Adal Soomro
Dr Abdul Karim, popularly known by his literary name Adal Soomro, is an eminent poet and prose writer, born on 15 August 1953 in Sukkur. He earned his Ph.D. in Sindhi Literature in 1999 and served as Professor and Chairman of the Department of Sindhi at Shah Abdul Latif University until 14 August 2013. His first poem was published in 1969, and by 2019 he had completed 50 years of literary work. He has published 17 books of poetry and prose, compiled and edited 20 books, and contributed 18 books of children’s literature under a USAID program. Over 200 of his literary papers have been published. He has participated in about 2,000 programs as a guest speaker and poet, and more than 200 of his works have been recorded for TV and radio. Adal Soomro has earned great acclaim among Pakistani writers and has been associated with many literary organizations. He served twice as Secretary General of Sindhi Adabi Sangat. His poetry is included in primary, secondary, and master’s level Sindhi curricula and has been translated into English, Urdu, and Punjabi. In addition to numerous awards and honors from literary organizations, he is the recipient of the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz (2010), Best University Teacher Award (2006) by HEC, Institute of Sindhology Awards (1982, 1984, 2016), Sindhi Language Authority Awards (1993, 2016, 2019), Shah Abdul Latif Award (2016), and Mirza Kaleech Baig Award (2019) by the Pakistan Academy of Letters. In the words of the great poet Shaikh Ayaz: ‘Adal Soomro has introduced new trends in his poetry. He is versatile in his thoughts and modernist in themes.’
Aisha Hassan
Aisha Hassan is an award-winning writer living and working in London. A graduate of the University of Oxford’s prestigious Creative Writing Master’s program and a Curtis Brown Creative alumna, Aisha’s play Pickled Mangoes was performed at Soho Theatre, and her poetry has appeared in Under the Radar and Campus magazines. Her debut novel, When the Fireflies Dance, has been longlisted for the Bridport Novel Award and Hachette’s Mo Siewcharran Prize, and shortlisted for the London Writers Award. Inspired by a true story, When the Fireflies Dance is a mesmerizing tale of love, brotherhood, resilience, and redemption, appealing to fans of modern classics such as The Kite Runner and The Beekeeper of Aleppo.
Amar Pirzado
Amar Pirzado, a poet and writer proficient in Sindhi and Urdu, is an accomplished media anchor and columnist. He is celebrated for his feminist, romantic, and socially bold poetry. He has authored two poetry collections, Ishq and Fana, along with a prose work on Anwer Pirzado’s life titled Baba Anwer Pirzado. In 2025, his book of columns, Soch B Kharko Aahe, was published. Currently, he hosts a program on PTV Home called Rehaan, featuring interviews with celebrities in both Sindhi and Urdu. He previously hosted the acclaimed literary and art program Daat Anokhi on Dharti TV. From 2011 to 2012, he served as Secretary of Sindhi Adabi Sangat. Amar is also a key figure in the Anwer Pirzado Academy, a platform he co-founded, which has published over twenty books. Having organized the Anwer Pirzado Festival for three consecutive years in Balhreji, he plans to release a collection of his poetry in Sindhi and Urdu in 2026. In addition to his literary work, Amar is actively involved in social initiatives related to education and health.
Ammar Aziz
Ammar Aziz is a bilingual poet, literary translator, and multi-award-winning filmmaker. His debut poetry collection, The Missing Prayer, was published simultaneously in Pakistan and India in 2025 to wide critical acclaim. His poetry has appeared in leading literary journals and has been widely anthologized, including in Penguin’s Greening the Earth and The Red River Book of Erotic Poetry. He has participated in major international literature and art festivals, and his poems have been translated into several languages, including Russian, Spanish, Bangla, Tamil, and Kannada. As a filmmaker, Aziz has screened his work in over a hundred countries. His feature-length documentaries A Walnut Tree (IDFA, Amsterdam, 2015) and Discount Workers (One World, Prague, 2020) have received numerous international awards, including the FIPRESCI Award, the Grand Prix at the Moscow International Film Festival, the Ram Bahadur Award at Film Southasia, and the Jean Rouch International Award, among others. His films have been acquired by Al Jazeera and other global broadcasters and widely covered by international media. Ammar lives in Lahore, where he is a visiting faculty member at Beaconhouse National University, co-founder of the non-profit SAMAAJ, and founding curator of ZQ Gallery. He was awarded the prestigious Berlinale Footprints at the Berlin International Film Festival for an animation-based child abuse prevention initiative produced by SAMAAJ. He has recently completed his third feature film and is currently working on a micro-fiction project, an English ghazal collection, and the first official English translation of Urdu poet Jaun Elia—a project he began as an artist-in-residence at the Akademie Schloss Solitude in Germany.
