Speakers

Aamir Jafarey

Dr Aamir Jafarey is a General Surgeon and a Bioethicist. His claim to fame is the legacy of his mother, Ada Jafarey, often recognized as the First Lady of Urdu poetry. Together with his daughter Asra, he spent over 12 years translating Ada’s autobiography, ‘Jo Rahi So Be-khabar Rahi’ from Urdu to English, titled ‘A World of Her Own’ published by Sangi Publishing House in 2023. The translation offers valuable insights into the life and work of this literary icon. In his professional capacity, Dr Jafarey serves as a Professor of Bioethics at the Centre of Biomedical Ethics and Culture, SIUT in Karachi, Pakistan. Transitioning from surgery to full-time bioethics, he combines his medical expertise with ethical exploration, reflecting his commitment to meaningful interdisciplinary work.

Abid Aziz Merchant

Abid Aziz Merchant is a Pakistani film producer based in Karachi, Pakistan. After 21 years as a banker, he founded Sanat Initiative in 2014 with the vision of transforming the artistic landscape in Pakistan. Under the banner of Sanat, Abid ventured into film production in 2018 with his first feature film ‘I’ll Meet You There’ (SXSW 2020). He co-produced a feature in Kazakhstan titled ‘Madina’ (Tokyo International Film Festival 2023) and produced the recent ‘Wakhri’ (Red Sea International Film Festival 2023, SXSW 2024). He is an alumnus of prestigious programs such as Locarno Open Doors, Cannes Cinefondation, Venice Biennale College Cinema, Produire au Sud, and La Fabrique Cinema de l’Institut français. Abid has produced a number of short films notable among them being ‘1978’ (Locarno Film Festival 2020) and ‘Mulaqat’ (Venice Film Festival 2021, Sundance Film Festival 2022). Abid aims to create original and meaningful content that resonates with an audience hungry for engaging narratives. 

Adeel Hashmi 

Adeel Hashmi is a multi-talented personality who has made significant contributions to the arts and culture scene in Pakistan. He holds a Masters in Filmmaking from San Francisco, USA, and began his career in the late 1990s as a writer and actor on television. He has since ventured into stage performances and communications training and is renowned for his eloquence. Adeel is regularly invited to perform poetry recitations worldwide and is a sought-after speaker on various topics at conferences and events. He is also the founder of the Faiz Festival, an annual literary event held in Lahore since 2015. In addition to his diverse talents, Adeel is a classically trained pianist, holding a grade 3 certificate from the Trinity College London. He imparts piano lessons to young children. His contributions extend beyond the realm of arts and culture. Adeel served as the Chairman of the Punjab Film Censor Board, Government of Punjab. Moreover, he is a member of the Artist Welfare Fund Committee, chaired by the President of Pakistan. This committee provides financial assistance to impoverished artists. 

Adeel Husain

Adeel Husain is a well-known face in Pakistani television who has enjoyed critical acclaim through a series of hits on television and subsequently films. His TV work from 2009-2014 includes playing notable leads in Daam, Mera Naseeb, Mora Piya, Mata e Jaan, Silvatein, Mohabbat Subh Ka Sitara, Shukk, and Jackson Heights to name a few. In 2016, he was the only male actor to have two big films under his belt, namely Asim Raza’s Ho Mann Jahaan and Mehreen Jabbar’s Dobara Phir Se which he later represented at international venues such as the First Pakistani International film festival in New York and CSAFF in Chicago and Tasveer in Seattle.
Adeel’s present standing has come with balancing his career with a host of other achievements including live radio shows on Radio1FM91 and hosting CityFM89’s flagship morning show for over two years. From a portfolio which includes a music video, independent photography / videography projects, directing an ad film, and Director of Photography, Adeel’s success is paramount.
Furthermore, he continues to be involved in select NGO outfits and has been awarded various congratulatory awards and nominations including the Pakistan Excellence Award. Driven to bring innovation to the story landscape of Pakistan, Adeel is currently busy working in his latest Tv Projects and stories that he hopes to produce/ direct one day contributing to the progress of Pakistani content. Adeel has a love for the literature and the arts and he has actively encouraged this by supporting different initiatives for writing in the country.

Adnan Rizvi

Adnan Rizvi is the Country Managing Partner of KPMG Pakistan. He is a Fellow Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan, having around 25 years of professional services experience gained in Pakistan and UK. He is a frequent speaker at prominent conferences and has a passion for poetry & music.

Afia Salam

Afia Salam is a Masters in Geography and a career journalist having four decades of experience in print, electronic, and web journalism. She is a LEAD, FNF’s International Academy of Leadership & Australia Awards Fellow, and a member of the IUCN Commission on Education & Communications and the Commission on Economic & Social Policy. She is also a member of the national coordinating body for Marine Protected Areas and the Prime Minister’s advisory body, the National Climate Change Council. Afia is dedicated to environmental and climate change issues, advocating through her writings, seminars, and moderating panel discussions. As a development practitioner, she volunteers with Indus Earth Trust and Baanhn Beli as the elected President of the executive committee and Board of Trustees.

Afzal Ahmed Syed

Afzal Ahmed Syed, born in 1946, is a leading Urdu poet and translator. He witnessed civil wars in Dhaka in 1971 and in Beirut from 1974 to 1976. Living in Karachi since 1976, he has published three collections of prose poems: ‘Chheeni Hui Tareekh (1983), Do Zabanon mein ‘Saza-e-Maut’ (1990) and ‘Rococo aur Doosri Dunyaen’ (2000), and one collection of ghazals: ‘Khaima-e-Siyah’ (1988). His collected works were published as ‘Mitti ki Kaan’ in 2009. In 2010, the Wesleyan University Press, USA, published a selection of his poems, ‘Rococo and Other Worlds’, translated by Musharraf Ali Farooqi. Later, the English translation of his complete work was published in India by the same title. Translations of his poetry have also appeared in Sindhi, Hindi, Bengali, Arabic and German. He is known for his mastery of the Urdu poetic expression in both classic and modern style. He frequently translates from English and Persian. From English he has translated fiction of renowned writers like Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Jean Genet, Ismael Kadare, etc. and a large number of poets of the world. His translations of the ‘Sabak-e-Hindi’ poets were published as ‘Bada-e-Doshina’ by Aks Publishers and the complete Persian works of Mir Taqi Mir as ‘Divan-e-Mir Farsi: Urdu Tarjuma’ by Oxford University Press. For his literary work, he was awarded Pride of Performance in 2024. He currently teaches Urdu at Habib University.

Ahmad Abdul Bari

Ahmad Abdul Bari, widely known as Bari Mian, is the Chairman of Excel Consulting Ltd. Hailing from the esteemed Ulama-e-Firangi Mahal family in Lucknow, Bari Mian boasts extensive global experience across diverse sectors, including trading, real estate, travel, software, and petroleum. His entrepreneurial journey took a significant turn in the 1970s when he worked with the Saudi Conglomerate Zainal Alireza & Co. A former Vice President of the Sindh Golf Association and the Karachi Golf Club, he also holds the position of President at the Maulana Hasrat Mohani Trust. He immerses himself in the appreciation and mastery of Eastern poetry and Sufi literature—a hereditary passion and an enduring love that adds a nuanced dimension to his multifaceted persona.  

Ahmad Ali Butt

Ahmad Ali Butt is a Pakistani actor, comedian, keyboardist, rapper, singer-songwriter, voice actor and television host.

Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry

Ambassador Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry has served as a member of the Foreign Service of Pakistan for 37 years, rising to the rank of the Foreign Secretary of Pakistan for over three years from December 2013 to March 2017. Mr Chaudhry’s last diplomatic assignment was as Ambassador of Pakistan to the United States of America. He also served as Ambassador of Pakistan to the Netherlands, Foreign Office Spokesman, and deputy permanent representative of Pakistan to the United Nations in New York. As Director General for relations with South Asia, he remained closely associated with the India-Pakistan peace process. After his retirement from the foreign service, Ambassador Chaudhry served as the Director General of the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad for over four years. Ambassador Chaudhry is presently serving as chairman of an Islamabad-based think tank called Sanober Institute. He has authored two books and numerous research articles. His recent book is a memoir ‘Diplomatic Footprints’ which discusses the intricacies of foreign policymaking in Pakistan. Ambassador Chaudhry holds a Master’s in International Relations from Tufts University, Massachusetts, and a First Class First Bachelor of Science from Punjab University Lahore. 

Akbar Zaidi

Professor Dr S. Akbar Zaidi is a political economist who also teaches and does research on colonial South Asian History. He has taught at the School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University, and at Columbia University from 2010 to 2020 and held a joint position at the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), and at the Department of Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies (MESAAS). He has written scores of academic articles and a number of books. His recent books include ‘Issues in Pakistan’s Economy: A Political Economy Perspective’ (Oxford University Press 2015), and a co-edited volume entitled ‘New Perspectives on Pakistan’s Political Economy: State, Class and Social Change’ (Cambridge University Press 2019). In May 2021, his latest book entitled ‘Making a Muslim: Reading Publics and Contesting Identities in Nineteenth-Century North India’, was published by Cambridge University Press. Since 2020 he has been the Executive Director/Vice Chancellor of the IBA Karachi. 

Ali Habib

Ali Habib is an alumnus of IBA, Karachi, and Aitchison College, Lahore. He joined HBL in November 2018 and assumed the role of Chief Marketing & Communications Officer in May 2020. With over three decades of experience, Ali has held similar positions in leading banks as well as in diverse industries outside of finance. His career includes stints at renowned organizations such as Procter & Gamble (P&G), Reckitt Benckiser, Standard Chartered, NIB Bank, United Bank Ltd. (UBL), and Habib Bank (HBL). 

Ali Rohila

Mohammad Ali Khan, under the pseudonym Ali Rohila, is not only an accomplished writer but also brings a wealth of diverse experiences to his literary pursuits. Born to the renowned poet Mukhtar Ali Khan, widely recognized for his Hindi dohas and translating Ghalib’s Persian letters into Urdu, Ali Rohila has inherited a passion for language and literature. His academic journey includes a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Engineering & Technology, Peshawar in 1989, and an MBA from LUMS, Lahore in 1992. Ali Rohila’s professional life has been dedicated to banking, and he currently serves at the Head Office of MCB Bank in Lahore. Despite the demands of a full-time banking career, Ali Rohila found solace and inspiration during the Covid-19 era. He channelled his energy into crafting eleven interconnected stories, forming a compelling narrative in his latest work.

Ali Usman Qasmi

Born and raised in Lahore, Ali Usman Qasmi is a historian of modern South Asia. He has published extensively in his area of expertise, including two monographs – ‘Questioning the Authority of the Past: The Ahl al-Quran Movements in the Punjab’, and ‘The Ahmadis and the Politics of Religious Exclusion in Pakistan’ (winner of Karachi Literature Festival Peace Prize 2015). He has co-edited three volumes, including ‘Muslims Against the Muslim League: Critiques of the Ideas of Pakistan’, and several journal articles and chapters in academic works. Qasmi received the Newton International Fellowship for postdoctoral research and has been teaching history at LUMS University’s School of Humanities and Social Sciences since 2012. His recently published monograph is ‘Qaum, Mulk, Sultanat: Citizenship and National Belonging in Pakistan’ (Palo Alto: Stanford University Press, 2023). 

Aliya Iqbal-Naqvi

Aliya Iqbal-Naqvi is Faculty for History at the Department of Social Sciences and Liberal Arts at IBA Karachi, where she also oversees the senior thesis research programme. She previously headed the Liberal Arts Program at the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture. Aliya holds a BA and two MA degrees from Harvard University in the US and is in the process of completing her Ph.D. from the same institution in the field of Indo-Muslim Civilizations. In addition to her academic career, Aliya also works in the social sector: she is a founder-member of ‘The Karachi Conference Foundation’ which showcases cutting edge research on all aspects of the city of Karachi at an annual conference; she is a Director on the Board of Greenstar Social Marketing, Pakistan’s largest non-profit organization working in the fields of family and reproductive health; and she serves as a Trustee of the Nasra School Education Trust.

Amar Pirzado

Amar Pirzado is a noted poet and writer. He writes in both Sindhi and Urdu languages. He is also a famous media anchor person. He is the author of two poetry books ‘Ishq’ and ‘Fana’ and a prose book on the life and contributions of Anwer Pirzado titled ‘Baba Anwer Pirzado’ (2022). Amar Pirzado is famous for his feminist, romantic, bold poetry on social issues. His poetry is sung by famous Sindhi singers. He was secretary of Sindhi Adabi Sangat Gulshan Hadeed from 2011 to 2012. He has conducted several literary programs and participated in different festivals such as KLF; Aalmi Urdu Conference; Ayaz Melo; Sindh Literature Festival; Adab Festival; Cafe Saqafat of Culture Department, PTV; and Lahooti Melo. He is among the founders of the Anwer Pirzado Academy which has published more than twenty books written by Anwer Pirzado and other writers. From the platform of Anwer Pirzado Academy, Amar has been organising the Anwer Pirzado Festival in his village Balhreji for the last three years. Many of his poems have been translated into Urdu by other poets and he plans to publish his poetry collection in the Urdu Language in the coming years.

Ambareen Haseeb Amber

Ambareen Haseeb Amber is a distinguished poet, critic, writer, and anchor from Pakistan. She is the recipient of the Parveen Shakir Aks-e-Khushboo Award for her poetry collection ‘Dil ke Ufuq Per’ in 2012. She writes articles for leading newspapers and magazines in both Pakistan and India and participates in international Mushairah and conferences. An award-winning lyricist, Amber’s creative journey also includes a three-year stint as the writer for Radio Pakistan’s program ‘Geeton Bhari Kahani.’ A Ph.D. holder from Karachi University, Amber serves as the editor of the Literary Book Series ‘Asaleeb’. Her poetry has crossed language boundaries, inspiring research at the MA, MPhil, and PhD levels. She also shares her expertise as a teacher at Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto University of Law (SZABUL), demonstrating her impact across academia and media.

Amber Rahim Shamsi

Amber Rahim Shamsi is Director, Centre for Excellence in Journalism (CEJ) at the Institute of Business Administration (IBA). Ms Shamsi is an award-winning multi-media journalist, political commentator, and free speech advocate, with wide-ranging experience in television, radio, online and the print media. She is also an International Visitor Leadership Programme (IVLP) and an International Centre for Excellence in Journalism (ICFJ) Digital fellow. Ms Shamsi has participated thrice in the Jinnah Institute’s India-Pakistan Track II Chaophraya Dialogue. She has hosted three news and current affairs shows on mainstream Pakistani news channels and continues to appear on international and national television channels as a political analyst. She was a bilingual reporter for the BBC World Service, where her work largely focused on human rights. She has also written four research reports and training manuals on women in the media, gender, and conflict reporting. She is a certified e-trainer and is on the advisory board of the Pakistan Press Foundation, a media development organisation.

Amir Zia

Amir Zia has worked for some of the leading national and international media organizations in a journalistic career spanning over three decades. He primarily focusses on Pakistan’s economy, politics, and issues related to terrorism and extremism, and frequently appears as an analyst and political commentator on major news channels. Currently, Amir serves as the Editor-in-Chief at Bol Media Group. Previously, he held the position of Chief Editor at Hum News. Additionally, he has served as the Editor of Pakistan’s prominent English-language newspaper, The News, and as the Director of News & Current Affairs at the Urdu-language news channel, SAMAA. He has also contributed to the monthly magazine Newsline, The Associated Press of America, and Reuters. He is the recipient of two APNS Awards for the best stories on the economy and general news. 

