As the Chief Justice of Pakistan has ordered for shopping malls to be opened and stop shutting down shops, it has only convinced a huge number of people to be out and about. But the numbers of infected people is also rising. At such a confusing time, where basics like washing hands, wearing a mask and gloves can prevent the infection from spreading, it is good to see Pakistani artists contributing to public awareness of how to deal with the pandemic as well as help out those in need.

Mainstream artists endorse The Ali Zafar Foundation

With The Ali Zafar Foundation, singer-songwriter, musician and film producer Ali Zafar has managed to do a lot of good. As Covid-19 continues to wreak havoc across the country, the artist has been creating awareness via his social media. Furthermore, he is also distributing ration food packages to those who depend on daily wages. This week, several artists endorsed the Ali Zafar Foundation in a video on social media.

Many mainstream stars have aligned and appealed to people to donate to his non-profit venture. Among them are stars such as Humayun Saeed, Saba Qamar, Maya Ali, Marina Khan, Hania Amir, Minal Khan, Mawra Hocane, Bilal Maqsood, Adnan Siddiqui, Ushna Shah, Aiman Muneeb, Iqrar-ul-Hassan, Maria Wasti, Ahsan Khan and Fahad Mustafa.

In one of his posts, Ali Zafar stated that his focus would be on making efforts “towards the minorities and transgender communities.” According to a press statement, he also posted a live video call with his team on location, distributing packages in a Christian community. Ali Zafar’s foundation has previously worked in minority communities and the endorsement, thus, should lead to more donations.

A-list celebrities create awareness in a PSA about Covid-19

Public Service Announcements are the new norm. From narrative-based animated PSAs in multiple languages directed by Zeeshan Parwez to messages from artists on their social media on social distancing and precautions, they continue to erupt. But in this time of confusion, some of Pakistan’s biggest A-list artists have come together in one video to create awareness and make it clear that it is not something to be scared of; it is something that must be fought as one nation, with strength and patience.

Mahira Khan, Bilal Maqsood (Strings), Faisal Kapadia (Strings), Mehwish Hayat, Humayun Saeed, Adnan Siddiqui, Hareem Farooq and Wasim Akram (former Pakistan cricketer) use a little bit of wit and a strong message against going out unnecessarily to meet friends and not following basic precautions like washing your hands. It is not only that a person might get infected, they make it clear, it’s just as easy for them to infect others, creating a much higher death toll than need be. Sponsored by Peek Freans Sooper, it is a PSA that people should take seriously.

Vogue, Amazon Fashion and CFDA join hands for digital storefront

It was announced recently that Vogue, the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) and Amazon have partnered for an online digital store front, called ‘Common Threads: Vogue x Amazon Fashion’ to help connect designers directly with consumers. “I’m thrilled to announce this partnership, and want to thank Amazon Fashion for so quickly sharing its resources to aid American designers affected by the pandemic,” said Anna Wintour, Editor-in-Chief of Vogue.