed to vote and applauded those celebrities who came back especially for the elections.