The buzz surrounding the first Pakistan Influencer Awards (PIAs) started as early as July this year, when its governing body held an event to walk members of the press through the awards nominations and voting process, and led to a meet-and-greet dinner shortly afterwards.
With anticipation reaching fever pitch, the path lay clear for the awards ceremony, which took place at the Expo Centre last Saturday, on November 7.
The online content creation community is a tightly knit unit of bloggers, influencers, and YouTubers existing in a universe unto themselves, where they constantly go live, create and upload short- and long-form videos and reels.
The result is remarkably diverse content across different genres, many of which were recognised at the PIAs and duly awarded. For the layman, it was nothing less than an education about the vibrant online community and its contribution towards content creation.
From Hassan Raheem and Maanu’s surprise performances to a parade of influencer awards, the first Pakistan Influencer Awards had plenty to celebrate, even if the event’s conception and management left much to be desired
MUSIC, YOUTH, BUZZ AND ENERGY
The evening kicked off with two back-to-back ‘surprise’ acts. Hassan Raheem, popular due to his youth anthems ‘Peechhay Hutt’ and ‘Bewajah’, opened the ceremony, singing beloved hits in rapid succession.
The moment the singer, who is a doctor-turned-hip-hop singer and songwriter and is from Gilgit-Baltistan, took the stage and started performing, the Gen-Z audience got up and joined him in unison, holding up their smartphones to go live on Instagram or make videos.
What the event lacked in management and infrastructure, the crowd more than made up for with active participation. By the time Hassan Raheem wound up his act and gave the stage to the other ‘surprise’ act of the evening, Maanu, many could be seen dancing in the aisles!
Maanu started with the ever-popular ‘For You’ and then went on to perform ‘Jhol’, sending Gen-Z into an even bigger frenzy. The whole venue erupted in euphoria with two of their favourite music stars on stage. They sang along and danced to the popular youth anthems and, only after the opening acts, did they settle into their seats to patiently wait for the awards ceremony to begin.
There couldn’t have been a happier audience that night than the one at the PIAs!
TRIUMPHS AND TROPHIES
No matter who won the award that night, the vibe was one of triumph over tribulation and about overcoming the odds.
Our young people are just as gifted as their international counterparts, if not more. The PIAs offered these ‘kings’ and ‘queens’ of content a platform, where their individual efforts were recognised and celebrated collectively. Hopefully, this will lead to further successes for them. Consequently, the PIAs are worth celebrating for giving Pakistan another face to project for its soft image abroad.
The event was live-streamed by ARY Digital (the awards’ media partner) on its newly launched OTT platform, ARY Plus, making it accessible to millions of viewers worldwide.
Among those who won awards in nearly 36 categories, the most popular wins for ‘Creators of the Year’ were: Mr & Mrs Yellow (for ‘Social Impact’), Saqib Mobeen (in the ‘Food Discovery’ category), Talha Bhatti and Imran Ali Dina (in ‘Technology’), Ayesha Khan Lodhi (in ‘Automotive’), Ramma Jafri (in ‘Biz & Career’), Aroob and Ducky Bhai (in ‘Couple’) and Muhammad Danial (in the ‘Culinary Experts’ category).
The ‘Icons of Influence’ category recognised individuals for their flair, style and resounding spirit. Alishay Adnan, Sona Rafiq Memon (fashion model-turned-influencer), Sasha Raja and Alyana Shamsi were among the major award recipients in this category.
Their content was considered amongst the most outstanding and frequently viewed. Their contribution to their respective fields of expertise as trailblazers is what made them eligible to be recipients in this particular category.
In the ‘Music’ category, both Hassan Raheem and Maanu naturally won, hands down! The ‘Performing Arts’ category saw Daniya Kanwal being acknowledged for her untiring efforts as a valuable content creator while the PIAs’ ‘Best Comic’ trophy went to Ali Abdullah.
