Waseem Abbas says Iftikhar Thakur should learn himself before teaching others

October 11, 2025 – During a seminar at the Alhamra Lahore Arts Council, Waseem Abbas stated that the arts council should appoint appropriate instructors for the Alhamra Theater Acting Workshop.

He stated that Iftikhar Thakur is like a brother to him and a very good comedian and artist, but if you make Iftikhar the theater in charge and ask him to teach theatrical acting, it may not go as planned.

"First he should learn acting himself, then he will be able to teach." - Waseem Abbas

Waseem Abbas said further: “If you want to teach theater acting, there are better actors and comedians who can teach, like Sohail Ahmed and Irfan Khoosat.”

In December 2024, an acting workshop was held with the goal of recreating socially significant Punjabi theater.

Iftikhar Thakur, a stage and film comedian, led the month-long acting course.

Azma Bukhari, Minister for Culture and Information, took the initiative to revive healthy and decent Punjabi theater in Alhamra.

When asked who is responsible for the decline of Pakistan’s theater and cinema industries,

Waseem blamed the producers. He went on: “In other countries producers only invest money, but in Pakistan producers invest money, but there is also too much interference in production by them.“