If you have heard the catchphrase ‘Lahore da Pawa, Akhtar Lawa’, but don’t know what the word pawa means, we are here to help you. We tasked a Karachi boy Hamza Khan to contact his Lahori friends and explain the term to everyone. This is what he has come up with.

This catchphrase was made famous by Chaudhary Akhtar Lawa, a businessman by profession and also a politician.

This overnight social media sensation uses this catchphrase – ‘Lahore da Pawa, Akhtar Lawa’ – and punch-motion combo. This according to him makes him feel ’energized and alive. “When I said Lahore Da Pawa, I got the energy and felt powerful.”

However, have you ever wondered what it exactly means? The general translation to the phrase ‘Lahore da Pawa, Akhtar Lawa’ is “Pillar of Lahore, Akhtar Lawa”.

‘Lahore da Pawa, Akhtar Lawa!’: Why is he trending in Pakistan?

Besides that, the term Pawa, is generally used in old city of Lahore for ‘Siri paya’ and ‘bong paya’. Both dishes are considered as the royal menus for breakfast.

Moreover, the term Pawa is also being used a reference to Charpai’s four pillars (paya). Charpai is a traditional woven bed used across South Asia. The four legs of a chair are also called payas in the vernacular.

This brings it closer to paa-e-takht or payi-takhat which means the seat of the government or capital city. The word payi-takhat shares this meaning in Urdu, Persian and Turkish.

So, Akhtar Lava is using the word in the sense of pillar — a pillar that supports the city of Lahore.