Anita M. Weiss
Anita M. Weiss received her doctorate in sociology from UC Berkeley and is now Professor Emerita of Global Studies at the University of Oregon, having retired in August 2023 after 36 years at the University of Oregon. She was recently named Distinguished Honorary Professor of Sociology at Quaid-i-Azam University. She has published extensively on social development, gender issues, and political Islam in Pakistan. Her eight books include the most recent, Countering Violent Extremism in Pakistan: Local Actions, Local Voices (Oxford University Press, 2020). Her current book project, Khuda ke Piyares: Finding Faith and Community in Local Shrines in Urban Rawalpindi, Pakistan, is in preparation.
Aquila Ismail
Aquila Ismail is a Karachi-based author and development worker. Her novel Of Martyrs and Marigolds, published in 2012, is a seminal work chronicling the history of the 1971 creation of Bangladesh from the ashes of East Pakistan. She has written extensively on literature, women’s issues, and Karachi’s development concerns for leading Pakistani newspapers and magazines. Since 2013, following the assassination of her sister, Perween Rahman, Aquila has led the Karachi-based development NGO, Orangi Pilot Project (OPP). Her published works also include translations of Urdu short stories by Asad Muhammad Khan (Harvest of Anger and Other Stories, It All Began with a Cat) and prose writings by Fehmida Riaz (Godavari, Reflections in a Cracked Mirror, and Zindabahar Lane). She has edited and authored several non-fiction books, including The Microcredit Programme of the Orangi Charitable Trust. Recently, she has published two volumes from the six-part series Legacy of Perween Rahman: In Quest of Water for the Poor and Karachi Floods: The Anthropocene Imprint. An electrical engineer by profession, Aquila Ismail is a retired Associate Professor from her alma mater, NED University of Engineering and Technology.
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.
Bee Gul
Bee Gul is an award-winning Pakistani writer and director whose work moves fluidly between theatre, television, and film, engaging deeply with questions of gender, intimacy, power, and moral ambiguity. In television, she has written some of the most critically acclaimed dramas of recent years, including Talkhiyaan, Pehchaan, Kaun Qamar Ara, Firdous ki Dozakh, Dar Si Jaati Hai Sila, Working Women, Raqeeb Se, and her most recent serial, Ek Aur Pakeezah. Her writing has been recognized with the Best Telefilm Writer Award (HUM Telefilm Awards, 2015) and the LUX Style Awards for Best TV Writer and Best Drama Writer (2019). Her theatre works—Bedroom Conversations, Marney Sey Pehlay Janat, Pandra Minute Aur, and Badal Gaye Ho—are noted for their intimacy, formal risk, and originality, placing her among the few distinctive contemporary playwrights in Pakistan. In film, she has written Laloolal.com and Intezar. Her short film Jamun Ka Darakht (The Java Plum Tree) won Best Film and Best Script at the Cannes World Film Festival 2024. She has also created the web series The Pink Shirt (SXSW Sydney 2023) and Teen Tara. Bee Gul teaches at the National College of Arts, Lahore, and serves as Project Head of Khan Academy Urdu (Pakistan Chapter).
Farid Panjwani
Professor Farid Panjwani is the Dean of the Institute for Educational Development at Aga Khan University. He is also a faculty member at the Institute of Education, University College London, where he previously worked full-time as the founding director of a research center before moving to Pakistan in 2021. Professor Panjwani holds a DPhil in Philosophy of Education from the University of Oxford. He has published widely in the areas of philosophy of education, citizenship, teacher education, imagination, religious education, hermeneutics, and Islamic Studies. His current research focuses on the lived experiences of students from minority religious backgrounds in Pakistan and the relationship between economics and academic freedom. He has worked on several educational projects around the world and has served as a consultant to numerous research projects and organizations, including the International Baccalaureate, the Adyan Foundation in Lebanon, the Islamic Religious Council in Singapore, the Aga Khan Academies, and the Government of Punjab, Pakistan. In 2016, Farid was appointed to the Commission on Religious Education in the UK, which was tasked with developing policy recommendations for the future of religious education in the country. He is also extensively involved in voluntary work, serving both at the grassroots level and on the governing bodies of various organizations.