Amtul Baweja

Amtul Baweja is an actor, comedian, entrepreneur, host, and content creator. Her online content revolves around multiple aspects such as comedy videos, some having social messages pertaining especially to womxn, fashion and lifestyle. She also creates content with her husband on her second platform called Patangeer that covers various niches such as travel, storytelling, cinematography, and creativity. She is also the co-founder of Patangeer Productions which is a boutique creative agency and production house where she functions behind the camera as a director and producer working on various projects such as making DVCs, documentaries, music videos and other digital and branded content. Recently she starred in a short film Murder Tongue that won more than 11 international awards at various global film festivals. Right now another short film of hers ‘Solatia’ is touring around the world and happens to be one of the 14 short films selected at the Red Sea Film festival for official screening. She also acted in Asim Abbasi’s feminist web series ‘Churails’. Furthermore, she is also a part of South-Asia’s first all-female comedy troupe ‘Khawatoons’. Apart from all this, she also runs an e-commerce business which is her clothing line ‘PRCH’.

Andrew Coombe

Andrew Coombe is the Managing Director of OxfordAQA, the exam board which supports international schools to prepare students for the future. OxfordAQA is a partnership between AQA, the UK’s largest awarding body, and Oxford University Press, a department of the University of Oxford. It offers globally recognised international GCSEs, AS and A-levels to schools across the world with a strong focus on the Middle East, South Asia, East Asia and Europe.  Prior to joining OxfordAQA, Andrew led the global teams at Cambridge Assessment International Education. He is a passionate advocate for education which enables students not only to gain entry to the next stage of their education but also to prepare them with the skills they need to thrive.  He has worked internationally throughout his career and is a graduate of the Universities of both Oxford and Cambridge.

Anjum Halai

Dr Anjum Halai, with a doctoral degree from Oxford University, UK, has held roles including adjunct professor at the University of Alberta, Canada (2011-2016), and research fellow at Sussex University, UK. She is the author of the forthcoming book ‘Teaching and Teacher Education in Pakistan: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives’. She serves on the Advisory Committee for the Women’s Leadership Academy at Aga Khan University and is a founding member of the Women’s Leadership Group by the National Academy of Higher Education, Pakistan. Formerly the Founding Dean (2018-22) at AKU’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences, she currently holds the position of Professor of Education and Regional Vice Provost at AKU.

Anoushey Ashraf

Anoushey Ashraf started off as a Video Jockey in 2002 and has done fashion modeling, acting, and hosting shows globally. Recently, she has started a podcast. She gained fame as one of the pioneering VJs for Indus Music in 2002. From being a VJ, she graduated to an appearance in a PTV television serial directed by Saira Kazmi. She eventually became one of the main faces of MTV when it first launched in Pakistan. 

Ansar Burney

Ansar Burney is a Pakistani lawyer and activist widely known for introducing the concept of human rights in Pakistan. In 1980, he established the Prisoners Aid Society, which was later changed to Ansar Burney Trust, and since then, he has helped release over 900,000 people from illegal confinement. He has advocated for victims of human trafficking, bonded labour, and other forms of exploitation. Ansar Burney has confronted injustice globally, bringing light to the world’s darkest corners. He has fought for the rights of the oppressed, the abandoned, and the forgotten. He is not concerned with borders, creed, or politics; his driving force is justice.

Burney’s relentless efforts brought an end to the use of child camel jockeys in the Middle East, for which he was honoured as an Anti-Human Trafficking Hero by the US State Department. He later served as Pakistan’s first-ever Minister of Human Rights and was also elected unopposed as an Expert Advisor on Human Rights in the United Nations. Ansar Burney has won over 250 awards, including the Outstanding Young Person of the World Award, Paul Harris Fellow Award, Mother Teresa Memorial Award, Sitara-e-Imtiaz, and Hilal-e-Imtiaz. 

Anwar Sajidi

Anwar Sajidi Baloch is a senior Journalist and Editor in chief of one of the leading daily newspaper the Intikhab.

Anwer Sen Roy

Writer and journalist, Anwer Sen Roy is the author of two novels: ‘Cheekh’ and ‘Zillatoun ke Aseer’. He has worked with several major Urdu print media groups and has launched four Urdu dailies from Karachi as a pioneer editor. After retiring from the BBC World Service, London, he fully focuses on his literary work. His book, ‘New York ke Liye Ek Qabar aur Doosri Nazmain’ (2016), is a translation of poems by Adonis, the Syrian-born Lebanese poet and literary critic; and ‘Jughrafey kay Ma’toob’ is a translation of selected poems by Mahmoud Darwish. He has translated ‘Tomb of Sand’ by Geetanjali Shree winner of Booker International 2022, published the same year and five collections of poetry as collected works: ‘Kuchh Mohabat, Kuchh Baybasi’ in 2023.

Aqeel Abbas Jaffri

Aqeel Abbas Jafri is a Pakistani writer, poet and architect and chief editor of Urdu Dictionary Board in Pakistan. Jafri spent 20 years compiling and writing Pakistan Chronicle, which was published in 2010.The book has rare photographs and accounts of historic events from August 14, 1947

Arfa Sayeda Zehra

Arfa Sayeda Zehra is an eminent professional, public intellectual, educationist, culture expert, gender specialist, human rights activist, and social nationalist. She is the alumna of the Lahore College for Women University; Government College University; and the University of Hawaii, Manoa. Dr Zehra is a professor of history at Forman Christian College University and a former principal of the Lahore College for Women University. She is a recipient of the Fatima Jinnah Award, International Sophist Award, and the Distinguished Alumni Award from East West Center, Hawaii, USA. She has the honour of holding UNESCO Chair, as well as being a Fellow in National College of Arts, Lahore. She received an International Award in Emirates for her contribution towards national literature, language, and culture of Pakistan.

Arif Hasan

Arif Hasan is an architect, planner, activist, teacher, researcher, and the author of a large number of books, research papers, and monographs on anthropology, urban and rural development issues. He has been the Principal Consultant to the Orangi Pilot Project-Research and Training Institute from 1981 to 2017. He is also the founding Chairperson of the Urban Resource Centre, Karachi and a founding member of the Asian Coalition for Housing Rights, Bangkok. All these projects are being replicated in a number of cities worldwide and have received international recognition. He has also taught at Pakistani and European universities, been a member of various UN committees, and his activism has led to the modification of a number of projects in favour of low-income communities. He has received a number of national and international awards for his work including the Hilal-e-Imtiaz and Prince Claus Award.   

Arshad Saeed Husain

Arshad Saeed Husain is the Managing Director of Oxford University Press, Pakistan. He has over 29 years of broad-based commercial experience working for leading multinational companies in the Pharmaceuticals, FMCG and Life Sciences sectors. Prior to joining OUP, Arshad served as the CEO of Aman Health Care Services, and as the Managing Director of Abbott Laboratories Pakistan Ltd. He was associated with Syngenta Pakistan Ltd. as Managing Director and with PT Syngenta, Indonesia as President Director. He has served in senior leadership positions at GlaxoSmithKline Pakistan Ltd and ICI Pakistan Ltd. Arshad has served as the President of the American Business Council and as Chairman of the Pharma Bureau of the OICCI. He was the founding member of the Swiss Business Council and Chairman, CropLife Pakistan. He is a former President and Member of the Board of Directors of the Rotary Club of Karachi Metropolitan.

Asad Umar

Asad Umar is a former Pakistani politician with a distinguished career in public service. He served as a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from September 2013 to May 2018 and again from August 2018 to January 2023. During his tenure, he held key positions, including Federal Minister for Planning, Development, Reforms, and Special Initiatives from November 2019 to April 2022. Earlier in his political career, Asad Umar served as Chairman of the House Standing Committee on Finance, Revenue, and Economic Affairs from May 2019 to November 2019. From 2013 to 2018, he served as Chairman in the Standing Committee of the National Assembly on Industries and Production. From August 2018 to April 2019, he was Minister of Finance, Revenue, and Economic Affairs of Pakistan. Additionally, from March 2020 to March 2022, he chaired the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), in addition to his responsibilities as federal minister for planning. Before his foray into politics, Asad Umar had a successful corporate career, notably as the CEO of Engro Corporation from 2004 to 2012. He also played a significant role within the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, serving as its secretary-general from December 2021 to May 2023. Throughout his career, Asad Umar has been dedicated to serving his country and driving positive change in various sectors. 

Asghar Nadeem Syed

Asghar Nadeem Syed is a poet, novelist, and a teacher of film and theatre. He is the author of ‘Tooti Hui Tanab Udhar’ (2019) and has recently published a novel titled ‘Dasht-e-Imkaan.’ Best known for his popular TV drama serials such as ‘Chand Grahan,’ ‘Nijaat,’ ‘Ghulam Gardish,’ and ‘Piyaas,’ Asghar Nadeem Syed has written plays depicting the feudal culture/society in rural Sindh and Punjab, exploitation of women, and the oligarchic structure in Pakistan, comprising politicians, feudals, media moguls, and the bureaucracy. He received the President’s Pride of Performance in 2006. 

Ashraf Shad

Ashraf Shad is a distinguished senior journalist, writer, and poet who has resided in Australia for the past four decades. Over the course of his prolific career, he has authored eighteen books. Renowned for his contributions to political fiction, Shad’s notable novels include ‘Wazeere Azam,’ ‘Sadre Mohtaram,’ and ‘Judge Saheb.’ Actively engaged in the journalists’ movement of the 1970s, he endured imprisonment in Lahore, Karachi, and Hyderabad prisons. Acknowledged for his scholarly endeavours, Shad received a master’s degree from the University of New South Wales in Sydney for his research on Third World media. In 1998, he was honoured with the Prime Minister Literary Award by the Pakistan Academy of Letters for his novel ‘Bewatan.’ Shad’s journalism career spanned countries such as Pakistan, Kuwait, and Bahrain, culminating in his retirement as the Head of Urdu Service at the Australian national broadcaster, SBS Radio. Beyond his journalistic endeavours, Shad served as the Academic Editor for Research Affairs at the esteemed UAE University and has taught media courses at the Dubai campus of SZABIST. His recent publication, ‘Underground,’ delves into the history of Pakistan’s left movements, while his forthcoming book, ‘Sahafat ke Khar-o-Gul,’ presents his memoirs of life as a journalist in Pakistan. 

Asma Hyder

Dr Asma Hyder is dean and professor at the Institute of Business Administration, Karachi. She is the recipient of the Fulbright J. William Award for International Understanding at the University of Pennsylvania, USA. She has been a visiting research fellow at the University of Sussex, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK, and Carleton University, Canada. Her research focuses broadly on development issues, specifically different labor market issues, wage differentials, schooling, gender, health, and social well-being. Besides working on Pakistan’s social problems, she also studies household behavior and preferences toward child schooling during and after economic and climatic shocks in the world’s extraordinarily vulnerable and poorest societies. Her regional interests include Southeast Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. 

Atif Badar

Atif Badar is an extremely versatile and talented artist with a wide range of experience from stage, voice-overs, and mini screen to a film ‘Ramchand Pakistani’. He is an acting coach, storyteller, writer, and dubbing artist too. He has worked extensively with great passion. He started his career as an actor in 1993 with Tehrik-e-Niswan and worked in numerous famous theatre plays with notable directors. He also worked for four years with the Katha theatre group also. Currently, he is working as a theatre and creative movement teacher, writer, and director in three well-reputed schools. As a theatre teacher, he conducted many theatre workshops in Pakistan with PLF and also conducted two theatre workshops in Singapore. He conducted many theatre workshops for the Teacher’s Learning Festival in Karachi and Lahore. Since 2017, he is teaching theatre, Drama, and Acting at Artrageous Summer of Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture and also taught acting in the IVS Visual Media filmmaking course. A few years ago he received PLF Outstanding Award and recently he received the Best Teachers Award in Karachi. As a culinary expert, his recipes have been published in Pakistan’s famous newspapers and magazines.

Attiya Dawood

Attiya Dawood is a celebrated Sindhi poet, writer, and activist. Through her writings, she sheds light on the oppression of women in Pakistani society under the guise of tradition. Her poems have been translated into English, Urdu, and German. She has published several books, with the latest being ‘Sindhi Adab: Aik Mukhtasar Tareekh’ (2019). Attiya Dawood is also the recipient of the Sindh Adeeb Award from Akhil Bharat Sindhi Boli Ain Sahit Sabha, India. 

Baela Raza Jamil

A public policy specialist, innovator, and reformer, Baela Raza Jamil is CEO of Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi (ITA) and founder of the Children’s Literature Festival now known as the Pakistan Learning Festival. She leads large nationwide social movements for education reforms in Early Years, Girls Education and Livelihoods, including the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) Pakistan.  More recently she has spearheaded along with 20+ organizations the first ever Education Parliamentarians Caucus Pakistan announced on the International Day of Education (Jan 24, 2022) with 20 parliamentarians. 

Baela is invested in ending violence against women and ending child/early forced marriages. She prominently serves on government federal and provincial boards and platforms including the National Education Foundation, Punjab Social Protection Authority; Sub-convenor Steering Committee on Education at the Ministry of Planning Development & Special Initiatives, Local Education Group member in three provinces and the Sanjan Nagar Public Education Trust (SNPET). Baela served as technical adviser to the Federal Ministry of Education from 2000-2004 

Globally, Baela Jamil is the Commissioner Education Commission with Gordon Brown as Chair; one of 12 members on UNESCO IBE Council; has served  on UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report, as Vice Chair (GMR); UNESCO Institute of Statistics as the Chairperson of SDG 4.2.1 (ECE) Task Force; Member, Platform for Girls Education – Foreign and Commonwealth Office, UK; Advisor, Global Business Coalition for Education; Advisor, Research on Improving Systems of Education (RISE), Delivery Board, Oxford UK and member People’s Action for Learning (PAL) Network.

Bee Gul

Bee Gul is an award-winning screenwriter and director, she has written some critically acclaimed plays and films for television such as ‘Talkhiyaan’, ‘Pehchaan’, ‘Kaun Qamar Ara’, ‘Firdous ki Dozakh’, ‘Dar Si Jaati Hai Sila’, “Working Women “and ‘Raqeeb Se’. Apart from television, she has written various unconventional theatre scripts such as “Bedroom Conversations ” and “Marney Sey Pehlay Janat”. She has written scripts for feature films namely ‘Laloolal.com’ and ‘Intezar’. She won the Best Telefilm Writer Award for ‘Kaun Qamar Ara’ at the 2nd Hum Telefilm Awards (2015). For ‘Dar Si Jaati Hai Sila’ Bee Gul won a LUX Style Award (2019) for Best TV Writer and Best Drama Writer at the Hum TV Awards (2019). Her recent works include two web series, for an international platform, titled The Pink Shirt and Teen Tara. The Pink Shirt was selected and premiered at the prestigious South by Southwest Film Festival in Sydney in October 2023, it was the only South Asian web series selected at SXSW. She is a visiting faculty at the Media Science Department, SZABIST, Iqra University, and NCA, Lahore and the Project Head of the Khan Academy Urdu (Pakistan chapter). 

Bi Bi Ameena

Bi Bi Ameena currently serves as Assistant Professor in Urdu at the International Islamic University, Islamabad. Her area of specialisation is Urdu Linguistics and Lexicography. She is sub-editor of research journal ‘Me’yar’ and associate editor of the ‘Index of Urdu Journals.’ She is on the review board of various national research journals. Ameena is the author of three books: ‘Khalida Hussain: Shakhsiat aur Fun’ (2017), ‘Urdu Lughat (Tareekhi Usool Per): Tehqiqi aur Tanqidi Mutalia’ (2020) and is one of the co-authors of ‘Lisaniyat: Aik Jame’ Ta’aruf’ (2022). Her book ‘Urdu Lughat (Tareekhi Usool Per): Tehqiqi aur Tanqidi Mutalia’ received the prestigious 2020 Baba-i-Urdu Maulvi Abdul Haq Award for research and criticism from Pakistan Academy of Letters. 

