RAWALPINDI, (Parliament Times) : A condolence reference was organized in the memory of renowned TV and
theater artist Masood Khawaja at the Punjab Arts Council. The reference was presided over by Director Arts Council Waqar Ahmed while Naheed Manzoor attended the function as the chief
guest. Addressing the reference, Naheed Manzoor said that during his 30-year career, Masood Khawaja had acted in hundreds of TV and theater dramas. Masood Khawaja understood humor very well, which made him popular not only in Pakistan but also internationally. He also introduced the trend of stand-up comedy in Pakistan, which has become the identity of many artists today, she added. Naheed Manzoor further said that Masood Khawaja had the status of an academy for artists. He always welcomed new artists and also helped them to understand basics of acting. The sudden demise of Masood Khawaja has created a vacuum in comic circles of
Pakistan. Director Arts Council Waqar Ahmed said that Masood was one of the artists who made a name for himself in the film industry by working tirelessly. He was more of a friend to me than a great actor. Masood Khawaja, who played comedy roles in TV dramas and theaters, was a laughing stock in real life. He always raised his voice for the welfare of the artists and also
provided financial support to the artists by founding an organization called Pakistan Artists Welfare, he added. Anjum Khabibi, Asma Butt, Afzal Latifi, Naeem Akram Qureshi, Khalid Zia Siddiqui, Anjum Malik, Saeed Anwar, Anjum Abbasi, Arshad Masood Minhas, Syed Saleem Affandi, Amjad Chaudhry, Suleiman Sunni, Liaquat Shah, Jhalak Ali, Imran Roshdi. And others addressed the reference and refreshed the memories of Masood Khawaja. At the end of the ceremony, Pir Azmatullah Sultan also offered for the late Masood Khawaja. A great number of artists from the twin cities participated in the condolence reference.