Framji Minwalla
Before retiring from institutional teaching, Dr Framji Minwalla taught undergraduates for thirty years across three continents. In Pakistan, he served as Program Director for Communication & Design at Habib University; as Chair of the Department of Social Sciences & Liberal Arts at the Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Karachi, where he implemented a transdisciplinary major in Social Sciences that he helped design; and as Head of the Department of Media Sciences at SZABIST, Karachi, where he revised the undergraduate curriculum and developed graduate-level programs in Film & Television Production and Media Studies. Before returning to Pakistan, he taught at a range of colleges and universities in the United States, including Yale University, Vassar College, Dartmouth College, The George Washington University, New York University, and Fordham University. In addition, he taught as part of an intensive summer theater workshop in Northern Ireland at the University of Ulster, Coleraine, and twice led Dartmouth’s Foreign Study in Theater Program at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. He has published extensively in academic journals, and his research interests include Performance Literature and History; Visual and Cultural Studies; Theater and Politics; Television and Film; Communication and Media Studies; and all forms of theory—linguistic, political, feminist, queer, dramatic, visual, postcolonial, aesthetic, literary, and otherwise. Dr Minwalla earned a B.A. (1987) from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and both a Master of Fine Arts (MFA, 1991) and a Doctor of Fine Arts (DFA, 2000) from the Yale School of Drama.
Hoori Noorani
Hoori Noorani runs the Karachi-based publishing house Maktaba-e-Danyal, which she inherited from her late father, Malik Noorani. Following her early education in Karachi, her love for literature and linguistics led her to pursue a master’s degree in philology, with a major in Russian and world literature, at the People’s Friendship University in Moscow. After graduating in 1983, she returned to Karachi and briefly taught Russian at the Russian Cultural Centre before joining her father’s publishing business. Maktaba-e-Danyal is known for publishing renowned authors such as Mushtaq Ahmed Yousufi, Syed Sibte Hassan, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Iftikhar Arif, Fehmida Riaz, Habib Jalib, and many others, as well as works by authors from India. Currently, the publishing house is working on a series of Urdu translations of world literature and books by Pakistani authors writing in English. Ms. Noorani is also a trained classical dancer and has translated Henrich Borovik’s famous play Interview in Buenos Aires from Russian into Urdu.
Iftikhar Arif
Iftikhar Arif is a distinguished Urdu poet, scholar, and literary figure who has made significant contributions to the literary landscape of Pakistan. Throughout his career, Arif has held several prestigious positions, including Chairman of the Pakistan Academy of Letters, the National Language Authority, and the National Book Foundation. He also served as President of the ECO Cultural Institute in Tehran, Iran, and led the National Language Promotion Department within the National History and Literary Heritage Division in Islamabad. Additionally, he was Director General of the Pakistani Scholars and Writers Foundation and worked as a senior producer and script editor at the Pakistan Television Corporation. His appearances on various literary programs, including those on Pakistan Television, BBC Television, and BBC Radio, have further established his presence in cultural discourse. Arif’s literary works include notable titles such as Mehr-e-Do-Neem, The Twelfth Man, and Harf-e-Baryab. His latest poetry collection, Baagh–i-Gul-i–Surkh, reflects his ongoing engagement with Urdu literature. His poetry is widely published and has been translated into several languages, reflecting his influence beyond Urdu-speaking audiences. His literary achievements have been recognized with numerous awards, including the Nishan-e-Imtiaz in 2023, the Hilal-e-Imtiaz in 2005, and the Sitara-e-Imtiaz in 1999, along with the Pride of Performance Award in 1990. In addition to his literary accomplishments, Iftikhar Arif is actively involved in academic and cultural organizations. He has been a member of the Executive Committee of Allama Iqbal Open University, served as President of the Third World Writers Association (UK), and was a member of the Afro-Asian Writers’ Union. His extensive career and dedication to the arts have made him a prominent figure in both national and international literary circles.