Bilal Hassan

Mystapaki aka Bilal Hassan is a content creator, writer and photojournalist who posts primarily about travel and culture while opening up a window for the outside world to have a peek into what everyday life is like in Pakistan. He’s written for and been in numerous local and international publications namely VICE, the Guardian, Toronto Star, Print India and Dawn Pakistan.  

Bina Shah

Bina Shah is a Karachi-based author and novelist. She earned critical acclaim for her novels about Pakistan: ‘Where They Dream in Blue’ (2001), ‘The 786 Cybercafe’ (2004), ‘Slum Child’ (2009) and ‘A Season for Martyrs’ (2014). Bina has been a regular contributor to The New York Times and a frequent guest on the BBC. She has written essays and op-eds for Granta, Al Jazeera, The Independent, and The Guardian, in addition to maintaining a regular opinion column for Dawn. She was honoured in 2022 with the rank of Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the Government of France. Her latest novel ‘The Monsoon War’ (2023) is a standalone sequel to her popular feminist dystopia ‘Before She Sleeps’ (2018). 

Christie Marie Lauder

Christie Marie Lauder is the Program Director of the Communications and Design department at Habib University, where she teaches creative writing, film theory, and journalism. Formerly, Lauder was the Director of the Centre for Excellence in Journalism at IBA. Her work has appeared in Persephone Magazine, Peauxdunque Review, Jezebel, and Refinery 29, among other outlets. She has also served on the board of the Salam Award, promoting speculative fiction writing in the Pakistani diaspora.  She writes frequently about the intersections of pop culture and gender, genre movies, and adaptation.

Claire Chambers

Claire Chambers is Professor of Global Literature at the University of York, where she teaches twentieth- and twenty-first-century writing in English from South Asia, the Perso-Arab world, and their diasporas. She is the author of ‘British Muslim Fictions’ (2011), ‘Britain Through Muslim Eyes’ (2015), ‘Rivers of Ink: Selected Essays’ (2017), and ‘Making Sense of Contemporary British Muslim Novels’ (2019). She has co-edited and co-authored several other books including, most recently, ‘Forgotten Foods: Memories and Recipes from Muslim South Asia’ (2023). Claire was Editor-in-Chief of the ‘Journal of Commonwealth Literature’ for over a decade and now co-edits two book series, ‘Multicultural Textualities’ (Manchester University Press) and ‘Global Literature: Twenty-First Century Perspectives’ (Routledge). She has been awarded funding by the AHRC, ESRC, Leverhulme, and British Academy, among other bodies. Claire is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA). 

Faisal Bari

Dr Faisal Bari is an economist with over twenty years of research/teaching experience in the areas of economics of education, social protection, industrial organization and economic development. He is an associate professor of economics at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Lahore, Pakistan, where his areas of teaching and research relate to the economics of education, inclusive education, philosophy of education, microeconomics, game theory and industrial organization. He was also the Dean for the School of Education at LUMS (2020-2023). He is a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Development and Economic Alternatives (IDEAS). Previous to this, Dr Bari was CEO for IDEAS (2015-2020), Executive Director for Mahbub ul Haq Human Development Centre (2004-2006), and Visiting Assistant Professor of economics at Yale University, New Haven (2000-2001). A former Rhodes Scholar (Pakistan-1988), Dr Bari has a BA (honours) from Oxford, and a doctorate from McGill University. His research has been published in numerous journals/books. He is a regular columnist for the daily Dawn, Pakistan. 

Faisal Siddiqi

Faisal Siddiqi is a leading constitutional, civil, and human rights lawyer who practices at the Supreme Court and High Courts of Pakistan. Siddiqi graduated from the London School of Economics and Political Sciences and studied law at the University of Cambridge. He runs one of the largest Pro-Bono litigation practices for Constitutional and Human Rights in Pakistan and is also one of the main founders of the Legal Aid Foundation for Victims of Rape and Sexual Assault, which Legal Aid Foundation operates under his supervision. He has published academically, also regularly writes for the Pakistani daily newspaper ‘Dawn’ and has been a visiting fellow at the London School of Economics and Political Science, London, and McGill University in Montreal, Canada. 

Farid Panjwani

Professor Farid Panjwani, the Dean of Aga Khan University’s Institute for Education Development (AKU-IED), has a DPhil in Education from the University of Oxford and a Master’s in Education and International Development from University of London. Before joining the AKU, Professor Panjwani was at University College London where he was the Founding Director of the Centre for the Study of Education in Muslim Contexts. From 2016 to 2018, he was a Commissioner on the UK’s National Commission on Religion and Education. Professor Panjwani’s research and teaching areas include philosophy of education, citizenship education, religion and education and critical development studies. 

Farida Faizullah

Farida Faizullah is a Karachi-based educationist and English language poet. Currently a visiting faculty of English Literature at Aga Khan University, she was formerly Associate Professor of English at Abdullah Government College for Women. She has co-authored English Skills for Classes 11 and 12, a set of English language textbooks published by Oxford University Press. Farida Faizullah takes a keen interest in poetry and, as a student and young poet, she used to participate in the poetry circle Mixed Voices.

Farrukh Iqbal

Farrukh Iqbal is the former Executive Director of IBA, Karachi, and a former Country Director of the World Bank. Since retiring in 2020, he has continued to pursue his interest in the economics of developing countries through writing, research, consultancy, and teaching. Additionally, he remains engaged in the arts and culture of South Asia. 

Faryal Mehmood

Faryal Mehmood is an American-born Pakistani triple-threat who has been actively contributing to the Pakistani entertainment industry for the past decade through her skills in dancing, singing, and acting. While she has participated in commercials and fashion shows, her primary focus has been on acting. Faryal has showcased her talent on Pakistani TV in plays, web series, and short films, including notable projects such as ‘Raqeeb Se’, ‘Enaaya’, and ‘Paon Ki Jooti’.

Recently, she has taken on three feature film roles: a titular character in the fiery and boundary-pushing ‘Wakhri’, the noir-style ‘Chikkar’, where the entire film revolves around her character, haunting the storyline despite appearing on screen for less than ten minutes, and Nayab, where she makes a special appearance as a dancing guest at a wedding. Faryal remains dedicated to honing her acting and dancing prowess, with aspirations to expand her work portfolio to international markets, further broadening her reach. 

Fouzia Khan

Dr Fouzia Khan is an avid Developmental activist, whose career and interests are a reflection of her developmental pursuits. A psychologist by qualification, an educationist by profession, and a media personality by interest. with over 20 years of experience, Dr. Fouzia served as Dean of public / Private Universities before returning to the provincial education department where she is currently serving as Head of Curriculum wing and is responsible for spearheading reforms pertaining to the school education standards, and curriculum. Being an advocate of academic contributions to social thought, her research focus has also been around burning social issues.

Fozia Parveen

Fozia Parveen is an assistant professor a the Aga khan University, Institute for Educational Development. She is an environmental scientist by training and holds her DPhil in Engineering Science from the University of Oxford. At AKU her role is to mainstream environment and climate change education. Prior to this she worked in LUMS as a post doctorate, majorly focusing on introductory course in environment and microplastic pollution research. Currently she holds a US mission grant to train 50 teachers in KP for a year long program as climate champions alongside teaching and supervising researches in environmental education. She leads and attends various youth camps and session on environmental and climate advocacy. She has created free and open resources for parents, teachers and students and hopes to help everyone become a part of this much needed mass awareness. So far as a group we have published five resource books and two more are in making. I have also oriented 100 teachers on that module last year.

Ghazi Salahuddin

Ghazi Salahuddin is a senior journalist who writes a weekly column for ‘The News.’ Before becoming the launch editor of ‘The News’ in Karachi in February 1991, he served at ‘Dawn’ in various significant positions, including News Editor. During the martial law of General Ziaul Haq, his column ‘Karachi Diary’ was a leading voice of dissent. He has also been associated with electronic media and was on the panel of PTV’s ‘Kasauti’ quiz show. In recent years, he hosted a program on books on Geo TV. Mr. Salahuddin is also a social activist and human rights defender. He is a recipient of the President’s Pride of Performance Award in journalism and was presented with the Bibliophile of the Year Award 2011 by the National Book Foundation. 

Harris Khalique

Harris Khalique is a poet and author in English, Urdu and Punjabi with ten collections of poetry, two books of nonfiction and several hundred articles, columns and papers published in Pakistan and abroad. He has co-edited a volume of essays and guest-edited a literary journal. Khalique has also been a seasoned broadcaster. His work is composed to music and dance and translated into several international languages besides being anthologised by Oxford University Press, Penguin US, University of Georgia Press, W.W. Norton, Kitaab, Maktaba-e-Daniyal, Folio Books and others. He has delivered keynote addresses and lectures at conferences and universities across many countries. He is a recipient of Pakistan’s prestigious Presidential Pride of Performance Award and the UBL Literary Excellence Award. He is also a University of Iowa Honorary Fellow in Writing. After working closely with labour, community development and other civil rights movements for decades across Pakistan, South Asia and Europe, he now serves as the secretary-general of the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan besides managing DARE, an education research programme, run by Oxford Policy Management. Khalique graduated in mechanical engineering from N.E.D. University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi, and earned a master’s degree in development management from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Hasan Manzar

Born on 4 March 1934, Hasan Manzar, a psychiatrist by profession, is a prolific novelist and short story writer. His family migrated to Pakistan in 1947 and settled in Lahore where he received most of his formal education. He attended Forman Christian College, Islamia College, and, later, King Edward Medical College for his medical degree. He pursued postgraduate studies in psychiatry at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. Currently residing in Hyderabad, Sindh, he manages a psychiatric clinic. Hasan Manzar has received various accolades, including the Sitara-e-Imtiaz from the Government of Pakistan, for his significant literary contributions. 

Hasan Zaidi

Filmmaker, journalist, and cultural critic, Hasan Zaidi is currently the Editor Magazines at Dawn, overseeing the newspaper’s weekly print magazines Eos, Icon, and Young World. Thrice recipient of the All Pakistan Newspapers Society’s award for excellence in journalism, he has worked for print, television, radio, and digital. As a filmmaker, he has directed and produced a number of documentaries, music videos, and the pioneering digital feature film ‘Raat Chali Hai Jhoom Ke’. He has also exhibited his photographic work and was the Festival Director of KaraFilm Festival. In 2003, the World Economic Forum nominated him as one of the Global Leaders of Tomorrow in the Media.

Haya Sehgal

Haya Sehgal is an Analyst, Writer and National Poet. Her book Resilient Pakistan was launched at the Islamabad Literature Festival in 2023.
She has also been invited by the Board at the Quaid-e-Azam Museum to speak about ‘Jinnah’s Pakistan’ as well as to several interviews regarding this subject. She has also spoken extensively as an analyst on sociocultural values which have created impact change in the country.  
Haya Sehgal’s background is in the field of private security where she has been a security professional for 20 years. She is a member of the prestigious Jinnah Society which works towards nation building and promoting the values of the founding father of the nation, Muhammad Ali Jinnah.  
Her latest work Earth & Glimmer delves into poetry, prose and commentary. She has been listed as a ‘fresh and important perspective’ which comes from a new generation of writers coming out of Pakistan.  

Hoori Noorani

Hoori Noorani runs the Karachi publishing house Maktaba-e-Danyal, which she inherited from her late father Malik Noorani on his death. Following her early education in Karachi, her love for literature and linguistics led her towards a master’s degree in philology, with a major in Russian and World literature, from the People’s Friendship University in Moscow. Upon her return to Karachi after graduating in 1983, she did a short stint as a teacher of Russian language at the Russian Cultural Centre before joining her father’s publishing business. Maktaba-e-Danyal is known for having published renowned authors like Mushtaq Ahmed Yousufi, Syed Sibte Hassan, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Iftikhar Arif, Fehmida Riaz, Habib Jalib and many others. They have also published the works of authors from India. Currently, they are working on a series of translations into Urdu from world Literature as well as Pakistani authors writing in English. Ms Noorani is a trained classical dancer. She has also translated Henrich Borovik’s famous play Interview in Buenos Aires from Russian into Urdu.

Huma Baqai

Prof. Dr Huma Baqai currently holds the position of Rector at the Millennium Institute of Technology and Entrepreneurship in Karachi. Previously, she served as the Associate Dean, Faculty of Business Administration at the Institute of Business Administration Karachi and as an Associate Professor of Social Sciences & Liberal Arts at IBA Karachi. She is an international relations expert & political analyst and has three books to her credit: ’Making Sense of Post COVID-19 Politics’ (2020), ’Pakistan-Afghanistan Relations: Pitfalls and Way Forward’ (2021), ‘Collected Works on Foreign Affairs and Security Policy’ (2023). She has published extensively both nationally and internationally. Dr Baqai is also recognized as a content developer and holds certification as a Corporate Trainer. Additionally, she currently holds the position of Senior Vice Chairperson at the Karachi Council for Foreign Relations (KCFR) and serves on several advisory and governance boards. 

Huma Ghaffar

Dr Huma Ghaffar is a faculty at the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Aga Khan University and is a visiting faculty at the Pakistan Study Centre, University of Karachi. Her area of specialization is historiography with special emphasis on the history of the subcontinent. Dr Huma is the author of the book ‘Pakistan mein Tarikh Nigari ka Tajziyati Mutalah (1947-1975)’ (An Analytical Study of Historiography in Pakistan 1947-1975) (2007). Her work has been published in academic and research journals consisting of articles on History, Historiography, and the Curriculum of Social Studies in Pakistan. She is the assistant editor of a history journal ‘Tareekh’ and has translated numerous works on the Literature of History. She has served as the President and the General Secretary of the Irtiqa Institute of Social Sciences and has been its active member since 2007. 

Iftikhar Arif

Iftikhar Arif is a prominent Urdu poet, scholar, and literary personality. Several collections of Iftikhar Arif’s poetry have been published, including the rendition of his poetry into English, titled ‘Written in the Season of Fear’ (OUP, 2003). A former head of the Pakistan Academy of Letters, National Language Authority, and the National Book Foundation, he has also been President of the ECO Cultural Institute in Tehran, Iran. He is the former head of National Language Promotion Department, National History and Literary Heritage Division, Islamabad. He has received numerous awards, including the President’s Pride of Performance Award. ‘Baagh-i-Gul-i-Surkh’ is his latest offering.

Iftikhar Salahuddin

Iftikhar Salahuddin is an ENT specialist with a keen interest in history, which developed during his extensive travels through several Muslim countries. He has been invited on multiple occasions by universities in Pakistan and abroad to speak on Muslim history. The author of the award-winning ‘Jerusalem: A Journey Back in Time’ and ‘If Stones Could Speak: Echoes from the Past’, he is also an avid photographer, with his work exhibited in art galleries and published in various magazines and newspapers. His latest book, ‘Persia: Land of Emperors and Kings’, was published early this year. 

Ikram Sehgal

Ikram Sehgal, a distinguished individual, is a former Pakistani POW who escaped from India in 1971, demonstrating exceptional courage and leadership. He holds the rank of Major, earned during his service leading a rifle company in the Thar Desert. Mr Sehgal is a sought-after speaker at defence institutions globally and serves as Co-Chairman of the Pathfinder Group, overseeing leading security and IT firms. He played a key role in the global recognition of Virtual Remittance Gateway (VRG), ranking third worldwide for digital financial inclusion with nearly 9.0 million Asaan Mobile Accounts (AMA) by the Edison Alliance of WEF. Beyond his professional roles, Mr Sehgal holds various positions, including Patron-in-Chief of KCFR, Vice Chairman of the Board of Management at Quaid-e-Azam House Museum, Honorary Senior Fellow at Singularity Academy, Zurich, and membership in WEF’s ‘Partnering Against Corruption Initiative’ (PACI) Board. He also served as a former Global Agenda Council (GAC) member for ‘Counter-Terrorism.’ Sehgal is the Chairman of the ‘Pakistan Committee’ of the Swiss Asian Chamber of Commerce in Geneva and was a Director of the EastWest Institute New York. He has served on the Executive Council of Pakistan Newspapers Editors (CPNE) for a decade and on the Board of Directors of Bank Alfalah for sixteen years since its inception. Elected Chairman of K-Electric in January 2019, he is a prolific writer and well-known defence and security analyst on television.

