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Lux Style Awards ensures power-packed star night

Singer Momina Mustehsen was the first performer of the evening with a high energy performance.
Updated 08 July 2019
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Lux Style Awards ensures power-packed star night

  • Celebrates best of the best from the entertainment and fashion industries
  • Performances and controversies ensured audiences stated entertained both online and offline
Updated 08 July 2019
Sabah Bano Malik

Karachi There was controversy, glamor, and a whole lot of style, but it was comedian and actor Yasir Hussain who ensured that his proposal to actor Iqra Aziz stole the show at this year’s Lux Style Awards (LSA).
Known as one of the most prominent award events – celebrating achievement in Pakistan’s entertainment and fashion industries – this year’s LSA edition was packed with hits and misses.
Sparkling backdrops lined the red carpet at Karachi’s Expo Center – which was transformed into a breathtaking set by show director Freiha Altaf – where the creme de la creme from the fashion, film and television industries rubbed shoulders with each other, with Instagram serving the content up in real time.




The 18th Lux Style Awards at Karachi's Expo Center opened with a breathtaking instrumental rendition of Pakistan's national anthem played on a matka (clay pot), violin, rhubab and sattar by the band Grehan 

The show itself, which began two and a half hours late, ran smoothly, with hosts Shehryar Munawar, Maya Ali, and Mehwish Hayat keeping the momentum going.
Hayat didn’t miss the opportunity to deliver a crisp comeback to online trolls – who had questioned the actor’s credibility after she was bestowed with the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz award – by saying that one could be both a “Billi,” (in reference to an item number dance song she performs) and a star at the same time.
The show, which included singing and dancing performances from Momina Mustehsen, Atif Aslam, Maya Ali, and Meera, was laced with several thank you speeches, too.




Maya Ali performed a dance number during the show from her film "Teefa in Trouble," whose director Ahsan Rahim won for "Best Director"

This year’s awards were shrouded in controversy following a sizeable boycott which began with model Eman Suleman – who was nominated for “Best Emerging Talent” – rejecting the nomination due to singer and actor Ali Zafar also being nominated at the awards. 

Zafar had been accused by fellow actor and singer (and nominee) Meesha Shafi and other women of sexual harassment. Last year’s LSAs strongly aligned itself with the #MeToo movement leaving many disenfranchised by his nomination in lieu of the accusations.Following in the footsteps of Suleman, a number of fashion fraternity members, including veteran designer Maheen Khan, director Jami, and other nominees publicly stated that they would not support the LSAs and would not accept their nominations either.At the awards, the categories which usually boast at least five nominees were whittled down but an acknowledgment of the boycott never took place.
Reacting to the withdrawals, the LSA released a statement which was widely criticized.
In a cringe-worthy, “girl power” moment, Hayat was joined on stage by fellow thespian Zara Abbas Noor for a performance which did not execute well but was as close to toeing the line of women empowerment as possible.





Mehwish Hayat and Zara Abbas Noor introducing the fashion segment at the 18th Lux Style Awards

There were some stand out moments, too, such as Ahmed Ali Butt and Uzma Khan announcing the winner for “Best TV Actor” Viewers Choice, wherein Khan accidentally read out Feroze’s name and not the category she was announcing which lead to a warm laugh and roaring applause from the room.
The House of Kamiar Rokni’s Kamiar Rokni won the award for “Achievement in Fashion Design (Bridal Couture),” and gave a resounding speech, while the award for “Best TV Writer” went to Bee Gul for “Dar Si Jati Hai Sila,” whose speech included the importance of telling hard and uncomfortable stories on TV screens. Newcomer model Mushk Kaleem won the award for “Best Emerging Talent in Fashion,” and Chapter 2 took home the title for “Achievement in Fashion Design-Pret.”




The awards had a series of recognizable faces hosting including Fahad Mustafa, who entered the stage on a rickshaw. Mustafa took home the award for "Best Actor Male" for his role in "Load Wedding" 

But the top highlight of the evening was actor Hussain proposing to the love of his life, actor Iqra Aziz. Aziz had a fantastic night bagging both the Viewers Choice and Critics Choice awards for “Best TV Actor Female.”
A complete list of last nights winners:

FASHION


Model of the year (Female)

Winner: Sadaf Kanwal


Model of the year (Male)

Winner: Shahzad Noor


Achievement in Fashion Design (Bridal Couture)

Winner: Kamiar Rokni


Achievement in Fashion Design (Menswear)

Winner: Republic by Omer Farooq


Achievement in Fashion Design (Pret)

Winner: Chapter 2


Achievement in Fashion Design (Luxury Pret)

Winner: Sana Safinaz


Best Fashion Photographer

Winner: Rizwan ul Haq


Best Hair and Make-up Artist

Winner: Qasim Liaqat


Best Emerging Talent in Fashion (0-3 Yrs.)