Ikram Sehgal
Ikram Sehgal, the first Pakistani POW to escape from India in 1971, was given battlefield promotion to the rank of Major on December 13, 1971, while commanding a rifle company in the Thar Desert. An expert on Pakistan-Bangladesh relations, he is the author of the slogan ‘Two Countries, one Nation’ and the advocate of Greater Bangladesh in the form of ‘Association of Eastern States of South Asia’ (AESSA) concept for the last 30 years. He is a regular speaker at various defence institutions and international think tanks worldwide. As Chairman, Ikram Sehgal oversees two major private security companies in the Pathfinder Group’s Security Services Division (SSD) Security & Management Services (Pvt) Ltd and Wackenhut Pakistan (Pvt) Ltd as well as leading IT firms in the Financial Services and Technology Division (FSTD). Among them Virtual Remittance Gateway (VRG), recognized by the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) ‘Edison Alliance’, ranked third globally for ‘digital financial inclusion’ with more than 13.5 million Asaan Mobile Accounts (AMA) presently in Pakistan. For more than 20 years, Ikram Sehgal has hosted the Pakistan Breakfast at the WEF Annual Meeting in Davos for Heads of State and other prominent figures. Formerly Chairman of the Karachi Council of Foreign Affairs, he is now its Patron-in-Chief KCFR. He serves on WEF’s Board of ‘Partnering Against Corruption Initiative’ (PACI) and was part of its Global Agenda Council (GAC) for Counterterrorism. He has been Co-Chairman of the Pakistan Committee of the ‘Swiss Asian Chamber of Commerce’, Geneva, and now SwissCham ASIA as well as Director of the former EastWest Institute USA for over 20 years. He is on the Executive Council of Pakistan Newspapers Editors (CPNE) and Vice Chairman of the Board of Management (BOM) Quaid-i-Azam House Museum. He served on the Board of Directors of Bank Alfalah for 16 years and was elected Chairman of K-Electric in January 2019. He is also a Director at the Business Advisory Board (BAB) of International Organization for Migration (IOM), Geneva for a dozen years. Ikram Sehgal regularly contributes weekly articles on the OP-ED page for The Nation, Nawa-i-Waqt, The News, and Daily Jang and also contributed frequently to Daily Times, Express Tribune, Daily Express, and others. For some time, he was the anchor of TOUGHTALK on ARY TV and till recently he frequently appeared as a ‘Defence and Security Analyst’.
Inaam Nadeem
Inaam Nadeem is a distinguished Urdu poet, translator, and editor. He began his literary journey as a poet, but his sustained and wide-ranging work in literary translation has firmly placed him among the foremost translators in contemporary Urdu literature. He has more than fifteen books to his credit, including two poetry collections—Dar-e-Khwaab and Tasveer Mein Chalta Aadmi—as well as numerous translations of major works of world literature into Urdu. Among his recent and most significant contributions are the complete Urdu translation of all short stories by Nobel Prize–winning author Gabriel García Márquez and the Urdu translation of Honoré de Balzac’s celebrated novel A Woman at Thirty. These works have been widely noted for their literary fluency and cultural sensitivity, further consolidating his standing as a major voice in Urdu translation. As an editor, Inaam Nadeem has compiled and curated several important literary volumes, including an anthology on Asif Farrukhi, selected short stories of Zakiya Mashhadi, the collected works of Akbar Masoom, and a notable selection of Urdu prose poems. He has also translated the short stories of renowned Hindi writer Bhisham Sahni, a work that was shortlisted for the UBL Literature Award. His literary contributions have been recognized with several prestigious honors, including the Aks-e-Khushboo Award for Dar-e-Khwaab, the UBL Literary Award in 2021 for Aaina Si Zindagi, and the Dr. Jameel Jalibi Award in 2024 for Dukhtar-e-Rumi. Inaam Nadeem is actively engaged in teaching and is based in Karachi.
Iqbal Khursheed
Iqbal Khursheed is a distinguished Urdu fiction writer, journalist, interviewer, columnist, vlogger, and film critic. He is currently associated with Geo News, Pakistan, and has previously worked with several reputable newspapers and media organizations throughout his professional career. Having conducted over 800 interviews with national and international personalities, he has firmly established himself as a prominent voice in Pakistani journalism. His short story collection, Chinal Aur Degar Afsanay, received critical acclaim and wide readership immediately upon publication, quickly becoming the talk of the town in literary circles. His two novels, Tikon ki Chauthi Jeht and Gard Ka Tofan, were also well received by both critics and readers. Tikon ki Chauthi Jeht was published in India, and its Hindi translation is expected to be released soon. The novel was further recognized when it was shortlisted for the UBL Award in the fiction category. His bestselling book, Fiction Se Mukalma, features in-depth interviews with sixteen leading fiction writers and has generated considerable discussion and admiration within literary circles. Iqbal Khursheed has also successfully experimented with journalistic stories and flash fiction under the title One Minute Story, which are regularly published on the editorial page of Jang, one of the largest Urdu newspapers in Pakistan. He serves as the editor of the prestigious literary journal Ijra and is the co-author of Sab Se Badi Jung, an important work documenting the journalistic movement in Pakistan. Born into a middle-class family, he holds master’s degrees in mass communication, English, and International Relations. Currently based in Karachi, he continues to contribute actively to Pakistan’s literary and journalistic landscape.