Imran Yousuf

Dr Imran Yousuf is a mental health psychologist and Canadian citizen, currently Honorary Consul General of the Philippines in Karachi. He has membership in renowned psychological associations across America, Canada, Britain, and Pakistan. With expertise in Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and Clinical Hypnotherapy, Dr Yousuf brings innovative approaches to mental health treatment. As Managing Director at Multinational, Jofa Group (Movenpick), he has been recognized among Pakistan’s Top 100 CEOs, showcasing his strategic leadership. His diplomatic service as an Honorary Consul General of the Philippines underscores his global impact. His dedication to education and awareness is evident through his development of mental health programs for universities. Dr Yousuf’s extensive media presence, with over 1,000 television programs, as an author and co-author of four books with his research articles published in national and international journals and magazines demonstrates his commitment to spreading mental health awareness to diverse audiences. His contributions have earned recognition from nations such as the Netherlands, Philippines, Canada, and the USA, solidifying his global influence. Awarded the Sitara-e-Imtiaz, one of Pakistan’s highest honours, Dr Yousuf’s contributions have garnered widespread recognition. 

Inaam Nadeem

Inaam Nadeem is a poet, writer, translator, and educator. He has authored ten books, including captivating ghazals. In 2003, he received the Aks-e-Khushbu Poetry Prize for ‘Dar-e-Khawab.’ He has translated works like The Prisoner and Dozakhnama into Urdu. In literary curation, Nadeem has compiled anthologies on figures such as Asif Farrukhi and Akbar Masoom. His dedication to diverse voices is evident in translating short stories by Bhisham Sahni, shortlisted for the 10th UBL Literature & Arts Award. Currently an Associate Professor in Karachi, he continues his literary contributions, including the Urdu translation of ‘Rumi’s Daughter.’ Nadeem’s essays and articles on music further showcase his cultural engagement. His ongoing project involves selecting and translating Palestinian short stories, cementing his influence in literature.

Iqbal Shah

Iqbal Shah, known by his pen name Makham Khattak, is a multifaceted individual with a diverse range of talents. As a practicing lawyer in the Karachi High Court, he brings his legal expertise to the forefront.
Beyond his legal career, Makham Khattak is a prolific poet, columnist, blogger, and scriptwriter. He has authored and translated twenty-three books, covering a wide array of topics. His literary journey began with his first book of Pashto poetry, ‘Pa wajood key na zayegam’ (I am not being absorbed in my existence), published in 2005. Subsequently, he delved into literary reportage with ‘Gulgasht’ in 2007, documenting an international Pashto mushaira held at Hazara University, Dhodial Mansehra.
In 2016, Makham Khattak released his second Pashto poetry book, ‘Laka Fasle rebal kigam’ (I am being harvested like a crop). His work extends to scholarly pursuits as well, with ‘Pashto Adab key da inshaia ibtida ao irtiqa’ (Origin and evolution of the light essay in Pashto literature), recommended for MPhil students at Bacha Khan University, Charsadda, KP.

Ishrat Husain

Dr Ishrat Husain is a distinguished scholar and former Advisor to the Prime Minister on Institutional Reforms, with a wealth of experience. He has served as Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan and held key positions at the World Bank for over two decades. Dr Husain is a prolific author, with numerous publications to his name, and has been recognized with prestigious awards, including the Nishan-e-Imtiaz and Hilal-e-Imtiaz.

Jehan Ara

Jehan Ara is the Founder & CEO of Katalyst Labs a Technology Startup Accelerator and Innovation hub. She is the former President of the Pakistan Software Houses Association for IT & ITES (P@SHA) where she served for 25 years and was involved in promoting the Pakistan tech industry locally and internationally – she was also the Founder of The Nest I/O a Tech Startup Incubator which incubated 217 startup businesses. Katalyst Labs runs an acceleration program for startups and a Women Leaders Fellowship Program to build the capacity of women entrepreneurs and professionals and to help them create business networks. Katalyst Labs also run two major conferences +92Disrupt – a startup conference and Slush’d.

Jehan has worked in Hong Kong, the UAE and Pakistan. She currently serves as a Member of the PM’s Advisory Council for IT & the Digital Economy, a Member of the APAC Content Advisory Board for TikTok and is on the Advisory Boards of the Sindh Digital Technology Board Governing Body. She has just completed two terms as Independent Director on the board of the Central Depository Company and is also on the World Bank Advisory Group on Gender Diversity and the Board of IDEAS as well on the Industry Advisory Board of various universities. She is on the Steering Committee of the Women for Boards Initiative which works towards increasing the number of qualified and certified women on Company Boards.

She has been identified by Rest of World (ROW) as amongst the top global 100 Changemakers in Tech outside Silicon Valley.

The President of Pakistan has awarded her the Tamgha e Imtiaz for her lifetime of services to the tech industry.

Jibran Jamshad

Jibran Jamshad has been associated with Microsoft since 2007 and currently serves as the Regional Education Lead and Principal Officer for Microsoft Pakistan. He holds a master’s degree in Software Systems Engineering from the University of Melbourne and an MBA from CBM. In addition to numerous industry certifications and awards, Jibran has received the prestigious World Wide Circle of Excellence Award at Microsoft. He is deeply passionate about digital literacy and skilling, dedicating himself to empowering students throughout the country with the same mission. 

Jibran Nasir

Mohammad Jibran Nasir is a Pakistani lawyer, civil rights activist, and a political figure. He is known for his work in advocating for social justice.

Joseph Massad

Joseph Massad is Professor of Modern Arab Politics and Intellectual History at Columbia University. He is the author of several books, dozens of scholarly articles, and hundreds of op-eds. His books include Colonial Effects: The Making of National Identity in Jordan; The Persistence of the Palestinian Question; Desiring Arabs; and Islam in Liberalism. His forthcoming book is tentatively titled The Age of Independence: A Settler-Colonial History of the World. He is a recipient of a number of research and teaching awards, including the Lionel Trilling Book Award for his book Desiring Arabs, The Scott Nearing Award for Courageous Scholarship; and The Columbia University Faculty Mentoring Award. His works have been translated to more than a dozen languages including Arabic, Turkish, Persian, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Swedish, Japanese, Chinese, German, and Indonesian. 

Junaid Zuberi

Junaid Zuberi, MBA Class of 1994, has been appointed as the CEO of National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA). He carries over 25 years of corporate and management experience working with leading organizations such as ORIX Leasing, PICIC, and HBL. Moreover, he has a long association with culture, heritage and performing arts in Pakistan and Canada. He was the founder of Sur Sangum Foundation Toronto, Vice-Chair Friends of Museums of Mississauga, Canada, Member Executive Council of All Pakistan Music Conference Karachi, and Coordinator Joy of Urdu Karachi.

Kaiser Bengali

Dr Kaiser Bengali is an economist with over 40 years’ experience in teaching, research, and policy advice. He was Managing Director of the Social Policy & Development Centre, Karachi. Dr Bengali was consultant for Economic Affairs and head of the Chief Minister’s Policy Reform Unit, Government of Balochistan. Earlier, he was advisor to the Chief Minister of Sindh for Planning & Development. He was also the first head of the Benazir Income Support Programme and designed the programme. He has over 35 research publications in national and international journals and conferences. He is the author/editor of several books and regularly contributes articles in newspapers and appears on electronic media. 

Kamran Anwar

Kamran Anwar took a year-long sabbatical from his finance career to create Songs of the Sufi, an award winning documentary film on classical qawwali co-produced with Dr Katherine Schofield. Driven by his passion for Qawwali and his desire to conserve classical Qawwali roots and inform others about the unknown nuances of this spiritual music genre, the film covers the history, culture and the core message of classical qawwali. Prior to this endeavour, he directed Rung, a widely acclaimed collection of traditional Qawwali CDs featuring extensive insights on the genre, performers, and Qawwali translations, each amassing 5 million+ YouTube views. He also researched and narrated Hidden Gems of Lahore, a Destinations Media series uncovering Lahore’s unique historic sites. He is a frequent speaker on art and culture and is an avid collector of miniature paintings, Indian silver, and contemporary Pakistani art.

Kashif Khan

Kashif Khan is the Director of Strategy and Operations at The City School Southern Region.

Kazi Akber

Kazi Akber makes videos that he puts up on the internet. Before this, he did a degree in writing and philosophy. At some point between this and that he was employed in the marketing department of a newspaper.

Kenizé Mourad

Kenizé Mourad, an accomplished journalist, foreign affairs and war correspondent, historian, and bestselling novelist, is the orphaned daughter of a Turkish Ottoman princess and the late Rajah of Kotwara, an Indian Muslim father. Raised by Catholic nuns in Paris, she studied sociology and psychology at the Sorbonne. Kenizé has achieved international acclaim for her work, receiving the Prix Anaïs Ségalas from the French National Academy. In 1987, she was honoured as the top-ranking woman in the French Literary World by the Who’s Who of French Women and also received the Prix des Lectrices de ELLE from the readers of the renowned French women’s magazine.

Khadija Bakhtiar

Khadija Bakhtiar is the Founder and CEO of Teach For Pakistan, an organization dedicated to fostering leadership to address educational inequity. Through its structured Fellowship program, Teach For Pakistan provides motivated university graduates with the opportunity to teach for two years in under-resourced communities. This initiative aims to develop leadership skills and contextual understandings that can contribute to long-term, system-wide reforms. At present, 163 Fellows are making a positive impact on 10,000 students in high-need schools in rural areas of Islamabad. Additionally, 215 Alumni are actively advocating for every child’s right to participate in quality education. They are influencing policy, reshaping curricula, and employing innovative educational technology. Teach For Pakistan is expanding its reach to Sindh, with the program commencing in Karachi this year. Khadija Bakhtiar brings a wealth of experience, having worked with international organizations such as UN Women. She also serves on the Board of the National Education Foundation, Punjab Examination Commission, Teach For All’s Network Advisory Committee, and the Bardasht non-profit school in Tarnol, Islamabad. Khadija holds a Master’s degree from the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley, and a BSc. (honors) in Social Sciences from the Lahore University of Management Sciences. 

Khaled Anam

Khaled Anam is a singer, actor, song-writer, theatrical producer, and performer. He also hosts and produces a radio show based on Urdu literature and old songs on FM107. With a Master’s from Karachi University, Anam has done various theatrical training courses with Grips Theatre in Berlin, Germany. As part of a core team responsible for translating and adapting over 100 episodes of Open Sesame of Children’s Television Workshop into Urdu—he was solely responsible for translating and re-recording the songs of all episodes. A founding member of Grips Theatre, Pakistan, he has performed in both children’s and regular theatre all over Pakistan, India, UAE, and Germany. In recognition of his services to children’s theatre and education, Anam has been conferred the Goethe-Institut Award of Merit. Author of ‘Bachon kay Geet’ (OUP, 2014), he is also an ambassador for the Children’s Literature Festival. He has been awarded the President’s Pride of Performance by the Government of Pakistan.

Khalid Mahmood

Khalid Mahmood is a 35-year veteran of the healthcare and pharmaceutical industry and has been CEO of Getz Pharma (Pvt.) Limited (the largest pharmaceutical company in Pakistan), since its inception in 1995. Khalid currently serves on the board of the Zindagi Trust and the board of the Eqbal Ahmed Center for Public Education. He served as the President of the board of The World Wide Fund for Nature – Pakistan (WWF-P) during 2013- 2015 and was on its board member for six years. Khalid was awarded Tamgha-e-Imtiaz (Medal of Excellence) for his contribution to improving the health and well-being of Pakistan. He is a supporter of the preservation and development of music, theatre arts, and culture, and supports programs and initiatives in the areas of education, health, and sports for underprivileged communities.

Kishwar Naheed

Kishwar Naheed is one of Pakistan’s most renowned feminist poets. Her first collection of poems, ‘Lab-i-Goya’ (1968), earned her the prestigious Adamjee Prize for Literature. She is the founder of Hawwa (Eve), an organization dedicated to empowering women economically. Kishwar Naheed has also held the position of Director General of the Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA). In recognition of her contributions, she has received numerous awards, including the prestigious Sitara-i-Imtiaz in 2000. Her poetry has been translated into several languages, including English, French, and Italian. Oxford University Press has not only published her original works in Urdu (‘Intikhab-e-Kalam: Kishwar Naheed’ and ‘Pakistan ki Tehzeeb-o-Saqafat’) but also English translations of her works (‘The Distance of a Shout’ [poetry], ‘A Bad Woman’s Story’ [memoirs], and ‘The Culture and Civilization of Pakistan’). In 2022, the Government of Pakistan honoured her with the Hilal-e-Imtiaz, the second-highest civilian award, in recognition of her exceptional contributions to literature. 

Maheen Rahman

Maheen Rahman was appointed the Chief Executive Officer of InfraZamin Pakistan in 2020 and has played a crucial part in setting up IZP’s base operations and its initial structure. Maheen has over twenty years of experience in investment banking, research, and asset management. She has been featured on Fortune’s ‘40 Under 40’s women to watch’ list, in 2015, as the youngest head of Alfalah GHP Investment Management and the only female CEO in an industry where her rivals were all men. In addition to her extensive work experience and professional achievements, Maheen holds a Bachelor of Science (Hons) degree in Economics from the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) and a Master of Science in Finance and Economics from Warwick Business School in the UK.

Mahnaz Naveed Shah

Dr Mahnaz Naveed Shah is Founder and CEO of the The Eye Center-Dr. Mahnaz Naveed Shah & Associates and Founder and CEO of the Surgi Center in Karachi. In the past she has served as full time faculty at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi. She completed her undergraduate, medical degree as well as her post graduate residency and sub-specialty fellowship training in Ophthalmology in the United States. As an Eye Surgeon, Dr Mahnaz maintains a very active clinical practice and participates widely in teaching glaucoma in Pakistan. Her interests include provision of world class medical care, adoption of new surgical procedures and medical technologies, literature and music.

Maleeha Lodhi

Maleeha Lodhi has served as Pakistan’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, the first woman to represent Pakistan at the UN. She twice served as Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US (1993 – 1996, 1999 – 2002) and as High Commissioner to Britain (2003 – 2008). She also served as a member of the UN Secretary General’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Affairs from 2001 to 2005. She was the first woman in all of Asia to become the editor of a national daily newspaper. In 1994 Time magazine nominated her as one of a hundred people in the world who will help shape the 21st century, the only one from Pakistan. Dr Lodhi was a Public Policy Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars in Washington in 2010 and a Fellow at Harvard University’s Kennedy School in 2008. She is the recipient of the President’s award of Hilal-e-Imtiaz for Public Service in Pakistan. She is the author of two books: ‘Pakistan’s Encounter with Democracy’ (1994) and ‘Pakistan: Internal and External Challenges’ (2004). She also edited a volume titled ‘Pakistan: Beyond the ‘Crisis State,’ published by OUP. 

Manjula Kumar

Manjula Kumar serves as the President/Executive Director of Global Performing Arts, headquartered in Washington DC. With over thirty years of experience, she previously held the role of Program Director at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC. Originally from Kolkata, India, Manjula Kumar received her education in Delhi and London. She now resides and works in the Washington Metropolitan area, embarking on her third phase of life.

