Agahi Awards: Excellence in Journalism Awarded

Adnan Aamir

Islamabad: Excellence in journalism field in Pakistan was recognized and awarded of the fourth year in row in Agahi Awards, on Saturday.

Agahi Awards 2016 ceremony was held in National Library of Pakistan, Islamabad which was attended by journalists all over Pakistan. The ceremony was hosted by senior journalists, Mubashir Zaidi and Amber Shamsi.

More than 3,500 journalists competed for awards in 35 categories nominations from all over the country from print, television, radio and online media. A 60 member jury decided the winners, whereas public voting was used for people’s choice awards.

More than 3,500 journalists competed for awards in 35 categories nominations from all over the country

ARY News Won the Favorite News Channel of the Year, Waseem Badami Won the Favorite Current Affairs Anchor (male) and Aysha Buksh as Favorite Current Affairs Anchor (female) for 2016 in the People’s Choice categories. Naseem Zehra of Channel 24 was recognized as the Most Credible Anchor of the Year 2016.

Following is the complete list of “Journalists of the Year” award winners in all categories:

• Nasim Zehra (Most Credible Anchor of the Year),

• Waseem Badami (Peoples’ Choice Awards: Favorite Current Affairs Anchor – Male),

• Ayesha Buksh (Peoples’ Choice Awards: Favorite Current Affairs Anchor – Female),

• ARY News (Peoples’ Choice Awards: Favorite News Channel of the Year),

• Arshad Sharif and Adeel Raja (Investigative Journalists of the Year),

• Javeria Siddique (Agriculture),

• Naimat Khan (Anti-Corruption),

• Adnan Aamir (Business & Economy), [Editor of Balochistan Voices]

• Shafi Moosa Mansoori (Citizen Empowerment),

• Shumaila Jaffery (Women Empowerment),

• Muhammad Sameer Saleem (Youth Empowerment),

• Samiullah Randhawa (Climate Change),

• Mubarek Zeb Khan (Competitiveness),

• Muhammad Irfan Haider & Sadia Qasim Shah (Conflict),

• Muhammad Shahzad (Corporate Social Responsibility),

• Adil Aziz Khanzada (CPEC),

• Shahzia Nisar (Creating Shared Value),

• Zehra Nawab (Culture & Tourism),

• Syed Muhammad Abubaker (Disasters and Catastrophe),

• Naqeebullah Taran (Education),

• Muhammad Luqman (Eliminating Hidden Hunger),

• Fazal Rahim Awan (Entrepreneurship),

• Muhammad Shahzad (Extremism and Terrorism),

• Muhammad Akbar Notezai (Foreign Policy),

• Ahsan Raza (South Asia Bridge Initiative – SABI),

• Muhammad Akbar Notezai (Foresight and Futures),

• Wali Zahid (Governance),

• Muhammad Shahid (Health),

• Haroon Siraj (Human Rights),

• Fariha Fatima (Infotainment),

• Zeeshan Anwar (Innovation Journalism),

• Hassan Bilal Zaidi (Information Communication Technology),

• Khalid Khattak (Innovation),

• Muhammad Suhail Yusuf (Reporting On Science),

• Imran Malik (Institutional Reforms),

• Zaheer Uddin Babar (Journalism for Peace),

• Muhammad Atif Sheikh (Media Ethics),

• Ihtisham ul Haq (Nutrition),

• Zahid Gishkori (Open Government),

• Sadia Seher (Photo Journalism – Print),

• Hussain Afzal (Video Journalism Television),

• Sheharyar Ali (Rule of Law),

• Saeed Badshah (Sports),

• Shehzad Ahmad (Sexual & Reproductive Health Rights – SRHR),

• Syed Muhammad Abubakar (Sustainable Development Goals – SDGs),

• Fazal Khaliq (Vocational Training & Technical Education),

• Syed Muhammad Abubakar (Water Diplomacy),

• Muhammad Suhail Yusuf (Water, Energy & Food Security Nexus)

The AGAHI Awards received an overwhelming response by the journalist community – where AGAHI Awards reached more than 6 million Pakistanis through social media and almost 1.5 million through SMS for the Peoples’ Choice Awards.

Speaking at the awards ceremony, Australian High Commissioner to Pakistan, Margaret Adamson said the Australian Government was supporting the special category to encourage journalists to raise community awareness of such a critical issue through better informed reporting.

Puruesh Chaudhary, President AGAHI and the co-founder of the AGAHI Awards said that “We can improve our way of thinking if we work together, the media can play an incredible role in helping the decision-makers identify people-centric challenges and opportunities thereby enabling them to opt for the right choices. AGAHI Awards is a step in that direction.”

Amir Jahangir, CEO Mishal Pakistan and co-founder, AGAH Awards, in his welcome address said, “For the first time in the history of journalism, the content and the knowledge creator is taking the lead. In this new ecosystem, the guardians of the infrastructure are becoming irrelevant. It’s the journalist, who is taking the center stage now”.

AGAHI is a not for profit working since 2011 to create non-paid communication strategies and strategic foresight. AGAHI encourages and advises individuals and institutions in pursuing and supporting initiatives to improve the state of development in Pakistan.