New York-based photographer Sabreen Jafry didn’t intend to do a series on Pakistan. She went into her trip with the idea of capturing as much as she could. She, like most Pakistanis, hates the American image of the country. She figured she could challenge it. Represent it as she saw it and, in the process, … Read More
Misha Japanwala stands on a sheet of plastic in the middle of her small room, naked and motionless. She has pushed her bed to one corner and the desk to another. Just a few minutes earlier, her assistant painted liquid silicone onto the front of her body. The fast-drying blue liquid is layered. It dribbles … Read More
Marvia Malik, a 21 year old journalism graduate and model, has just been hired as Pakistan’s first transgender news anchor. Malik was hired by the station Kohenoor TV. She made news earlier this month as the first transgender model on the runway at the Pakistan Fashion Design Council. Overwhelmed by the love and support she … Read More
Remembering Charlottesville and Partition. Mornings this week feel heavy. The air is full of humidity and rain is constantly on the edge of the horizon, yes, but it goes deeper than this climate, it’s in our soil. This weekend saw the stark interplay of right and wrong, good and evil, inclusion and exclusion as white … Read More
Art that juxtaposes the many parts of Pakistan. The concept artist Omar Gilani, based in Lahore, has already gained some notoriety through his illustrations for the Tabeer original music series by Patari, Pakistan’s premier music streaming service, and his wide-ranging freelance work. Now the internet is buzzing with excitement over his experimental Pakistan+ series, in … Read More
The show has abandoned the philosophy that made it special. Pakistan’s critically acclaimed musical show, Coke Studio, returned for its ninth season on Saturday. Coke Studio was started in 2008 with Rohail Hyatt at the helm. Hyatt was most known for being the keyboardist and a composer of Pakistan’s first mainstream pop-rock band, Vital Signs, and … Read More
IT’S COMING Our favorite combination of corporate sponsorship and jaw-droppingly beautiful music is about to start its ninth season this Saturday. We. Are. Hyped. Check the trailer below. https://medium.com/media/d4c8166ad1c9b57446636c2e117c1c4a/hrefhttps://medium.com/media/d4c8166ad1c9b57446636c2e117c1c4a/href
Alisha, a transgender woman, was shot multiple times and fought for her life in the hallways of a hospital in Peshawar, Pakistan in May. As she lay dying, patients and staff teased her distraught friends and delayed treating her. They asked Alisha how much she charged for dancing. Her death and the hospital’s misconduct sparked outrage … Read More
The murder of the outspoken Pakistani social media celebrity, Qandeel Baloch, has left millions of people enraged and shocked within the country as well as the diaspora. Baloch first rose to popularity when she auditioned for Pakistan Idol in 2013. Her dramatic reaction for not qualifying was brought to the attention of hundreds of thousands … Read More
Dear Qandeel, I have to start off by being honest. Like half the Pakistani population, I had never really been a big fan. In fact, I was one of the people that would laugh at you, speak out against your actions, and roll my eyes every time a new controversy arose. When I woke up … Read More