Martin Axmann

Dr Martin Axmann, a political scientist specializing in ethno-nationalist movements in the Indian subcontinent, earned his MA in political science, international law, and economics from the Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg in 1997, followed by a PhD in political science in 2007. With extensive fieldwork primarily focused on Pakistan, particularly in Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and the Iran-Pakistan trans-border region of Balochistan, Dr Axmann explores state and nation-building in the post-colonial world. His research delves into the emergence of sub-nationalist movements within larger nation-states. Having engaged in international development cooperation in Pakistan and Afghanistan, Dr Axmann is currently a freelance consultant for semi- and non-governmental organizations in Germany. His ongoing research centres on the evolution of the Baloch national movement in Pakistan, emphasizing the role of natural resources as both a cause and target of conflict. Author of the book ‘Back to the Future: The Khanate of Kalat and the Genesis of Baloch Nationalism 1915-1955,’ Dr Axmann examines the emergence and development of Baloch ethnic, political, and national identity before and after the creation of Pakistan.

Masood Lohar

Masood Lohar is an award-winning Climate Change and sustainable development expert with over two decades of experience. Masood is an activist for urban resilience and ecosystem restoration and promotes urban forests and urban wetlands. He is the founder and director of Clifton Urban Forest, where within three years, he has successfully planted 700,000 trees of 101 species including mangroves on a site which was a debris and plastic dump site in Clifton, Karachi Pakistan. The place is now hosting 140 bird species and other wildlife, with at least 40 bird species nesting and breeding there.  Masood is also a columnist for daily Dawn Karachi.

Mazhar Abbas

Former deputy director of ARY News Television and the secretary general of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists, Mazhar Abbas is a well- known champion of press freedom in Pakistan and has worked as a journalist for twenty-seven years. 

Michael Cirelli

Michael Cirelli, Founder of the National Youth Poet Laureate Program, a leading literary arts program for young writers in America, has led Urban Word for over two decades. Recognized as a top thought leader in the non-profit sector, he has received honours from the Ford Foundation and the Union Square Awards and was celebrated by Michelle Obama at the White House. His impactful work has been featured on CNN and in major news outlets such as ‘The New York Times,’ ‘The Washington Post,’ and ‘The Nation’.

As an educator and arts visionary, he served on the Artistic Advisory Board of the Boys & Girls Club of America. He taught critical literacy and hip-hop poetics at institutions like New York University, Michigan State University, the New School University, and the University of Wisconsin. At the University of Wisconsin, he directed the nationally recognized Hip-Hop in the Heartland conference for over fifteen years. His roles as a poet, educator, and administrator have enabled him to showcase poets on prominent national stages, from Madison Square Garden to the US Capitol. 

Miftah Ismail

Miftah Ismail served as the Federal Minister of Finance from April 2022 to September 2022. He had previously served in the same office, from April 2018 to May 2018 in Khaqan Abbasi’s cabinet. He has also served as Special Assistant to the Prime Minister, and as Chairman, Board of Investment, the Privatisation Commission and the Sui Southern Gas Company. A professional economist, Dr Ismail worked briefly for the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Later, he became CEO & Director of Ismail Industries Ltd. He has also served as President of Karachi American School and as Visiting Faculty at the Institute of Business Administration. Dr Miftah Ismail holds a bachelor’s degree from Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, a master’s degree in Public Policy and Administration from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and a PhD in Public Finance and Political Economy from the Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania. 

Minaa Shahzad

Minaa Shahzad is currently doing A-Levels at Cedar College in Karachi. Aged 18, she writes poems and short stories that focus on love of all kinds, its absence, and its presence in our lives in different ways, and the inherent human need to be loved. She believes that she writes because she is bad at remembering and just wants to capture memories and feelings into words. She hopes to write and publish novels in the future, as well as poem collections.

Moeen Faruqi

Moeen Faruqi is an artist and English language poet living in Karachi. His paintings have been exhibited widely within Pakistan and internationally in Canada, Italy, Singapore, Bangladesh, UK and India. His poems have been published in various literary journals in Pakistan and abroad, including ‘Poetry from Pakistan: An Anthology’ (Karachi, 1997), ‘Dragonfly in the Sun: An Anthology of Pakistani Literature’ (Karachi, 1997), and ‘The Poetry of Men’s Lives’ (USA, 2004). His poems have also appeared in Aleph (Pk.), Verse, Orbis, The Rialto (UK), Rattle (USA), Cyphers (Ire.) and in Vallum (Canada).

Mohsin Hamid

Mohsin Hamid is a British Pakistani novelist, writer and brand consultant. His novels are Moth Smoke (2000), The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2007), How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia (2013), Exit West (2017), and The Last White Man (2022).

Moneeza Hashmi

Moneeza Hashmi is a prominent figure in media and broadcasting, boasting a career that spans over four decades. She currently serves as a Trustee of the Faiz Foundation, committed to promoting the values and vision of poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz. Ms. Hashmi made history as the first woman to hold the position of Director of Programmes at Pakistan Television (PTV) and the sole female General Manager in the history of Lahore TV. Additionally, she served as the President of the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association for three consecutive terms, breaking gender-related barriers. Moneeza Hashmi’s expertise led her to work as a gender trainer and media consultant for various international organizations, including USAID, the British Council, UNDP, UNICEF, UNESCO, GIZ, UNFPA, JICA, and others, contributing significantly to gender empowerment in the media. Currently, she holds the position of Creative Media Head at the Kashf Foundation, where she continues her efforts to empower women through various media platforms. Her achievements have earned her numerous national and international awards, including the President of Pakistan’s Pride of Performance Award in 2002, particularly for her groundbreaking work in the portrayal of women in the media. 

Mubeen Mirza

Mubeen Mirza is a noted Pakistani fiction writer, poet, and journalist. He is a widely acknowledged and well-received short story writer of the modern era of Urdu fiction. For many years he has written a weekly article in the Sunday magazine of Daily Express on literary, socio-political, and international issues. At present, he writes for daily Jang and some literary and social sites on a variety of subjects. He is the editor of the renowned literary magazine ‘Mukalama’ and is the managing director of a well-reputed publishing house Academy Bazyaft. He is a member of the Board of Governors of the Pakistan Academy of Letters, Pakistan. Furthermore, he is the author of ‘Khof ke Aasman Talay’; ‘Saadat Hasan Manto: Shakhsiyat-o-Fun’; ‘Tabani’; ‘Zameenen aur Zamane’; ‘Arzang’; ‘Ahwal-o-Aasar’; ‘Urdu ke Behtareen Shakhsi Khakay’; ‘Pakistani Adab’; ‘Adabiyat’; and ‘Manto: Muntakhab Mazameen’.

Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali is the caretaker Minister for Energy, Power & Petroleum. He has over 30 years of domestic and international work experience in the public and private sectors, including as Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan.
He is also the founder of some of the leading companies in Pakistan including Inbox Business Technologies, Converge Technologies, Elixir Securities and Al-Shaheer Corporation (Meat One is the consumer brand).

Muhammad Aurangzeb

Muhammad Aurangzeb joined HBL in April 2018 as the President and CEO. A former CEO of JP Morgan’s Global Corporate Bank based in Asia, he has a rich international banking experience of over thirty years in other senior management roles at ABN AMRO and RBS based in Amsterdam and Singapore. Muhammad Aurangzeb is the only Pakistani to be invited to the exclusive membership of the Global CEO Council organized by WSJ/DowJones group. He is also Chairman, Pakistan Banks Association; Director, Pakistan Business Council; and Council Member, Institute of Bankers Pakistan. He is an alumnus of The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. 

Muhammad Azfar Ahsan

Muhammad Azfar Ahsan is a former Minister of State and Chairman of the Board of Investment, Government of Pakistan. He is the Founder of Corporate Pakistan Group (CPG). He is the Founder & CEO of Nutshell Group (Nutshell Communications, Nutshell Consulting & Nutshell Conferences. He has hosted more than 500 national and international conferences, seminars, training workshops, webinars, and group discussions in Pakistan; Singapore; Malaysia; Sri Lanka; Dubai; and Bahrain. He is the thought leader behind Pakistan’s biggest corporate gathering leaders in Islamabad Summit. He is a board member of the Institute of Financial Markets of Pakistan, RYTS Global, and an advisory board member of Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital Karachi. Azfar is the President of the Marketing Association of Pakistan. Azfar is working on investment projects with the governments of Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan.

Muhammad Hameed Shahid

Muhammad Hameed Shahid is a prominent fiction writer and literary critic. His writing journey began during his school days, with his first book published while he was still a university student. He has authored several collections of short stories, including ‘Band Ankhoon Sy Pare,’ ‘Janam Jahanam,’ ‘Margzaar,’ ‘Aadmi,’ ‘Sans Lene Mein Dard Hota Ha’ and ‘Gandam Ki Mehak.’ In addition to these, he has penned two novels, namely ‘Mitti Adam Khati Ha’ and ‘Jang Mein Mohabbat Ki Tasveer Nahein Banti.’ Mr. Shahid has also made significant contributions to non-fiction literature with works such as ‘Adbi Tanaziaat,’ ‘Urdu Afsana: Soorat o Maana,’ ‘Urdu Fiction Naye Mubahis,’ ‘Kahani aur Llosa Sy Muaamla,’ ‘Rashed, Meraji, Faiz: Nayaab hein Hum,’ ‘Intekhab Ghazaliat e Mir,’ and ‘Justju Guftgu,’ among others. His short stories have been nationally and internationally anthologized and translated into various languages. Moreover, he has translated global fiction and poetry from English into Urdu. His most recent publication is ‘Khushboo Ki Dewar Ky Pechae,’ an autobiography. Notably, his books were shortlisted for both the 6th UBL Literary Excellence and Karachi Literature Festival awards in 2016, and he was declared a winner of the UBL Literary Excellence Award in 2017. In recognition of his literary contributions, he was honoured with the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz by the President of Pakistan in 2017. 

Mukhtar Husain

Mukhtar Husain, born in Karachi, Pakistan, in 1950, developed his worldview while studying architecture in Türkiye during the 1960s and early 1970s. Upon returning to Karachi in 1973, he served as the Chief Architect of the Karachi Airport Project and later as the Executive Director of the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture. In 1997, he established his own practice, FNMH Architecture, and contributed to landmark projects for institutions such as AKUH, UBL, and IBA. His latest major project was the design of the campus and buildings of the Turkish Consulate in Karachi. Mukhtar Husain has been a teacher, a professional architect, a critic, and a technical reviewer for major projects. He is also the author of the coffee-table book ‘100+1 Pakistani Architects and Their Own Houses’. Married to Rumana Husain since 1977, he is the father of two children and the grandfather of three. Mukhtar Husain resides in Karachi and remains an active member of the architectural community. 

Mumtaz Bukhari

Mumtaz Bukhari is a Sindhi language writer, authoring 4 novels, 3 short story books, 3 books on criticism and literature, 5 books of translation, and 3 research books, along with two Urdu books. He is a playwright for Sindhi and Urdu TV and radio dramas and has been a working journalist for 30 years, producing research documentaries on various subjects. His work has been published internationally, including his novel ‘Class four ki Mahbooba’ in Urdu in both Lucknow and Karachi, and another Sindhi novel published in English titled ‘I Have to Wait for You’. He has served as editor for several literary magazines, collaborated with various organizations, and participated in numerous national and international literary programs, conferences, and workshops. He has received awards for his literary work from organizations such as the Academy of Letters, Pakistan, and the Sindhi Language Authority. With an excellent academic background, he holds positions in recognized literary, social, and journalistic organizations. He has experience as a scriptwriter, translator, and anchor person for Radio Pakistan Khair Pur and has hosted television and radio programs. Currently, he serves as the President of Sukkur Arts Council.

Muneeza Shamsie

Muneeza Shamsie is the author of Hybrid Tapestries: The Development of Pakistani Literature in English and editor of four anthologies of Pakistani English writing, including the forthcoming In the New Century: An Anthology of Pakistani Literature in English. She received the Gold IPPY and Bronze Foreword Awards in the US for her third anthology And the World Changed: Contemporary Stories by Pakistani Women. She is an Area Editor for the online Literary Encyclopedia, Bibliographic Representative (Pakistan) for The Journal of Commonwealth Literature, is a member the Advisory Boards of The Journal of Postcolonial Writing, the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature, and the International Centre of Pakistani Writing in English, Kinnaird College. She has served on the jury of several literary prizes, including the KLF-Getz Pharma prize and was regional chair (Eurasia) of the Commonwealth Writers Prize 2009-2011. She lives in Karachi, writes for the Pakistani press and has contributed memoir essays to several anthologies.

Murtaza Chaudary

Murtaza Chaudary, and Mustafa Chaudary are the pioneers of the first satirical political talk show, the ‘4-Man Show’ in Pakistan. From here on they have gone on to films, stand-up, and direction. Murtaza is the director and concept head. Mustafa is also a writer and a great talent in stand-up, mimicry, and acting. The sudden and unexpected popularity of their TV show on AAJ TV, the ‘4-Man Show’ was their take-off point. They moved on to create several hits like ‘Banana News Network’, ‘Media Azaad Hai’, ‘Lagti Ha Tu Lagay’, and ‘Dil Pay Mat Lay’ which were extremely popular. They have also made the critically acclaimed film, ‘Quetta’.

Muslim Rizvi

Muslim Rizvi is a Management & Information Technology Consultant by profession, based out of Toronto, Canada. Muslim is an avid reader and an amateur writer and poet who delves into plays and poetry in both English and Urdu. He is deeply inspired by the beauty of language in both classic and modern Urdu poetry. His interest varies from Ghalib and Momin to Faiz and Noon-Meem-Rashid. Muslim has recently started his own YouTube channel to share some of his writings. Muslim has also acted in a few theatre plays in his younger years but in the last decade or so, he has been busy with their two major productions, a teenage son and a daughter and is absolutely loving the role as a father. A native Karachiite and a ‘Nazimabadi’ at heart, Muslim is excited and grateful to participate, for the first time, in Karachi Literature Festival 2024.

Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar

Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar is a former senator and human rights activist from Pakistan. He served as a member of the Senate of Pakistan from 2018 to 2022, representing the Pakistan Peoples Party. He also served as an adviser to the prime minister on human rights from 2011 to 2013. He stepped down from his senate seat in 2022.

Naazir Mahmood

Dr Naazir Mahmood is a columnist, educator, and film critic with a special interest in history, international relations, and literature. He has translated 12 books from English to Urdu on diverse subjects. His collection of essays, ‘Politics, Pictures, Personalities’ (Badalti Dunya Publications, 2018), and ‘Pen and Politic: Resistance in Pakistan’ (Vanguard Books, 2020), have attracted wide attention. His latest books, ‘Cinema Cinema’ in English and ‘Cinema Kahani’ in Urdu, have been published by Aaj Publications and Mashaal Books, respectively. He is a regular contributor to major English and Urdu newspapers, including Dawn, The News, and Jang, and appears on TV as an analyst.

Nadeem Farooq Paracha

Nadeem Farooq Paracha is a prominent Pakistani author and social commentator. He has authored eight best-selling books on the social and political history of Pakistan. His latest book ‘Imran Khan: Myth of the Pakistani Middle-Class’ was published in May 2023. His books, ‘End of the Past’ (2016) and ‘Points of Entry’ (2018), have been two of the biggest selling non-fiction books in Pakistan in the last five years. In 2018, Nadeem was accepted as a Research Scholar at the International Forum for Democratic Studies in Washington DC. Since 2005, he has been a regular columnist for Dawn, Pakistan’s largest English language newspaper. He is also associated with Adcom Leo Burnett as Head of Ideas & Research.  

Nadya Chishty-Mujahid

Dr Nadya Chishty-Mujahid is Associate Professor, at the Department of Social Sciences and Liberal Arts, housed in the School of Economics and Social Sciences, Institute of Business Administration, Karachi. She is the author of ten academic monographs with The Edwin Mellen Press as well as a dramatic play titled ‘The Political Chess King.’ In addition to these endeavours, she has authored over 150 book reviews for Dawn, SouthAsia Magazine and various academic journals. She has recently published a collection of short stories titled ‘Timeless College Tales’ with Liberty Publishing. Dr Chishty-Mujahid has taught English at the college level over a span of several years, in countries including the United States, Canada, Egypt, and Pakistan.  

