Waqar Zaka


Waqar Zaka is a Pakistani VJ-turned-television host.

Early life

Zaka in an interview said he is an engineering graduate of NED University of Engineering & Technology.
Waqar began his career during his school life by releasing the student song Nahi Parha Meine Poora Saal and then became a VJ. After earning fame as VJ, he started hosting a TV reality show. Waqar then created and hosted reality shows XPOSED, King of Street Magic, Desi Kudiyan and The Cricket Challenge aired on ARY Musik.
In the 2013 Pakistani general election, Zaka ran for the seat of the National Assembly of Pakistan from Karachi NA-253 constituency, but was unsuccessful and secured only 31 votes out of the 211,768 total votes cast. Zaka claims he ran to demonstrate how to run for election for his show Main Banoonga Minister; he stated that this was "the only entertaining way of telling our youth how to be a part of the system". He ran on a platform of prioritizing and improving access to entertainment and the internet.
In April 2019, he announced a political movement in Pakistan called Tehreek-e-Tech. In May 2019, he apologized to the people for destroying the young minds via his TV reality show Living on the Edge.

Champions With Waqar Zaka

In November 2019, Zaka began hosting a TV reality show Champions With Waqar Zaka on BOL Network. In January 2020, the TV show Champions With Waqar Zaka was banned by Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority for being "offensive towards social, religious and cultural values of this country". In April 2020, the Islamabad High Court upheld the decision of PEMRA to ban Champions With Waqar Zaka.
Following the suspension of his TV reality show Champions With Waqar Zaka, he began hosting a late night show on YouTube called Headphone Show.

Awards

In 2017, he received an award from Abdul Qadeer Khan for his social and humanitarian work in the war-torn areas of Syria and Myanmar.

Controversies

In January 2017, a video went viral on social media websites where Zaka was severely assaulted by a group of people in Karachi. Zaka later reconciled with his attacker.
In November 2018, media reported that Zaka was arrested by police in Karachi for possessing alcohol, however Zaka clarified that he was charged with possession of sheesha instead of alcohol.