Ahsan Khan and Mahira Khan take a stand against hate and intolerance at LSA 2017

Celebrities are no longer hesitant to speak up on issues of national interest -- the LSAs this year were witness to that.

Two stars who took the LSAs as a platform to voice concern against recent controversial issues were Ahsan Khan and Mahira Khan.

Actor Ahsan Khan, while grabbing his Best TV Actor award for Udaari, spoke up about the brutal lynching of Mashal Khan in Mardan and said the entertainment industry had a 'moral duty to educate people' against such incidents.

"I have a special request for everybody in the industry -- we can sort this out. A lot of incidents which we hear everyday, like Mashal Khan's, it's because our society is not educated and television is the best medium we can [use to] educated people and it is our moral duty to educate people."

He also mentioned that his drama Udaari which tackles child abuse head-on is a 'game-changer for the [entertainment] industry.'

"Getting an award is an acknowledgement for something which is beneficial for the society it really means a lot," he said.

"A lot of producers thought that we had do something which is an awareness project, something educational, which is very important for the society."

Mahira Khan, who usually tends to avoid controversial issues, also alluded to the topic without directly naming anyone or any particular incident.

The star, who bagged the Best Film Actress award for her film Ho Mann Jahaan, asked people to be tolerant towards others' beliefs and allow equality for all.

"What I feel we do deserve is a country where we have some sort of equality for every single body no matter what they believe in or what they don't believe in. I really wish people saw people like us more often all of us getting together so much talent, so much love under one roof, it is truly amazing and spectacular. This is for my country and my fans."

Last year at the LSAs, Faysal Qureshi dedicated his Best TV Actor award to Kashmiris -- the year considered most turbulent and violent for Kashmir in recent years.

"I'm dedicating this award to all the Kashmiris who are sacrificing, bearing torture and pain. this is for all of them all us Pak, all Pakistanis are with you. don't ever think we will stand back."

Here's hoping other celebrities step up to the plate and use their platforms to educate people.