Najeeba Arif

Prof. Dr Najeeba Arif is an eminent scholar, creative writer, critic and researcher. Her major field of specialization is Archival Research. She has discovered, edited and published about a dozen manuscripts of eighteenth and nineteenth century. She also founded the first Indexation Agency for the Urdu Research Journals at International Islamic University, Islamabad and has been the editor of renowned research journals of Pakistan. She has been invited to several universities in Europe and USA to present her research. Some of her works in the field of Criticism are of pioneer nature, including her research on the Impact of 9/11 on Pakistani Urdu Fiction and the Impact of Colonialism on Sirah literature in Urdu. Sufi literature has been another field of her interest. Besides her research in Sufi literature, she has translated ‘Qaseeda Burda Shareef’ from Arabic into Urdu verse as well as a voluminous book on Science, Mysticism and the Concept of Allah from English to Urdu. Her collection of Urdu poetry ‘Ma’ani se Ziyada’ won the Award of the Best book of the year in 2015. Her poetry is being taught at the Ankara University, Turkey. Her other creative works include a book of memoirs, titled ‘Raagni ki Khoj Main’, a collection of short stories ‘Meethay Nalkay’, a novel, ‘Makhota’, travel writings and light essays. She writes in Urdu and English and knows Persian, Arabic and Punjabi. She has authored 17 books and published more than 60 articles in national and international journals. Currently she is serving as the Chairperson of Pakistan Academy of Letters, Islamabad. 

Naseem Salahuddin

Dr Naseem Salahuddin is a trailblazer in Infectious Diseases (ID) and Education. In a country lacking ID expertise, she pioneered the discipline, establishing the ID fellowship program, a professional society, and a renowned journal. Internationally acclaimed for her efforts against diseases like rabies and tuberculosis, she has elevated ID to a sought-after specialty. Beyond diseases, Dr Naseem touched over 50,000 underserved children in Karachi’s katchi abadis, providing education through home schools and a mobile bus school. Many students, especially girls, have become teachers, nurses, and beauticians, delaying marriage, and empowering the next generation.

Nasir Abbas Nayyar

Nasir Abbas Nayyar is a prominent Urdu scholar. He has made significant contributions to literature, notably with influential works like Mabad Nauabadiyat and Urdu Adab ki Tashkeel e Jadid. Winning prestigious awards, including the Baba-e-Urdu Maulvi Abdul Haq Award, his impact on Urdu literature is substantial. Nayyar’s exploration of genres, as seen in ‘Nazm Kaisay Parhain,’ and his recent work, Naiy Naqqad kah Naam Khatoot continue to showcase his literary prowess. Additionally, he contributes thought-provoking articles to renowned publications. His enduring influence on Urdu literature remains noteworthy. He formerly served as the Director General of the Urdu Science Board in Lahore and is currently a Professor of Urdu at the University of the Punjab, Lahore.

Nauman Naqvi

Dr Nauman Naqvi is Acting Dean of the School of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, and Founding Faculty at Habib University. He received his PhD in Anthropology from Columbia University, though his thought and work are interdisciplinary – ranging across anthropology, history, literature and philosophy. His recent publications include ‘Acts of Askesis, Scenes of Poesis: The Dramatic Phenomenology of Another Violence in a Muslim Painter-Poet,’ Diacritics: A Review Journal of Criticism and Theory (2012), and ‘Profession on the Cusp of Saturn’s House: Weighing the Wager & Wages of the Time of a Postcolonial-Historical Pedagogy (or, Teaching History at the Limit of Time),’ Interventions: International Journal of Postcolonial Studies (2013).

Nausheen Ahmad

Nausheen Ahmad is Barrister at Law with over 30 years of law firm and in house counsel experience in various sectors. She has an LLB from Kings College London and an LLM from the University of London. She is an Advocate of the Sindh High Court.

Nida Wahid

Dr. Nida Wahid Bashir is a consultant general surgeon and part time faculty at Center of Biomedical Ethics and Culture (CBEC), SIUT. She is the daughter of renowned journalist Wahid Bashir and teacher and social activist Hamza Wahid. She is a member of the executive committee of the National Council of Academics (Irtiqa Institute of Social Sciences) and a founding member of Karachi Bioethics Group.
She has contributed to lay press on topics of ethical concerns in healthcare. She has co-authored two publications of Karachi Bioethics Group (KBG): Ethical Guidelines on Physician Pharmaceutical Interaction and Understanding Medical Error and chapters in Bioethics in Pakistan: Local Context, Local Cases (Lightstone Publishers) and Surgical Education and Training in Pakistan: Creating a model (Cambridge Scholars Publishing). She has also been involved in organizing Ethics and Culture Hour programs at CBEC.

Nigar Alam

Born in Karachi, Nigar Alam spent her childhood in Turkey, Nigeria, Italy, Kenya, Indonesia, and the United States before returning to Karachi. With an MBA and CPA, she has worked in both brand management and auditing. Currently, she lives with her family in Minnesota, USA. ‘Under the Tamarind Tree’ is her debut novel and was Longlisted for the Center of Fiction 2023 First Novel Prize. 

Noman Ahmed

Professor Dr Noman Ahmed currently serves as a Professor and Dean in the Faculty of Architecture and Sciences at NED University. His extensive background includes self-motivated research studies on developmental issues, particularly infrastructural planning, and management. Dr Ahmed has also worked as a consultant for international agencies, NGOs, and government organizations both in Pakistan and abroad. Among his notable achievements, Dr Ahmed has authored several recent books, including ‘Water Supply in Karachi: Issues and Prospects’ and ‘Karachi: The Land Issue’, which provide insights into urban design from the perspective of Karachi. His contributions have earned him prestigious awards, such as the ‘Best Teacher Award’ from the Higher Education Commission, the Dr Akhter Hameed Khan Memorial Award from the Pakistan Council of Social Sciences, and the Best Writer Award on Environment and Development from the All Pakistan Newspaper Society. Additionally, he was honored with the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz, bestowed upon him on 23rd March 2021.Dr Ahmed’s influence extends beyond academia. He holds the position of Chair Holder and Network Coordinator for the UNESCO Chair on Sustainable Urban Regions at NED University. Furthermore, he actively contributes to public discourse by writing on development issues in Pakistani newspapers.

Noorul Huda Shah

Noorul Huda Shah is a well-known and respected short story writer, playwright, poet, columnist, and broadcaster. Presently, she is Joint Secretary of the Pakistan Arts Council Karachi. She writes both in Urdu and her native language Sindhi. A familiar name in the Pakistani drama industry, she is famous for very popular serials including Jungle, Marvi, Bebak, Meri Adhuri Mohabbat, Ajaeb Khana, Adhoora Milan, and Ishq Gumshuda. She now works as a freelance consultant with a few broadcasting houses. Ms Shah is working on an Urdu translation of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai’s poetry. She also has four collections of short stories and one collection of poetry in Sindhi. Nowadays she is working on an Urdu novel. 

Nusrat Ali

Syed Nusrat Ali is an international management consultant and motivational speaker. He has been head of Training and Development at a renowned pharmaceutical company. He has also been a member of the teaching faculty at the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) and is presently with City Institute of Image Management (CIIM) as a senior consultant and trainer. He has a good sense of humour and holds mushaira with children at the Children’s Literature Festival (CLF).

Nusrat Khawaja

Nusrat Khawaja is an independent scholar, curator, and freelance writer on art and literature. She is also a practising landscape design consultant and qualified horticulturist. She has a bachelor’s degree in Cultural Anthropology from Mount Holyoke College. 

Omar Shahid Hamid

As part of the Karachi Police’s Counter Terrorism department, Omar Shahid Hamid has survived being ambushed by gangsters, implicated by colleagues in a false case, and, as CID chief, barely escaped the bombing of his office by the Pakistani Taliban. In 2011, following an attack on his office by the Pakistani Taliban, he took a five-year sabbatical to write books and worked as a Political Risk Consultant. In 2016, Omar returned to active duty as a Counter Terrorism Officer. He has been widely quoted and regularly featured in several publications including ‘The New York Times’, ‘USA Today’, ‘The Wall Street Journal’, ‘The Times’, ‘Le Monde’, Reuters, CNN, and BBC. His first novel, ’The Prisoner’ (2013), was longlisted for the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature 2015 and is now being adapted for a feature film. His second novel ‘The Spinner’s Tale’ (2015) won the 2016 Karachi Literature Festival Prize. He received the award again for his third novel ’The Party Worker’ (2017) at the Karachi Literature Festival in 2018 which is now being adapted for a TV series. His fourth book, ’The Fix’, explores the world of cricket match fixing. His fifth book ‘Betrayal’ is a spy thriller based in a regional cold war in South Asia.

Osamah Nasir

With over a decade of experience in content creation, Osamah Nasir brings a unique perspective to his reels, primarily focusing on showcasing the vibrant food scene and the essence of Karachi. His distinct emphasis on women entrepreneurs and commitment to supporting the local economy set his content apart. He aims to uplift communities by uncovering household stories and occasionally shares personal experiences to support people in their recovery and healing journey. Osamah has a master’s degree from the University of Buckingham and seamlessly blends his professional life in the fintech space with his passion for storytelling. 

Peerzada Salman

A prominent journalist and literary personality, Peerzada Salman is a senior reporter and a staff member with Dawn. He writes on a variety of subjects related to art, culture, and literature. He dabbles in short fiction and is a bilingual (Urdu and English) poet. In December 2017, his first collection of poems in English, ‘Bemused’, was published, followed in 2018 by his first collection of Urdu poems, ‘Waqt’. In 2021, Salman also published his debut collection of short stories, ‘Ephemera’. 

Qaisar Khan Afridi

Qaisar Khan Afridi is a pashto poet.

Rafaqat Hayat

Rafaqat Hayat is a new name of Urdu Fiction which has attracted the attention of readers in a short period of time. He wrote his first fiction novel in 1992 at the age of nine. His recent novel “Rolaak” is not just a novel, it is a profound reflection on the human condition, beautifully rendered in Urdu fiction.

Rafay Mahmood

Rafay Mahmood is the Culture Editor of The Express Tribune. He has previously worked for The News International, PTV Quetta, and Aag TV and serves on the jury panel for SongLines Magazine in the UK. In the past 10 years, he has extensively written on Pakistani music, film and theatre, while simultaneously teaching at different media and liberal arts departments in Karachi. In 2017 he went to pursue an MA in Creative Industries: Ethnomusicology and Film Studies from SOAS, University of London. There he also trained as a music researcher and his thesis on the Politics of Folk Music Digitisation in Pakistan has been widely appreciated.

Rumana Husain

Rumana Husain is a writer, artist, and educator who began her journey by teaching art at Karachi Grammar School, and illustrations at the Indus Valley School of Art & Architecture. Beyond the classroom, she channeled her artistic prowess into crafting fabric appliqué artworks for the pediatric wing of the Aga Khan University Hospital, and murals for the IUCN in Karachi and its global headquarters in Gland, Switzerland. For a decade she served as head of a new school, the CAS, leaving an indelible mark on the institution. She co-founded the Bookgroup in1988, aimed at producing high-quality children’s books and teachers’ manuals. She led it as its director for four years, and later joined the Children’s Museum for Peace and Human Rights as its Head Activism & Outreach. Husain is the author of two noteworthy coffee-table books: ‘Karachiwala – a Subcontinent within a City,’ a captivating exploration of Karachi’s diverse communities, and ‘Street Smart – Professionals on the Street.’ She was a co-founding Senior Editor of NuktaArt, an international art magazine, which was published for a decade. She has authored and/or illustrated over 75 children’s books for several publishers including the Oxford University Press. Four of her books have received prestigious awards in Pakistan, Nepal, and India.

Saba Karim Khan

Saba Karim Khan is an author, award-winning documentary filmmaker and educator, who read Social Anthropology at the University of Oxford and works at NYU Abu Dhabi. Khan’s debut novel, ‘Skyfall’, was published by Bloomsbury and she is a contributor to the recently launched anthology, ‘Ways of Being: Creative Non-fiction by Pakistani Women’. She is a columnist for Khaleej Times, and her writing, interviews and talks have appeared in The Guardian, BBC, The Independent, the Emirates Literature Festival, Lahore Literary Festival, NYUAD Institute, Gulf News, The National, Wasafiri, Huff Post, Verso, LUMS, Think Progress, DAWN, The Friday Times and Express Tribune. Khan’s doc-film, ‘Concrete Dreams: Some Roads Lead Home’, produced by the Doha Film Institute (DFI), secured official selections, and won awards at film festivals in NYC, Paris, Berlin, Toronto, USA, Sweden, and India. Before joining the Academy, Saba worked as Country Marketing and Public Affairs Head at Citigroup. Born in Karachi, she now lives in Abu Dhabi with her husband and two daughters.

Safinah Danish Elahi

Safinah Danish Elahi is a multifaceted professional, novelist, poet, and trained as a lawyer. She is also the visionary founder of Reverie Publishers, a celebrated independent press. Among her literary accomplishments are two remarkable works: ‘The Unbridled Romance of Love and Pain,’ a poetry collection, and ‘Eye on the Prize,’ a novel that has made its way onto television screens as a drama series. Her novel, ‘The Idle Stance of the Tippler Pigeon,’ was published in July 2023 by Neem Tree Press in the UK. Safinah was selected as the official nominee from Pakistan for the prestigious International Writers’ Fall Residency 2022 at the University of Iowa, USA, where she participated as a distinguished fellow in the program. 

Saleem Mandviwalla

Senator Saleem H. Mandviwalla is a Pakistani politician who served as deputy chairman of the Senate of Pakistan from March 2018 to March 2021. He was previously the president of the Board of Investment and Minister of State for Investment. He was appointed Minister of Finance on 19 February 2013 till 7 June 2013. He was unanimously elected as chairperson for Senate’s Standing Committee on Finance, Revenue, Economic Affairs, Statistics and Privatization.

Salim Raza

Salim Raza has over 40 years of experience in the banking and financial sector. He held the position of the 15th Governor of SBP after having worked in international banking for 36 years. Prior to that, Salim Raza held various positions at Citibank in Pakistan and abroad and served as the country and regional head for Citibank across various geographies in the Middle East, Asia, Africa, the UK, Central and Eastern Europe. In September 2018, Salim Raza was appointed to the Prime Minister of Pakistan’s Economic Advisory Council as a member representing the private sector. Salim Raza holds a combined BA and MA degree from Oxford University where he studied Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Oriel College. He currently serves on the Boards of Habib Bank Limited, International Industries Limited, and Planet N Group. He is an adjunct professor at the Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Karachi for Political Economy and also lectures on a variety of economic-development related subjects at different forums. 

Salima Hashmi

Salima Hashmi is an artist (b. 1942, Delhi), curator and contemporary art historian. She was founding Dean at the Mariam Dawood School of Visual Arts and Design at Beaconhouse National University, Lahore in 2003 where is now Professor Emeritus. She taught at the National College of Arts, Lahore, for thirty years. She was also the Principal of the College for four years and held the post of Professor of Fine Arts. She has written extensively on Pakistani contemporary art. She is Council member of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and the chairperson of Faiz Foundation Trust.

Salman Sarwat

Dr Salman Sarwat is a promising poet in the younger generation of Urdu poets, who attracted attention with his own style in Urdu free verse poetry through the uniqueness of subjects and treatment. His poetry reflects urban sensitivities, dilemmas of contemporary episteme, and existential crises. Writing critiques, literary essays, and short stories, the first collection of his poetry ‘Living with Metaphors’ was published in 2020. He has read his work at various literary festivals, and his poetry and other writings have also been published in renowned literary and scholarly journals. Salman Sarwat is from Karachi; starting his career in the corporate sector, he served at an oil refinery and bank. He is currently associated with a public sector university, where he teaches financial management, philosophy, and research.