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 honored her with the Hilal-e-Imtiaz, the second-highest civilian award, in recognition of her exceptional contributions to literature.
Laline Paull
Laline Paull is a bestselling author whose three novels—The Bees, The Ice, and Pod—have been shortlisted for prizes and critically acclaimed. She is fascinated by the natural world and human psychology, and in her most recently completed manuscript, A Passage to Hendon, she explores themes of colonization, immigration, and inheritance. Her first novel, The Bees, is in development as a hybrid theatrical/VR project, and she has additional storytelling collaborations with tech partners in the pipeline.
Madeline Clements
Madeline Clements is Senior Lecturer in English Studies at Teesside University, specializing in postcolonial and South Asian writing, particularly Pakistani literature in English and translation. Her research also engages with visual art from Pakistan and South Asian art in Britain. She earned her PhD at the University of East London (2014) on portrayals of Muslims and Islam in post-9/11 South Asian Muslim fiction. Before joining Teesside in 2015, she taught at Forman Christian College, Lahore, and completed a residency at the National College of Arts. Madeline is the author of Writing Islam from a South Asian Muslim Perspective: Rushdie, Hamid, Aslam, Shamsie (Palgrave, 2015). Her work appears in journals such as Wasafiri, Journal of Postcolonial Writing, and edited collections including Imagining Muslims in South Asia and the Diaspora and Sultana’s Sisters. She has reviewed for the Times Literary Supplement and Dawn, written entries for the Literary Encyclopedia, and curated exhibitions of Pakistani art in Karachi and the UK. Her current research explores minority representation, free speech, and cultural activism in Pakistan. She has led projects including Women Writing Pakistan (QR-GCRF), Editing Women (QR-Participatory Research), and Editing Women in the Archives (Impact Acceleration Account, ongoing), and was Principal Investigator on the AHRC-funded network World Making Words (2024–2025). Madeline supervises PhDs on African literary websites, women’s life-writing in Kerala, and curatorial diversity. She welcomes proposals on postcolonial and South Asian writing, Pakistani literature and art, literary activism, and cultural representations of religious minorities.
Mahnaz Malik
Mahnaz Malik serves as one of seven judges on the World Bank Sanctions Board, the independent tribunal responsible for making final decisions in contested cases of sanctionable misconduct across World Bank Group projects. A barrister and arbitrator at Twenty Essex Chambers in London, she made history as one of the youngest arbitrators ever appointed to the World Bank’s ICSID Annulment Committee—and the youngest woman to hold this distinction. A Cambridge graduate called to the Bar in England and Wales and in New York, she has been recognized as the Financial Times Legal Innovator of the Year. Alongside her legal career, Mahnaz is an acclaimed author whose work has been featured on BBC World Service. Her children’s book ‘Mo’s Star’, published by Oxford University Press, has been translated into Urdu by celebrated poet Fahmida Riaz and into Arabic by Fatima Sharafeddine. The audio edition was directed by Michael Radford and narrated by Vidya Balan and Joseph Fiennes. The book garnered praise from King Charles. A Fellow and Trustee at Hughes Hall, Cambridge University, she has established charities that have sent hundreds of children to school and freed over 300 from detention in Pakistan. She plays polo and takes a keen interest in boxing, sponsoring sporting opportunities for underprivileged girls in Lyari and Keamari in Karachi.
Mohammed Hanif
Mohammed Hanif is the author of the novels A Case of Exploding Mangoes (2008), which was longlisted for the Booker Prize and shortlisted for The Guardian First Book Award; Our Lady of Alice Bhatti (2011), shortlisted for the 2012 Wellcome Prize; Red Birds (2019); and the recent Rebel English Academy. He also vlogs for BBC Urdu and BBC Punjabi.