Winner: Mushk Kaleem — Model


Lifetime Achievement Award

Winner: Nabila’s


FILM


Best Film

Winner: Cake


Best Director

Winner: Ahsan Rahim for Teefa in Trouble


Best Actor (Viewer’s Choice)

Winner: Ali Zafar for Teefa in Trouble


Best Actor (Critics Choice)

Winner: Fahad Mustafa for Load Wedding


Best Actress (Viewers Choice)

Winner: Mehwish Hayat for Load Wedding


Best Actress (Viewers Choice)

Winner: Sohai Ali Abro for Motorcycle Girl


Best Playback Singer

Winner: Atif Aslam for Thaam Lo in Parwaz Hai Junoon


MUSIC


Best Song

Winner: Ya Qurban by Khumariyan


Singer of the Year

Winner: Mohsin Abbas and Sohail Haider for Na Jaa


Best Emerging Talent

Winner: Saakin for Saqi-e-Bewafa


TELEVISION


Best TV Play

Winner: Suno Chanda on Hum TV Network


Best TV Play Director

Winner: Kashif Nisar for Dar Si Jati Hai Sila


Best TV Writer

Winner: Bee Gul for Dar Si Jati Hai Sila


Best TV Actor (Viewers Choice)

Winner: Feroze Khan for Khaani


Best TV Actor (Critics Choice)

Winner: Nauman Ejaz for Dar Si Jati Hai Sila


Best TV Actress (Viewers Choice)

Winner: Iqra Aziz for Suno Chanda


Best TV Actress (Critics Choice)

Winner: Iqra Aziz for Suno Chanda


Best Original Sound Track

Winner: Khaani by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan


Best Emerging Talent

Winner: Rida Bilal for Khudgarz — Writer

Topics: Pakistan lux style awards Ali Zafar Mahira Khan fashion style

Four killed in car, gas tanker collision in Pakistan’s northwest

Updated 9 sec ago
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Four killed in car, gas tanker collision in Pakistan’s northwest

  • Road accidents are common in Pakistan, where highways and roads are poorly maintained and traffic laws are widely ignored
  • Last month, a speeding truck carrying laborers, women and children fell into a ravine in Sindh, killing at least 13 people
Updated 9 sec ago
REHMAT MEHSUD

ISLAMABAD: At least four people were killed on Monday when a car collided with a gas tanker in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, the provincial rescue service said.
The collision took place in Daraban area of KP’s Dera Ismail Khan district and the deceased included a nine-year-old child, according to a Rescue 1122 spokesperson.
The cause of the accident could not be immediately known.
“Bodies of all those killed were shifted to hospital,” the spokesperson said. “All deceased person hailed from Darazanda tehsil.”
Road accidents are common in Pakistan, where highways and roads are poorly maintained and traffic laws are widely ignored.
Last month, a speeding truck carrying laborers, women and children fell into a ravine in the southern Sindh province, killing at least 13 people and injuring 20 others, police said.
In Dec., at least 18 passengers were killed in two separate road crashes in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab and southern Sindh provinces, authorities said.

Topics: traffic accidents

Pakistani textile industrialists expect Trump to cut export tariffs after India ceasefire

Updated 12 May 2025
ISMAIL DILAWAR 
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Pakistani textile industrialists expect Trump to cut export tariffs after India ceasefire

  • President Donald Trump said he will “substantially” increase trade with Pakistan and India after the US brokered a ceasefire between both nations
  • Pakistan industrialists say they support Washington’s efforts and remain committed to promoting peace through Pakistan-US trade-led engagement
Updated 12 May 2025
ISMAIL DILAWAR 