Salman Tarek Kureshi

Salman Tarek Kureshi is an English language poet, writer, and columnist. His poems have appeared in anthologies such as Pieces of Eight; Legacy of the Indus; The Blue Wind; Dragonfly in the Sun; An Anthology; Journal of Postcolonial Writing; and a solo volume Landscapes of the Mind. Some of his poems and short stories have been published in the annual ‘Pakistan Journal of Literature’. As a columnist, he writes on socio-political topics in the weekly, The Friday Times and the dailies Dawn and Daily Times.

Sanam Saeed

An acclaimed actor and former model who predominantly works in Urdu cinema and television. Sanam Saeed is best known for portraying the role of Kashaf Murtaza in HUM TV’s Zindagi Gulzar Hai. After establishing herself as a leading actress in television, Sanam made her film debut with Bachaana (2016) and later appeared in a supporting role in Dobara Phir Se. Her performance in both films earned her nominations for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, respectively, at Lux Style Awards. For her performance in Cake (2018) she received a nomination for Best Actress at Lux Style Awards and Pakistan Achievement Awards. In 2019, Saeed was named ‘Pride of Pakistan’ by Daily Times. She is making waves with web series such as Qatil Haseenaon Ke Naam and a forthcoming web series with Fawad Khan.

Sanayya Saleem

Sanayya Saleem is a poet whose work revolves around finding beauty in mundane circumstances. Born and raised in Karachi, she has been writing since the age of seven and has delved into every genre, ranging from poetry to flash fiction. She is currently doing her A-Levels at Karachi Grammar School. In her free time, you can find her reading, watching horror movies, and attempting to befriend every stray cat she sees.

Sanjay Rajoura

Sanjay Rajoura is a political and social satirist, screenwriter, occasional actor, and a former software engineer. He has performed in more than 500 stand-up shows in India and other countries, including Pakistan. Sanjay’s comedy mainly addresses the fault lines, hypocrisies, and injustices of human societies, particularly in his own country. He quit his job as a software engineer in the US and returned to India, where he ventured into writing and comedy. Currently, he is working on two films and is also a member of the political satire group in India called Aisi Taisi Democracy. 

Sarwat Zehra

Sarwat Zehra is regarded as one of the prominent poetess of Urdu language. Professionally she is a medical graduate hailing from Karachi. Sarwat Zehra poetry is regarded as her true expression of emotions. Her first poetry book, “Jalti Hawa ka Geet” was published in 2003. After her first book’s success, second volume of Sarwat Zehra poetry titled ‘Waqt Ki Qaid Se’ has also been published.

Sehrish Farooq

Sehrish Farooq currently holds the position of Provincial Head of Sindh at Idara e Taleem o Aagahi Pakistan, where she is instrumental in shaping and advancing educational initiatives. With a rich and varied career spanning eight years in the education and development sector, she has consistently exhibited a steadfast dedication to enhancing educational outcomes, particularly in challenging environments. A staunch advocate for experiential learning, she also has played a central role in organizing over 90 nationwide Children’s Learning Festivals/Pakistan Learning Festival, contributing to innovative and engaging educational experiences for children across the country. She has co-authored a children’s book on Coronavirus Awareness.

Selma Dabbagh

Selma is a British Palestinian writer of fiction. Born in Scotland, she has lived in England, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, France, Egypt, and the West Bank. Her novel, ‘Out of It,’ (Bloomsbury, 2011) set between Gaza, London and the Gulf won the Premio Opera Spoleto 2019. Her radio play ‘The Brick,’ set in Jerusalem was produced by BBC Radio 4 in 2014. Selma has also judged for the Society of Authors McKitterick Prize and has also worked in TV, film, and theatrical productions. Her short stories and non-fiction have appeared in publications that include The Guardian, The London Review of Books, Granta, and GQ magazine. She is the editor of ‘We Wrote in Symbols: Love and Lust by Arab Women Writers’ (Saqi, 2021).

Shaha Tariq

A history graduate, educationist, Content Creator and developer, and certified trainer from Cambridge University, Shaha brings a diverse and rich literary background infused with the power of communication. She serves as the Head of Content and Storytelling at Nutshell Communications and holds a Director position at the Heritage Foundation. Actively engaged in building thought leadership, literacy projects, climate change initiatives, and teacher trainings, Shaha explores communication’s power by threading purpose and audience most cohesively.  She has delved into scriptwriting for film and television, as well as forwards for many books.  

With a Master’s in History and certifications in Metacognition and Writing, she is not only an avid reader and storyteller but also a passionate supporter of the role played by theatre and music in cognitive development. As a seasoned moderator, Shaha extends her engagements to hosting summits, conferences, talks, and webinars, guided by her belief in the transformative power of words for positive change.

Shahab Usto

Shahab Usto is a lawyer, educator, and writer. As the founder of the law firm Shahab Usto & Associates, he brings a wealth of expertise and experience to his practice. In addition to his legal endeavours, Shahab Usto shares his knowledge as a visiting faculty member at the prestigious institutions, IBA and SZABIST, Karachi, where he imparts valuable insights to aspiring legal professionals. Beyond academia, Shahab Usto is a prolific writer, contributing op-ed columns to leading publications such as Dawn and Daily Times. His columns delve into a wide array of social, economic, and political issues, reflecting his keen observations and analytical prowess. With over 100 published columns in various newspapers and magazines, Shahab Usto’s writings have made a significant impact, stimulating thought and fostering dialogue on matters of national importance. 

Shaheen Salahuddin

Shaheen Salahuddin is a well-known TV anchor, journalist, and short story writer. She has over 25 years of experience in the media industry and was formerly the head of Indus News Network. Ms Salahuddin has represented Pakistan on numerous occasions internationally. She is also a fellow of East West Centre (USA), and a founding member of the Think Tank, Karachi Council of Foreign Relations. She has been presented with a number of prestigious awards from various organizations including the Pakistan Federation of Business and Professional Women. She has worked as a peace activist between Pakistan and India along with the late Kuldeep Nayar and Iqbal Haider. 

Shahid Khaqan Abbasi

Shahid Khaqan Abbasi is a Pakistani politician and businessman who served as the 21st Prime Minister of Pakistan from August 2017 to May 2018. With a background in Engineering, he obtained his degree from the University of California, USA, and pursued a master’s in engineering from George Washington University, USA. With over thirty years of extensive experience in both the public and private sectors, his career includes serving as Chairman of the Standing Committee on Defence in the National Assembly of Pakistan (1990-93), Minister of State and Adviser to the Prime Minister for Aviation (1997-99), and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) (1997-99). Notably, he has held various significant positions such as Chief Operating Officer of Airblue (2003-13), Federal Minister for Commerce (2008). As a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan and Federal Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources (2013-2017), his contributions have been profound. Additionally, he had been actively involved in various government committees, including the Economic Coordination Committee of the Cabinet, Cabinet Committee on Energy, and Cabinet Committee on Privatization. Through his diverse roles and extensive expertise, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has left an indelible mark on Pakistan’s political and economic landscape. 

Shahid Siddiqui

Shahid Siddiqui is a renowned educationist, linguist, teacher, researcher, academic administrator, and prolific writer. He obtained his PhD in Applied Linguistics from the University of Toronto, Canada, M.Ed. TESOL from the University of Manchester, UK, and Postdoc research at Oxford University. He has worked in academic and administrative positions at some prestigious universities such as AKU, LUMS, GIKI, and NUML to name a few. He was Vice Chancellor of AIOU from 2014 to 2018. He is currently working as Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, Media Studies, Art and Design at Lahore School of Economics. His books include ‘Rethinking Education in Pakistan Perception, Practices, and Possibilities’; ‘Education, Inequalities, and Freedom: A Sociopolitical Critique’; ‘Language, Gender, and Power: The Politics of Representation and Hegemony in South Asia’; ‘Education Policies in Pakistan: Politics, Projections, and Practices’; ‘Aadhay Adhooray Khwab’ (Urdu novel); ‘Zair-e-Aasmaan’ (Urdu); ‘Mausam e Khush Rang’ (Urdu); ‘Potohar: Khitta-e-Dilruba’ (Urdu); ‘Ad Pora Khawab’ (Sindhi); ‘Neem Ghari Khaboona’ (Pashto); Pakistan, Education and 21st Century; Toronto, Dubai, and Manchester (Travel Stories) (Urdu).

Shahzeb Jillani

Shahzeb Jillani is a journalist based in Karachi, Pakistan. Co-host of ‘Zara Hut Kay’, the late-night current affairs show on Dawn News TV focusing on democratic rights, politics, society, and climate change. Media and journalism trainer at the Center of Excellence in Journalism (CEJ), IBA, Karachi. Shahzeb started out as an environmental reporter at The News in Karachi. He then spent 15 years at the BBC as a multilingual and multimedia editor and correspondent working across global news teams in London, Washington, Beirut, and Islamabad. During this time, Shahzeb’s reporting trips and documentary work took him to Israel, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Venezuela, and Brazil. In 2019, Shahzeb was working as a senior executive editor at a news channel in Pakistan when the government’s media restrictions, targeting and harassment of independent journalists forced him to leave the country. He spent the next two years working for the DW News in Germany. 

Shaiq Usmani

Shaiq Usmani is the Senior and founding Partner of Usmani & Iqbal – Advocates and Solicitors. He is the holder of a Master of Laws Degree from the University of Southampton, is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators in London and as is a Member of the International Bar Association. Mr Usmani has also served as a Judge of the High Court of Sindh. He regularly appears before the Supreme Court of Pakistan in various civil and constitutional matters. In addition to being one of the most experienced practicing lawyers and general counsel Mr Usmani is considered to be an expert on Admiralty and Maritime Law, as well as often being asked to give his interpretation on Islamic Jurisprudence of which he is a researcher and scholar.

Shamshad Akhtar

Dr Shamshad Akhtar is a former Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan and has also served as caretaker finance minister. Amongst other positions, she has been an Under-Secretary General of the United Nations and was the tenth Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. She also served as the coordinator of the five UN regional commissions. Dr Akhtar was the UN Secretary General’s Special Senior Advisor on Economics and Finance, and Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development at the Department of Economic and Social Affairs. She led the UN-wide coordination of the work on the post-2015 development agenda, and was also the UN Sherpa for the G20, supporting the finance ministers and central bankers track. She has also worked extensively with the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. The Wall Street Journal Asia has recognised her as one of Asia’s top ten professional women.

Sharif Awan

Sharif Awan is a writer, culture revivalist, internationally acclaimed curator/producer of classical, folk and world music of Pakistan. He has recorded and preserved indigenous Pakistani music and produced several quality audio and video albums. He has also written, produced, edited and published books on Pakistani culture. ‘Indus Raag’, produced by Sharif Awan, was internationally acknowledged as a premier project of Pakistani music. ‘Indus Raag’ was Pakistan’s first ever entry to the coveted Grammy Awards. Sharif is the Founder/Director of Tehzeeb Foundation of Pakistan, an organization working for the promotion, preservation and archiving of classical heritage, music, literature, and fine arts and is also the founder/director of the Tehzeeb Festival. Sharif is also a senior civil servant and is presently working as Member in the Federal Board of Revenue. 

Shazia Hasan

A Karachi-based journalist who has won various awards—for her stories and features—including the CEJ-IBA’s International Committee of the Red Cross inaugural award for humanitarian reporting, and five Agahi awards. Shazia Hasan’s book of short stories has also earned her the National Book Foundation Award. She is a senior staff reporter with Dawn newspaper, who also handles Dawn’s literary section Books & Authors. Concurrently, she is a visiting faculty at the Institute of Business Management where she teaches several courses including creative writing to students of Media Studies. She is also a former vice president of the Karachi Press Club (2021). 

Shehar Bano Rizvi

Shehar Bano Rizvi is the author of the Amazon bestseller ‘Virsa—A Culinary Journey from Agra to Karachi,’ which won the Best in the World Gourmand Award in Paris. A philanthropist at heart, Rizvi used the proceeds from her debut cookbook to create an endowment fund, sponsoring over 170 cataract surgeries annually for the underprivileged in Pakistan. Originally from Karachi and now a mother of three living in Doha with her family, Shehar Bano holds a master’s degree in computer science and a Project Management Professional certification. Before embracing motherhood, she worked as a Project Manager at a leading bank in Qatar. A decade later, she found herself exploring her creative side, writing, and started her blog. Rizvi is a writer and photographer, contributing guest articles to leading newspapers and magazines. 

Shehzad Ghias Shaikh

Shehzad Ghias Shaikh is a Fulbright scholar, holds a Masters in Theatre from Brooklyn College, New York, and is one of the foremost stand-up comedians in Pakistan. Apart from multiple national tours, Shehzad has also performed in Dubai, Germany, Canada and toured the United States, including a one man special at the Broadway Comedy Club in New York. Shehzad also hosts the podcast, The Pakistan Experience and writes for multiple news publications. 

Sirajuddin Aziz

Mr. Sirajuddin Aziz is a professionally qualified and experienced banker who has worked for different organizations in Pakistan, China, Hong Kong, U.K, Nigeria and U.A.E.He is currently the President & Chief Executive Officer at HabibMetro Bank. Prior to this, he has served as the Chief Executive Officer of Bank Alfalah from 2007 -2011. By virtue of being a senior member of banks’ Management Teams/Committees, he has been actively involved in overseeing the entire spectrum of banking operations of various banks for over 15 years. Mr. Aziz is a regular contributor to national and international dailies, journals and magazines. He is a an author, with published works comprising ‘The Quest of Mirage’, ‘Saurab Ki Talaash Main’, ‘Bitter & Sweet’ and ‘The Essence of Islam’.

Sophia Bano

Sophia Bano is a poet from Karachi, Pakistan. She holds a B.A. in English and is currently teaching English Literature and History at St. Joseph’s Convent School.

Stephen M. Lyon

Professor Stephen M. Lyon is the Inaugural Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at the Aga Khan University in Karachi. He is a cultural anthropologist who has carried out extended research in rural and urban areas of Pakistan on the intersection of culture, politics, and resource management. He is the author of ‘Political Kinship in Pakistan: Descent, Marriage, and Government Stability’ (Lexington Books 2019), co-editor of ‘Pakistan Left Review: Then and Now’ (Oxford University Press 2022) and is the Editor-in-Chief of Social Science Computer Review. 

Suhai Aziz Talpur

Suhai Aziz Talpur, the current SSP of Noshero Feroz, is the third police officer from Sindh in the PSP cadre. She is notably recognized for her professionalism and received praise for her leadership in thwarting the November 2018 terrorist attack on the Chinese consulate in Karachi. She has received her master’s degree in economics from the University of Sindh. Ms Suhai Aziz has worked for community-based policing and established Karachi’s first-ever anti-beggary unit in 2018 and Sindh Police’s first women and children protection center in 2017 in Hyderabad. 

Syed Jaffar Ahmed

Dr Syed Jaffar Ahmed, PhD from the University of Cambridge, serves as Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at Sohail University and as Director of the Institute of Historical and Social Research in Karachi. Formerly, he was Director of the Pakistan Study Centre at the University of Karachi. Dr Ahmed specializes in teaching Government and Politics in Pakistan, the History of the Freedom Movement, Research Methodology, and Contemporary Socio-political Issues of Pakistan. With 30 authored books and numerous articles published in international and national journals, he actively collaborates with civil society organizations on Peace and Human Rights initiatives.