Muneeza Shamsie
Muneeza Shamsie (Sitara-e-Imtiaz) is the author of Hybrid Tapestries: The Development of Pakistani Literature in English and editor of four anthologies of Pakistani English writing, including the 2025 publication In the New Century: An Anthology of Pakistani Literature in English. She received the Gold IPPY and Bronze Foreword Awards in the US for the American edition of 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 Literature, Critique and Empire Today, and serves on the advisory boards of The Journal of Postcolonial Writing, the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature, and the International Centre for Pakistani Writing in English. She has served on various literary juries and was the Regional Chair (Eurasia) of the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize (2009–2010). Based in Karachi, she contributes regularly to the Pakistani press. [Photograph credit: Zain Mustafa]
Najam Butt
Najamul Sahar Butt is a Lahore-based surgeon and literary translator with a unique blend of medical expertise and cultural contribution. A graduate of Peoples’ Friendship University, Moscow, he completed his MD in 1981. Certified as an interpreter in Russian and English, he co-authored several publications in leading Soviet medical journals before returning to Pakistan. Dr Najam Butt is celebrated for his Urdu translations of Russian classics, including Master aur Margarita by Bulgakov, Behar-e-Tanhai by Belyaev, and collections of stories by Gogol, Dostoyevsky, and Sholokhov. His ongoing work includes the Urdu translation of Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment. In recognition of his literary contributions, he was awarded the Pushkin Medal on 4 November 2017 by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and was invited to a reception hosted by President Vladimir Putin.
Najeeba Arif
Prof. Dr. Najeeba Arif is a distinguished scholar, writer, and cultural leader with over three decades of experience in higher education, literary research, and cultural diplomacy. Currently serving as Chairperson of the Pakistan Academy of Letters, she has played a pivotal role in promoting literature, translation, and cross-cultural dialogue at both national and international levels. Formerly Dean of the Faculty of Languages and Literature at the International Islamic University Islamabad, her academic leadership reflects a rare synthesis of rigorous scholarship and creative vision. An accomplished author and editor, Prof. Dr. Arif has published and edited nineteen books spanning fiction, poetry, memoir, literary criticism, translation, and research. Her work explores questions of identity, cultural memory, and the intellectual history of Urdu and South Asian literature. She has also made significant editorial contributions by founding and leading influential academic journals and research platforms. Her engagement with UNESCO’s World Atlas of Languages, the Iqbal Academy Pakistan, and international academic networks underscores her commitment to linguistic diversity and cultural exchange. A recipient of several prestigious literary awards, Prof. Dr. Najeeba Arif continues to shape contemporary literary discourse while fostering meaningful connections between Pakistan’s literary traditions and the wider world.
Naseer Soomro
Naseer Soomro is a distinguished Pakistani poet, writer, and journalist, celebrated for his contributions to Sindhi and Urdu literature. Born in Hingorja, District Khairpur, Sindh, he holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Metallurgy from Mehran University of Engineering & Technology and began his career as an engineer at Pakistan Steel Mills before dedicating himself to literature and journalism. Author of five acclaimed poetry collections, Soomro’s work blends classical Sindhi themes with modern rationalist and individualist perspectives. His poetry has been featured in the Revised Scheme of Syllabus for Sindhi in Pakistan’s CSS Competitive Examination, and he has participated in numerous national and international literary events, including official mushairas honoring visiting poets. Currently based in Karachi, Soomro continues to inspire readers with his thought-provoking verse and critical insights into language and culture.
Nasir Abbas Nayyar
A scholar, author, and short story writer, Nasir Abbas Nayyar is the former Director General of the Urdu Science Board, Lahore, and Professor of Urdu at the University of the Punjab, Lahore. He is also the editor of LUMS’ research journal Bunyaad. His book Mabad Nauabadiyat: Urdu kay Tanzur men (OUP, 2013) introduced postcolonial studies into Urdu literature. His book Urdu Adab ki Tashkeel-e-Jadid (OUP, 2016) won the Best Urdu Book Prize at KLF 2017 and the Baba-e-Urdu Maulvi Abdul Haq Award (2016) for Urdu prose from the Pakistan Academy of Letters. His book Us Ko Ik Shakhs Samjhna to Munasib hi Nahi (OUP, 2017) was awarded the UBL Literary Prize (2019) for Best Urdu Non-Fiction. His book Nazm Kaisay Parhain is the first of its kind in Urdu. Aik Zamana Khatam Howa Hae is his fourth collection of short stories. In Jadeediat aur Nauabadiyat (OUP, 2021), Dr. Nayyar explores the complex relationship between modernity and colonialism. Naiy Naqqad kay Naam Khatoot is his most recent publication. He regularly writes on literary issues in The News and Dawn.