KARACHI: Pakistani textile mill owners on Monday expressed their hopes that United States (US) President Donald Trump will reduce tariffs on Pakistan’s exports, in line with his announcement to “substantially” increase trade with Pakistan and India following a ceasefire between the two nations.
Trump’s announcement came a day after Washington brokered the ceasefire after four days of fighter jet, missile, drone and artillery strikes by India and Pakistan against the other, leaving nearly 70 people dead on both sides.
The US president has imposed a 10 percent baseline tariff on all imports to the US and higher duties on dozens of countries. Pakistan faces a 29 percent tariff due to a trade surplus with the US of about $3 billion, though the US last month announced a 90-day pause in reciprocal tariffs.
The All-Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) said Trump’s message was an “encouraging signal” for the future of US-Pakistan economic engagement, especially in the textile sector that serves as the backbone of Pakistan’s export economy.
“His statement is a timely recognition of the crucial role trade can play in this regard. The US remains Pakistan’s largest export destination, with textiles accounting for nearly 80 percent of total exports to the American market. Additionally, Pakistan is the second-largest importer of US cotton and has taken proactive steps to increase cotton imports in response to concerns over the trade imbalance,” APTMA said.
“In line with these increased imports, we expect the US to reduce existing and proposed tariffs on Pakistan’s exports, thereby enhancing market access and unlocking greater trade opportunities.”
Trump said on Sunday he would try to work with both India and Pakistan to see if they can resolve their dispute over Kashmir, which had been divided between India and Pakistan but claimed in full by both.
The two countries have fought two of their three wars over the region, while last week’s military conflict between them was also triggered by a militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 tourists on April 22.
“While not even discussed, I am going to increase trade, substantially, with both of these great Nations,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social, referring to India and Pakistan.
“Additionally, I will work with you both to see if, after a ‘thousand years,’ a solution can be arrived at concerning Kashmir,” he added.
APTMA said it supports international efforts, particularly those led by the US, aimed at fostering lasting peace in South Asia, including the resolution of long-standing disputes through dialogue and mutual understanding.
“We recognize that economic cooperation and regional stability are deeply interconnected and remain committed to promoting peace through trade-led engagement,” it said.
“Building on this momentum, we look forward to strengthening a resilient and mutually beneficial US-Pakistan trade partnership, grounded in respect, national sovereignty, and shared economic goals.”

Topics: Pakistan Textiles Pakistan’s textile exports

Indian army says talks with Pakistan’s military operations chief delayed

Updated 12 May 2025
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Indian army says talks with Pakistan’s military operations chief delayed

  • There were no reports of explosions or projectiles overnight, with Indian army saying Sunday was first peaceful night in recent days
  • Before ceasefire on Saturday, Pakistan and India had fought with missiles and drones during four days of intense confrontation last week 
Updated 12 May 2025
Hasaan Ali Khan

ISLAMABAD: India and Pakistan have delayed until Monday evening talks between their military operations chiefs to discuss the next steps after a ceasefire, the Indian army said, as New Delhi reopened airports and shares rose in the nuclear-armed rivals.

A fragile 48-hour-old truce appeared to be holding on Monday after both sides blamed the other for initial violations on Saturday night, hours after the US-brokered deal was first announced. There were no reports of explosions or projectiles overnight, after some initial ceasefire violations, with the Indian Army saying Sunday was the first peaceful night in recent days along their de facto Line of Control border.

Saturday’s ceasefire followed four days of intense fighting with drones and missiles and gun fire exchanges across the Line of Control that divides the disputed Kashmir valley into parts administered by India and Pakistan. Dozens were reported killed. 

The Indian army said on Monday both sides’ director generals of military operations would speak by telephone in the evening, a delay from an initial timing of noon (0630 GMT), but gave no reason.

“In spite of some minor damage, all our military bases and systems continue to remain fully operational,” India’s director general of air operations, Air Marshal A.K. Bharti, told a media briefing.

A day earlier, Lt. Gen. Rajiv Ghai, the director general of military operations, said India’s armed forces struck nine militant infrastructure and training facilities, including sites of the Lashkar-e-Taiba group that India blames for carrying out major militant strikes in India and the disputed region of Kashmir.

At a televised news conference on Sunday, Pakistan military spokesman Lt. Gen. Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry said Pakistan’s armed forces targeted a total of 26 Indian military installations in response to India’s missile strikes which were launched before dawn Wednesday.

He said the military had vowed it would respond to the Indian aggression, and it has fulfilled its commitment to the nation. Sharif warned that any threat to Pakistan’s sovereignty or territorial integrity would be met with a “comprehensive, retributive, and decisive” response.

He said Pakistan exercised “maximum restraint” during the counterstrike, employing medium-range missiles and other munitions, and that no civilian areas were targeted inside India.

MARKETS INCH UP

Pakistan halted trading on Monday for an hour after its benchmark share index rose nearly 9 percent, having recovered most of its losses in the past three sessions after India’s first strikes last Wednesday. 

Late on Friday, the International Monetary Fund approved a fresh $1.4-billion loan to Pakistan under its climate resilience fund and approved the first review of its $7 billion program.

Pakistan’s benchmark share index closed up 9.4 percent on Monday, while India’s blue-chip Nifty 50 index closed 3.8 percent higher in its best session since February 2021.

Before the ceasefire took hold on Saturday, the arch rivals had targeted each other’s military installations with missiles and drones, as relations turned sour after India blamed Pakistan for a militant attack that killed 26 tourists on Apr. 22. Pakistan denies the accusations and has called for a neutral investigation.

Saturday’s truce was first announced by US President Donald Trump. US officials also said the two nations had agreed to hold talks on a broad set of issues at a neutral site though no date has been announced yet. 