Other winners included Hafiz Raza Ahmed (‘Entertainment’), Umar Saleem (‘Podcast’; Freiha Altaf was a strong contender), Ali Raza (‘Fitness’; designer Parishae Adnan was also a strong contender), Asim Kamal (‘Family Lifestyle’), Shahzaib King Khan Rind (‘Athletes’), Humna Zahid (‘Beauty-TikTok’), Eyeina Shahzad (‘Beauty-Instagram’), Kanwal Aftab (‘Lifestyle-TikTok’), Zarnab Fatima (‘Lifestyle-Instagram’), Areeka Haq (‘Fashion-TikTok’), Shaeel Siddiqui (‘Fashion-Instagram’), Zalmi Plays (‘Gaming’), Barira Khan (‘Travel’; she recalled an interesting fact that her family had always assumed she travelled with a group, and not solo), Maryam Raja (‘Voices & Perspectives’), and Shoaib Akhtar (‘Celebrity Creator of the Year-Sports’). In his acceptance speech, Akhtar said, “I became a cricketer because of Imran Khan and a YouTuber because of the youth!”
Fahad Mustafa also won (‘Celebrity Content Creator, Male’), as did Aiman Khan (‘Celebrity Content Creator, Female’), Aroob Jatoi won again (‘Best Instagram Creator’), and so did DHA Wali Maid (‘YouTube Creator of the Year, Female’), Zulqarnain Sikandar (‘TikTok Creator of the Year’) and Raza Ahmed aka Marzi Raza Ki (‘Best Entertainment Creator’).
Pakistani awards are often the weakest in terms of making coherent categories and this was in evidence at the PIAs as well. For example, the reasoning behind creating separate categories for platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and YouTube only in some instances was not clear. Why not other social media platforms then? Why not in every category? Will the categories keep expanding with the addition of newer platforms?
It is one thing to want to give out awards to everyone but the glut of specific categories also devalue the awards. This is something Pakistani awards have still to understand.
THE RED CARPET LOOKS
The red carpet looks that went viral were another thing altogether, with statement gowns and modest glamour. Dressed to the nines, both men and women went the extra mile, taking pains to put their best, fashion-savvy selves forward.
Esra Ayesha Khan’s outlandish leather-and-chains look was courtesy designer Parishae Adnan and her Ikhtiar line, which she had unveiled at the second edition of Laam Fashion Week in Lahore recently. Esra was styled by Sana and Sara Salon. Zarnab Fatima also wore Parishae Adnan, styled by Komal.
Co-host Rabab Hashim chose to be draped by designer Wardha Saleem. Co-host and comedian Faiza Saleem also wore a fetching two-piece skirt and top with heavy sequin embroidery on the shoulders and neckline by AM Fashion House.
The men’s fashion moved beyond standard black-tie, incorporating embroidered tuxedos, vintage accessories, and relaxed silhouettes. Host Dino Ali wore a custom royal blue suit from AM Fashion House. Meanwhile, host Hassan Sheheryar Yasin looked his usual dapper self in his own creation, while presenter Sidra Iqbal wore a glamorous regal kaftan with intricate detailing by designer Mariyam D. Rizwan.
WHAT DIDN’T WORK
The seemingly futile banter and attempt at comedy by the popular duo of Ali Abdullah and Mobeen mostly fell on deaf ears and drew little or no response from the audience.
Perhaps this was not surprising, though. According to the duo, whose unbridled, no-holds-barred comic commentary and ‘roasting’ is very popular online, they had allegedly been ‘briefed’ by ARY that they had to tone down their act by several notches, as the PIAs were being aired live and the ceremony would also be aired later on ARY Digital.
The question that arises then is: why fix it if it isn’t broken? The very act of censoring the ‘sting’ or the ‘punchline’ from a popular online comedy act, which is the very reason it draws public attention and viewership, only serves to make it a bland offering.
That was precisely the case that night, and did a disservice not only to Ali Abdullah and Mobeen but also to the PIAs and its audience.
The writer is a member of staff.
He can be reached at quraishi.faisal@gmail.com
Published in Dawn, ICON, November 15th, 2026