Niaz Panhwar
Niaz Panhwar is a distinguished figure in Sindhi poetry, prose, and journalism, whose name commands respect and recognition across literary circles. He began his literary career nearly five decades ago, initially writing for children. At a remarkably young age, he was appointed Editor of the children’s monthly magazine Balak. During this formative period, his poetry collection for children, Kod–o–Sapoon, was published and subsequently honored by Sindhology as the Best Children’s Book of the Year (1981). Concurrently, under the mentorship of the eminent teacher and journalist Khan Muhammad Panhwar, he worked in various editorial and literary capacities for the monthly magazines Nawan Niyapo and Paras. Alongside his editorial work, he remained actively engaged with several children’s literary organizations, serving in key central positions. In 1983, Niaz Panhwar joined the daily newspaper Mehran as a Sub-Editor, working closely with the renowned poet and journalist Janab Shamsher-ul-Haidri. This marked the beginning of a journalistic career spanning more than four decades. Over the years, he also served with distinction at the daily Kawish and contributed professionally to Sindhi television channels, where he undertook a range of editorial and media responsibilities. As a creative writer, Niaz Panhwar occupies an important place in modern Sindhi literature. His published works include two collections of poetry and five books of prose, reflecting both literary depth and sustained commitment to Sindhi language and culture.
Niilofur Farrukh
Niilofur Farrukh is an art interventionist based in Karachi. Her prolific five-decade career focuses on decolonizing ways of viewing, reading, practicing, and writing about art and culture in Pakistan. In 2016, she co-founded the Karachi Biennale Trust and, as its CEO, led four acclaimed editions of the Karachi Biennale through 2025. Since the 1990s, Niilofur’s art criticism—published across numerous platforms—has brought modern and contemporary South Asian art, along with complex political ideologies from Pakistan, into global view. She has three books to her credit: A Beautiful Despair—The Art and Life of Meher Afroz (Lé Topical Printers, 2020), Pioneering Perspectives (Ferozsons, 1998), and Pakistan’s Radioactive Decade: An Informal Cultural History of the 1970s (Oxford University Press, 2019), co-edited with John McCarry and Amin Gulgee. She also co-established NuktaArt: Pakistan’s Contemporary Art Magazine. Currently, she is writing her fourth book on the early art histories of Karachi. As a curator, Niilofur approaches exhibitions as provocative spaces. In 2025, she curated ‘…connecting internal and external time…,’ the first retrospective of Meher Afroz. Her global engagements include serving as the current chair of the ‘Censorship and Freedom of Expression Committee’ and as a juror for the AICA Young Critics Award at the International Association of Art Critics (AICA). She is also a member of the International Institute of Public Art Prize at Shanghai University.
Omar Shahid Hamid
Omar Shahid Hamid is a celebrated Pakistani novelist known for his gripping crime thrillers that draw heavily from his experiences as a police officer. His debut novel, ‘The Prisoner’ (2013), became a bestseller in both India and Pakistan and was longlisted for the DSC South Asia Literature Prize. The book, inspired by his time in the police force, is being adapted into a feature film. Hamid’s second novel, ‘The Spinner’s Tale’ (2015), is loosely based on the kidnapping of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl and won the Karachi Literature Festival’s fiction prize in 2017. His third book, ‘The Party Worker’ (2017), explores the dark underbelly of Karachi’s political landscape and also received critical acclaim. This novel was contracted for a Netflix adaptation, highlighting its widespread appeal. In 2019, Hamid released ‘The Fix,’ which delves into the world of cricket match-fixing, and ‘Betrayal,’ a thriller about espionage and political intrigue. His novels are known for their gritty realism and unflinching portrayal of corruption and violence, making him one of Pakistan’s most popular English-language authors. Omar Shahid Hamid’s latest novel, ‘The Election’ (2024), is a satirical take on the political landscapes of both the United States and Pakistan. The novel is a sharp spoof of geopolitics, highlighting the absurdities and machinations of political campaigns. It has been praised for its well-defined characters and engaging plot, making it a must-read for those interested in political satire.