Syed Jawaid Iqbal

Syed Kaleem Imam

Dr Syed Kaleem Imam, the ‘epithet philosopher cop,’ is a distinguished public servant recognized for his contributions in law enforcement, academia, and organizational development. With a PhD in Politics and International Relations, an LLM in Human Rights Law, and a master’s in philosophy, he has held key positions such as Inspector General of Police in Punjab, Islamabad, Motorways, Sindh, and later as Federal Secretary. Internationally, he has served in UN Peacekeeping missions in Mozambique, Liberia, and as Police Commissioner in Sudan. He is a recipient of three UN peace medals, the Quaid-i-Azam Police Medal, the President’s Police Medal, and the Sitara-i-Imtiaz and Tamgha-i-Imtiaz. Imam actively contributes to academic discourse and engages in public forums, training institutes, and media outlets. His works, including ‘Kotwalnama-Zawaal Ka Urooj’ and ‘In Pursuit of an Ethical State: Reflections of a Police Chief,’ are widely acclaimed. Presently, he serves as a visiting faculty at universities and as a consultant with UNDP. 

Syed Kashif Raza

Syed Kashif Raza— poet, fiction writer, and translator—has authored seven books including two volumes of poetry and a novel. His first novel Char Darvesh aur Aik Katchwa (Four Dervishes and a Tortoise) won the UBL prize for fiction in 2020 and was short-listed for the KLF prize for Urdu Literature in the same year.  His poetry collections Muhabbat ka Mahall-e-Wuqu and Mamnu Mausamon ki Kitab were published in 2003 and 2012, respectively. His poems have been translated into English, Arabic, Hindi, and Sindhi and were also published in the prestigious Portland Review. He has translated into Urdu Muhammad Hanif’s A Case of Exploding Mangoes, Arundhati Roy’s Azadi, and Maniza Naqvi’s A Guest in the House. He has edited a translation of George Orwell’s Animal Farm by Dr Jameel Jalibi and added to it translations of some important essays. He has recently compiled a bilingual anthology with Naila Mehmood about the representation of the corona experience in literature and arts. Syed Kashif Raza has also translated the works of Noam Chomsky, Milan Kundera, Jorge Luis Borges, James Joyce, Isabel Allende and others into Urdu. Raza writes blogs for ‘Aik Rozan’ ‘Laltain’ and ‘Humsub’ websites. He has written socio-political articles, literary essays, and book reviews for Dawn, The News International, Jang and many literary magazines. He is currently working on multiple projects such as compiling/editing the translations of Eqbal Ahmed’s works; working on a third volume of his poetry; and writing travelogues. Raza is a broadcast journalist by profession and works for Geo News as Executive Producer.

Syed Nomanul Haq

Dr Syed Nomanul Haq, a historian, is renowned for his contributions to intellectual history, philosophy, and literature in Muslim societies. He is the General Editor of OUP’s Studies in Islamic Philosophy series. Currently teaching at the IBA, Karachi, he chairs the Arts and Humanities Panel of the Pakistan Higher Education Commission. He has held faculty positions at Brown, LUMS, and Habib University. He contributes to the New Cambridge History of Islam and is Consulting Editor of Brill’s ‘Journal of South Asian Intellectual History’ and Senior Editor of ‘Critical Muslim’. Recently, he published a critical edition of Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s complete poetic works and is working on a critical edition and English translation of Sufi Hallaj’s Arabic text ‘Kitab al-Tawasin’.

Syed Shabbar Zaidi

Syed Shabbar Zaidi is a distinguished graduate of Hailey College of Commerce, Lahore, and a Chartered Accountant. He holds the title of Fellow Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (FCA). Throughout his career, he has held significant roles, such as serving as the President of ICAP (2005-2006) and the President of the South Asian Federation of Accountants (2008). In the realm of public service, he took on the responsibilities of caretaker minister for Finance, Board of Revenue, and Excise & Taxation for the Government of Sindh (April-June 2013). He served as the Territory Senior Partner at A.F. Ferguson & Co from 2014 to 2019 and held the position of Chairman at the Federal Board of Revenue (2019/20). Beyond his professional endeavours, Syed Shabbar Zaidi is a founder trustee of the Sindh Institute of Urology & Transplantation (SIUT) and a member of the Board of Governors at Liaquat National Hospital, Karachi. He is also an accomplished author, having written several books, including ‘A Journey for Clarity – An Analysis of Some Accounting Concepts in Taxation Matters,’ ‘Pakistan: Not a Failed State,’ ‘Panama Leaks: A Blessing in Disguise – Offshore Assets of Pakistani Citizens,’ ‘Rich People, Poor Country – The Story of Fiscal and Foreign Exchange Policies in Pakistan,’ ‘The Serene Self,’ ‘Faith with Intellect,’ and ‘OECD’s Multilateral Instruments & Pakistan’s Bilateral Double Tax Avoidance Agreements.’ 

Taha Kehar

Taha Kehar is a novelist, journalist, and literary critic. A law graduate from SOAS, London, Kehar is the author of three novels: ‘No Funeral for Nazia’ (2023), ‘Typically Tanya’ (2018), and ‘Of Rift and Rivalry’ (2014). He is also the co-editor of ‘The Stained-Glass Window: Stories of the Pandemic from Pakistan’ (2020). Kehar has served as the head of The Express Tribune’s Peshawar city pages and bi-monthly books page, and he worked as an assistant editor on the op-ed desk at The News. His essays, reviews, and commentaries have been published in The News on Sunday, The Wire, The Hindu, and South Asia magazine. His short fiction has appeared in the Delhi-based quarterly ‘The Equator Line,’ ‘The Aleph Review,’ the biannual journal ‘Pakistani Literature,’ and the OUP anthology ‘I’ll Find My Way.’ Two of his short stories appeared in an anthology titled ‘The Banyan and Her Roots,’ which was edited by the British writer Jad Adams. In 2016, he guest-edited an issue of ‘The Equator Line’ titled ‘Pakistan: After the Stereotypes,’ which focused on new writing from Pakistan. He has also penned entries on the works of Khaled Hosseini, Zeeba Sadiq, Aamer Hussein, Moni Mohsin, and Omar Shahid Hamid for ‘The Literary Encyclopedia.’ Kehar curates ‘Tales from Karachi,’ an Instagram e-anthology that publishes flash fiction from and about Karachi. In 2021, he compiled and edited the first print anthology of the initiative. Based in Karachi, he teaches undergraduate media and social science courses.

Tahir Khan Mandokhail

Tahir Khan Mandokhail, Advocate of the High Court, currently serves as the Managing Partner at T&H Law Associates and as a Law Tutor. He began his career as an Assistant Producer at Hnow, followed by a stint as a Reporter at Geo News and Sub Editor at Theatre Zariya-e-Iblaagh magazine. Additionally, he has showcased his talents as a Director and actor in theatre plays at Arts Council Karachi. Originally hailing from the small village of Viala in District Zhob of Balochistan province, Advocate Tahir Khan Mandokhail pursued a B.S. in Mass Communication. He gained valuable experience working with reputable media houses such as Geo News and Htv Pakistan. During this time, he also directed and acted in theatre productions. In 2019, he achieved the top position in the Law degree exam from S.M. Law College. Since then, he has been diligently serving the public through advocacy and successfully managing T&H Law Associates. In addition to his legal practice, he imparts knowledge to new law students as a Law Tutor and has delivered lectures on Law at the Central Police Office and City Court Karachi. 

Tanveer Anjum

Tanveer Anjum is a distinguished poet from Karachi, who emerged on the scene of Urdu poetry in the 1970s and became famous in the genre of prose poem. She is the author of eight poetry collections, namely ‘Andekhi Lehrein’ (1982), ‘Safar aur Qaid mein Nazmein’ (1993), ‘Toofani Barishon mein Raqsan Sitare’ (1997), ‘Sar-o-Barg-e-Arzoo’ (2001), ‘Zindigi Mere Pairon se Lipat Jaaegi’ (2010), ‘Naye Naam ki Mohabbat’ (2013), ‘Hashyon mein Rang’ (2016), and ‘Frame se Bahar’ (2016). ‘Fireworks on a Windowpane’ (2014) is a bilingual book of her selected poems with English translations and ‘Nai Zabaan ke Huruf’ (2020) is a compilation of her selected poems from all her seven poetry collections. Her poetry has been translated in various languages and widely anthologized. She has contributed to Urdu magazines with her translations of world literature from English and literary criticism articles. She has a PhD in English from the University of Texas at Austin, USA and currently teaches Urdu and English Literature courses at Habib University and Iqra University in Karachi. She is also the recipient of some prestigious literary awards. 

Tanzeem-ul-Firdous

Professor Dr Tanzeem-ul-Firdous is the Chair, Department of Urdu, University of Karachi. She is distinctive among female Pakistani critics and researchers in Urdu literature. In addition to several published books, she has to her credit a large number of research papers and critical essays. She is the author of ‘Jang-e-Azaadi 1857: Niswani Yaaddashton ke Tanazur mein’ (2012). 

Tariq Alexander Qaiser

Tariq Alexander Qaiser is a multi-faceted individual, working as an architect, environmentalist, filmmaker, writer, and lover of nature. With 37 years of experience in architecture, Tariq specializes in designing schools and hospitals. He also served as visiting faculty at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston for eight years and has been a sought-after international and national lecturer. Tariq is the author of two bilingual books and has showcased his environmental films, photographs, and paintings in 11 group and solo gallery exhibitions. Notably, Time Magazine featured an 8-page spread on Tariq in their July 2022 Oceans Issue, highlighting his efforts to preserve Karachi’s island mangroves. He made a significant appearance at COP27 in Sharm al Sheikh, Egypt, presenting his film ‘A STORY OF SURVIVAL.’ Currently, Tariq is actively engaged in film production and working on a set of four books about the Indus Delta, all while managing his architectural practice.

Tasneem Premjee Chamdia

Tasneem Premjee Chamdia, a first-time writer from Pakistan, was raised in London and Karachi, studied in the US, and currently lives in Qatar with her family. As a child, Tasneem discovered the fascinating world of books, where characters came to life, providing companionship, love interests, and plenty of adventure. In adulthood, she found herself drawn to memoirs, with each character becoming a messenger, reflecting her aspirations, and leaving her moved and encouraged. Tasneem, a qualified Special Needs Educator, spent several years teaching children with learning disabilities in London and Pakistan. She has also worked as a teacher trainer for government schools in some of Karachi’s poorest neighborhoods. 

Waheed Noor

Waheed Noor is a lawyer by profession and a former member of the managing committee of the Karachi Bar Association. A social and human rights activist from Lyari, Karachi, he coordinates the literary events organized by the Arts Council of Pakistan, Karachi. He writes poetry in Urdu and in Balochi and is the author of ‘Sukoot Bol Para’. 

Wajid Jawad

Wajid Jawad is the President of the Anjuman-e-Taraqqi-i-Urdu Pakistan, the organization that strives to promote Urdu language and literature across the world. He is a renowned industrialist, a former Federal Minister of State and Chairman of the Export Promotion Bureau, and a distinguished alumnus of IBA Karachi. He has a wealth of experience and expertise in various fields, ranging from public service to Urdu language promotion. 

Wasif Rizvi

Mr Wasif Rizvi is the founding president of Habib University. Mr. Rizvi has led the vision of the first liberal arts institution of higher learning in Pakistan. Habib University, under his leadership, has become a globally recognized and appreciated university with established collaborations with leading institutions – including Carnegie Mellon University and Texas A&M University at Qatar, Stanford University, University of Michigan, and the Claremont Consortium of Liberal Arts Colleges. His achievements are visible by Habib University’s unmatched global partnerships, distinguished faculty, well recognized curriculum, exponentially growing number of student applications and an innovative campus design that received accolade and international awards of excellence in Planning for New Campus. Mr Rizvi has been involved in various areas of education development in the developing world for the last two decades. Prior to initiating the Habib University project, he had led Aga Khan Education Service in Pakistan and many other development projects in Asia and Africa. Mr Rizvi holds twin graduate degrees from Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard School of Education. 

Wayne Press

Wayne has over 25 years work experience in education and technology with a career that has been varied, including teaching, product development, qualifications and assessment development and delivery, school improvement interventions and software development.

He is passionate about education and technology and while working for Pearson for many years he was fortunate to work across different divisions (including Edexcel, Connections Academy and Global Schools). He also worked all ages and stages of learning and multiple education markets and contexts globally, including South Africa, East and West Africa, China, Brazil, India, Italy, Australia, the US and the UK. In these markets he has had the opportunity to work across a variety of education areas and product lines, including core school curriculum product, virtual schooling, teacher professional development services, school assessment services, product efficacy and qualifications.

Wayne has also worked in higher education where he led a large global product design, development and delivery team at 2U, a US education technology company who build, deliver and support online degree and non-degree programs for universities. His team worked in partnership with global universities (including Oxford, MIT, Cambridge, London School of Economics, Stanford, Bocconi, amongst others) to design, develop and deliver 2U’s digital short course academic products.

Wayne currently leads the Global Product function for the education division at Oxford University Press where he has responsibility for product strategy, digital product management and transformation, assessment services, product data and insights and product efficacy.

Wusat Ullah Khan

Wusat Ullah Khan is a senior journalist. A graduate of Karachi University in International Relations and a Diploma holder in Theatre Arts from the National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA), Wusat has been a working journalist for the last thirty-six years. He has been attached with the BBC Urdu Service since 1991 and covered the 2003 Iraq war from Baghdad, Cairo, Amman, and Istanbul. He was in Beirut during the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war in Lebanon. Wusat reported the 2004 and 2009 Lok Sabha elections while touring 13 states of India. He travelled extensively in the aftermath of the 2005 Pakistan earthquake. His work on the 2010 floods has been published as ‘Sailab Diaries’ by the Pakistan Study Centre, University of Karachi. Wusat writes a weekly column ‘Baat say Baat’ for the BBC Urdu Service (online/radio). He has produced documentaries for BBC Urdu TV and has also contributed a weekly column to the Daily Express, Pakistan. He is a co-host of the Dawn News daily talk show ‘Zara Hut Kay’. 

Zarmina Raza

Zarmina Raza is the co-founder of the truth-telling platform The Crows Karachi as well as the podcast A Cup of Possibilitea. She is also an educator who currently teaches Literature at Cedar, Eden, KGS, and Links, and is on the AKU-IED Blog Editorial Board. In 2020, she started two weekly reading and writing meet-ups to foster creativity and connections during Covid times—Poetry in the Park, an on-site group for young adults, and Inked: Conversations, an online group for adults. Last year, she co-edited and contributed to Inked: Conversations, an anthology about Covid experiences. She writes poetry and creative nonfiction and paints abstracts with acrylics and ink.

Zarrar Khuhro

Zarrar Khuhro is a current affairs commentator and analyst. He is the co-host of ‘Zara Hut Kay’, along with Shahzeb Jillani and Wusatullah Khan—a current affairs programme on Dawn News. He also writes a regular column for Dawn and other local and international publications. Khuhro has worked extensively in both print and electronic media. 

Zehra Nigah

Zehra Nigah is one of the foremost Urdu poets of Pakistan. She was one of two female poets to gain prominence in the 1950s. She was born on 14 May 1937 in Hyderabad, India and migrated to Pakistan with her parents during the partition in 1947. Coming from a well-known literary and intellectual family, she counts Anwar Maqsood and Fatima Suraiya Bajia among her siblings. She has three collections of poetry to her credit and recently an omnibus of her works has been published in Lahore. She has received various awards at home and abroad in recognition of her work. She is also a scriptwriter of popular television serials and films. She received the Pride of Performance Award from the President of Pakistan in 2006.

Zohra Yusuf

Zohra Yusuf is a human rights activist and a freelance journalist. She is the former Chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and currently serves as a council member. She has been a member of HRCP since 1988, a council member since 1990, and has served as Vice Chair (Sindh) and Secretary General. It should be noted that all positions held at HRCP are voluntary and elected. Zohra’s previous positions in human rights organizations include Vice-President of FIDH (International Federation for Human Rights), a Paris-based organization; Bureau Member of South Asian for Human Rights, a Colombo-based human rights organization, and a board member of Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative. She is also among the founding members of the Women’s Action Forum. Zohra has written extensively on issues related to the media and human rights and has contributed chapters to several books on media, human rights, peace, and culture.