Pakistan (Muhammad Yasir)
The 11th UBL Literature and Arts Awards were held in Karachi at a five-star hotel, attended in large numbers by writers, literary and media personalities, socialites, and celebrities. At every event, the celebrated awards recognize and celebrate the best of Pakistani writers and artists, honoring a longstanding commitment to arts and literature.
The various award categories received hundreds of nominations from all over Pakistan. The competition was open to all Pakistani authors who had published their original work in 2021 and 2022. Entries were shortlisted by an esteemed panel of judges. The jury members in the Urdu categories were Dr. Asghar Nadeem Syed, Dr. Arfa Syeda, Dr. Anwaar Ahmed, Ms. Kishwar Naheed and Dr. Nasir Abbas Nayyar, while jury members for the English categories included Dr. Naazir Mahmood, Dr. Aroosa Kanwal and Mr. Harris Khalique.
The winners in each category as declared at the Awards are:
- Children’s Urdu Literature presented to Ahmed Adnan Tariq for ‘Dastaan-e-Ameer Hamza’.
- Children’s English Literature presented to Marzieh Abbas for ‘Nadia and Nadir Series’.
- Translation into Urdu (joint awards) presented to Inam Nadeem for ‘Aaina Si Zindagi’ and Ms. Yasmeen Hameed for ‘Janubi Asia Ki Muntakhib Nazmein’.
- Urdu Poetry award presented to Mohsin Shakeel for ‘Kuch Ishq Kiya’.
- Pakistani Languages award given to Syed Wiqar Ali Shah for his work ‘Abdul Ghani Khan – Zhwand Au Zamana’ in Pushto language.
- Online Literature award presented to Nayyar Mustafa for his work ‘Rangon Main Sochnay Wali Larki’.
- Song Lyrics Award presented to Sabir Zafar.
- Drama Script presented to Hashim Nadeem for his play ‘Parizaad’.
- Urdu Debut presented to Ahmad Jahangir for ‘Shah Darya’.
- English Fiction presented to Haroon Khalid Akhtar for his work ‘Liar’s Truth’.
- English Non-Fiction award given to Tariq Rehman for ‘Pakistan’s Wars: An Alternative History’.
- Urdu Fiction Award presented to Aurangzeb Khan Niazi for his book ‘Urdu Abad – Maholiyati Tanazur’.
- Urdu Non-Fiction award given to Shaheen Abbas for his work ‘Leema Yakka Ban’.
The awards also included a special category to celebrate the wide reaching impact of a celebrated artist who has produced exemplary work across a long distinguished career. The prestigious ‘Lifetime Achievement’ award was awarded to the exemplary Ms. Zaheda Hina.
The awards were interspersed by light entertainment and ended with a lavish dinner for all the participants. It was hosted by well-known celebrities Mr. Sajjad Hasan and Ms. Faiza GIllani.
Mr. Zia Ijaz, Deputy CEO UBL, in his message during the awards, said “As a responsible Corporate Citizen UBL has played its part in the betterment of society through many of its own efforts. The UBL Literature & Arts Awards have been a cornerstone of one of our initiatives of giving back to the society through the recognition of indigenous talent across the country.”
With each iteration of the award, the UBL Literature & Arts Awards support, motivate and celebrate talented Pakistani writers. The Bank recognizes the importance of arts and literature in helping society feel fulfilled, inspired and proud of its roots. It encourages budding Pakistani artists to continue producing their works in a variety of different genres, knowing that there are celebrated local platforms where they can be recognized. It is through such ventures that the literary tradition lives on and benefits the current and future generations.