Kashmir has been a bone of contention between the two countries since independence from British colonial rule in 1947. Both countries claim the Muslim-majority region in full but govern only parts of it. They have fought two of their three wars since 1947 over the disputed territory. 

Islamabad has thanked Washington for facilitating Saturday’s ceasefire and welcomed Trump’s offer to mediate on the Kashmir dispute with India but New Delhi has not commented on US involvement in the truce or talks at a neutral site.

- With inputs from Reuters

Topics: Pakistan India Ties

Normalcy slowly returns to Azad Kashmir as ceasefire holds

Updated 12 May 2025
Reuters
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Normalcy slowly returns to Azad Kashmir as ceasefire holds

  • India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire on Saturday after exchanging drone, artillery and missile attacks
  • Residents return to homes near contested border in Azad Kashmir but remain skeptical of lasting peace
Updated 12 May 2025
Reuters

CHAKOTHI, AZAD KASHMIR: Shops began reopening in Azad Kashmir on Sunday (May 11) after India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire along their contested border, but residents expressed doubts about how long the peace would last without a political solution to the decades-old Kashmir dispute.

The border town of Chakothi, which had borne the brunt of recent cross-border shelling, showed tentative signs of normalcy as shopkeepers returned to assess damage and restart businesses. Many residents who had fled the violence remained hesitant to return.

“We’ll restart business but it will take time,” said Shabbir Abbasi, a shopkeeper and head of the local traders’ union. “People won’t come back until there’s a proper ceasefire agreement.”

The nuclear-armed neighbors agreed to stop cross-border firing in Kashmir, but locals said temporary truces were not enough.

“The Kashmir issue must be resolved now if they want real peace,” Abbasi told Reuters.

Some residents welcomed the pause in violence but remained skeptical. 

“A ceasefire is good, but talks to resolve Kashmir would be better,” said Mohammad Aslam, a Chakothi resident.

Muhammad Munir noted that people don’t rely much on ceasefire agreements. 

“Today there is a ceasefire but by evening there may be firing here,” he said. “That’s why people don’t rely on this too much, they don’t think this is a final thing.”

Hafiz Muhammad Shah Bukhari, a resident of district Poonch in India, was also happy at the cessation of hostilities. 

“There is a lot of joy in the village [after ceasefire],” he said. “Personally, I am very thankful to Allah. It is a very good decision that the shelling has stopped.”

Saturday’s ceasefire marks the temporary end to fighting that started on Wednesday (May 7), two weeks after 26 men were killed in an attack targeting Hindus in Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir.

Topics: Pakistan India Ties Pahalgam attack Ceasefire

Pakistan welcomes Kurdish PKK’s disbandment, ending 40-year Turkiye insurgency

Updated 12 May 2025
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Pakistan welcomes Kurdish PKK’s disbandment, ending 40-year Turkiye insurgency

  • Since the PKK launched its insurgency in 1984, the conflict has killed more than 40,000 people, exacted huge economic losses 
  • PKK’s decision will give President Tayyip Erdogan the opportunity to boost development in Turkiye’s mainly Kurdish southeast
Updated 12 May 2025
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday welcomed the decision by the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) group, which has been locked in bloody conflict with the Turkish state for more than four decades, to disband and end its armed struggle.

Since the PKK launched its insurgency in 1984, the conflict has killed more than 40,000 people, exerted a huge economic burden and fueled social tensions. The PKK is designated a terrorist group by Turkiye and its Western allies.

Taking to X, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called the PKK’s dissolution a “historic development.”

“Pakistan welcomes the announcement of PKK’s dissolution, a significant step toward lasting peace and a terror-free Turkiye,” he wrote.

The Firat news agency, which is close to the group, reported on Monday that the PKK 12th Congress decided to “dissolve the PKK’s organizational structure and end the armed struggle.”

The PKK held the congress in response to a February call to disband from its jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan, who has been imprisoned on an island south of Istanbul since 1999. It said on Monday that he would manage the process.

On Mar. 1, the PKK announced a unilateral ceasefire, but attached conditions, including the creation of a legal framework for peace negotiations.

“The PKK has completed its historic mission,” the PKK statement said. “The PKK struggle has broken the policy of denial and annihilation of our people and brought the Kurdish issue to a point of solving it through democratic politics.”

The PKK’s decision will give President Tayyip Erdogan the opportunity to boost development in Turkiye’s mainly Kurdish southeast, where the insurgency has impaired the regional economy for decades.

A deputy leader of the pro-Kurdish DEM Party, the third largest in Turkiye’s parliament and which played a key role in facilitating Ocalan’s peace call, told Reuters the PKK decision was significant not just for Kurdish people but for the Middle East as a whole.

“It will also necessitate a major shift in the official state mentality of Turkiye,” DEM’s Tayip Temel said.

- With inputs from Reuters

Topics: Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK)

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