LAHORE: Pakistani celebrities Mahira Khan, Atif Aslam and Aiman Khan were hailed internationally for their work as they have been named in Forbes’ inaugural Asia’s 100 Digital Stars list.

The list features 100 singers, bands, film and TV stars from across the South Asia Pacific region with a strong social media presence. With millions of followers across popular platforms, these celebrities have maintained their relevance and popularity in this challenging period by leveraging on the power of social media. Many have also used their influence to support worthy causes, especially those with a Covid-19 focus.

“The 100 celebrities highlighted on the list range in age from 20 to 78, proving that social media influence is a cross-generational phenomenon,” said Rana Wehbe Watson, editor of the list.

The star of Pakistani musical Superstar will return to the screen this year in action drama The Legend of Maula Jatt, Pakistan’s most expensive film to date.

Mahira Khan, who will return to the screen this year in action drama The Legend of Maula Jatt, Pakistan’s most expensive film to date, “uses her social media presence—nearly 7 million Instagram followers and over 4 million on Facebook—to raise awareness about mental health issues, violence against women and breast cancer”.

Forbes praising Atif Aslam’s work, said: “Released in May, his song “Asma-ul-Husna,” recites Allah’s 99 names to encourage hope during the pandemic, and has over 22 million views on YouTube. Aslam urged his 20 million Facebook followers to stay home to curb the spread of the coronavirus”.

Coming to Aiman Khan, it writes: “With nearly 8 million followers, Khan is the most-followed Pakistani celebrity on Instagram. She and twin sister Minal run the clothing site Aiman Minal Closet, with 249,000 Instagram followers. Last year she was nominated for Best Actress at Pakistan’s Hum Awards for roles in TV shows Ishq Tamasha and Baandi”.

Among the prominent faces on the list is BTS, the seven-member band from South Korea.

Beside, Bollywood’s Amitabh Bachan, Akshay Kumar, Shah Rukh Khan and others have also been named in the list.