R.J. Davidson
R.J. Davidson is a poet and scholar. His first book, Under What Stars, was published in the summer of 2009 by Ampersand Books. His second collection, Statues Need Stories, was published in 2019 by Cyberwit Books. He is an assistant professor of writing, rhetoric, and world literature at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco.
Rauf Parekh
Rauf Parekh is a distinguished lexicographer, linguist, and literary scholar, widely recognized for his contributions to Urdu language and literature. Born in Karachi in 1958, he earned his MA and PhD in Urdu from the University of Karachi and went on to shape the field of Urdu lexicography through his pioneering work. As Chief Editor of the Urdu Dictionary Board from 2003 to 2007, he oversaw the publication of volumes 19, 20, and 21 of the monumental Urdu Lughat. In 2020, he was appointed Director General of the National Language Promotion Department, Islamabad, further cementing his role as a leading advocate for Urdu. Parekh has authored more than 50 books spanning lexicography, literary criticism, humor, and linguistics, and has contributed to major works such as the Oxford Urdu–English Dictionary. His writings, which appear regularly in DAWN and other publications, reflect his deep engagement with language, culture, and society. For his outstanding services to literature and language, he was honored with the Presidential Pride of Performance award in 2018. A passionate scholar and cultural commentator, Rauf Parekh continues to influence contemporary discourse on Urdu literature and language, making him an essential voice in Pakistan’s literary landscape.
Saabhiyan Sangi
Saabhiyan Sangi is a distinguished Sindhi and Urdu poet, writer, and academic. She holds a master’s degree in Sindhi Literature and an MPhil for her research on “Resistance and Aesthetics in the Poetry of Khalifo Nabi Bakhsh Qasim.” Currently, she serves as Associate Professor of Sindhi Literature at a government college in Karachi, with nearly three decades of teaching experience. A prolific literary voice since 1988, Saabhiyan has written extensively in both Sindhi and Urdu, earning acclaim for her ghazals and prose poetry. Her work spans essays, research articles, short stories, and literary sketches. Her correspondence with Shaikh Ayaz, compiled and published, holds a special place in Sindhi literary history. Her writings have appeared in leading journals and newspapers since the 1990s, and her research papers feature in academic publications. She is the author of two celebrated poetry collections: Anjaan Kaa’inaat Jee’ari Aa (The Universe is Still Alive, 2007) and Khamoshi Gaalhaa’e thee (Silence Speaks, 2024). New works—including poetry collections and research volumes—are forthcoming. Saabhiyan actively participates in literary festivals and academic conferences across Pakistan, presenting papers and moderating sessions. Her contributions have earned her prestigious honors, including the Shahbaz Award and the Ghulam Rasool Ghamnaak Award, securing her a prominent place in Pakistan’s literary landscape.
Saba Karim Khan
Saba Karim Khan is an author, award-winning 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 anthology, Ways of Being: Creative Non-fiction by Pakistani Women. Her latest book, Home #itscomplicated, is an anthology exploring people’s messy yet meaningful relationship with ‘home’, which in this case is Pakistan. She is a columnist for Khaleej Times and her writing, interviews and talks have appeared in The Guardian, BBC, The Independent, the Wimbledon Book Fest, Emirates Literature Festival, Karachi 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. Her latest film, W.R.A.P. explores the lives of three underground hip-hop artists in Karachi and has won awards and official selections in Sweden, Germany, the United Kingdom and India so far. Before joining the Academy, Khan worked as Country Marketing and Corporate Affairs Head at Citigroup. Born in Karachi, she now lives in Abu Dhabi with her husband and two daughters. She can be reached at www.sabakarimkhan.com.
Saif Mahmood
Saif Mahmood, PhD, is an international commercial lawyer with a distinguished profile spanning law, literature, and culture. He is the author of the bestselling Beloved Delhi: A Mughal City and Her Greatest Poets (first published in 2018; revised edition 2023). A globally sought-after public speaker, Saif works to showcase Urdu poetic traditions, emphasizing poetry as a vital cultural document. A former Visiting Academic at the University of Oxford, he currently serves as Vice President of Urdu Culture London and Trustee & Chair of Anjuman Taraqqi Urdu UK. He divides his time between London and New Delhi.
Salma Ahmed Alam
Salma Ahmed Alam is a teacher by her professional qualification and is presently the CEO of Durbeen, a non-profit organization that is striving to raise the bar of public schools in Pakistan. Salma started her education career at the S.M.B. Fatima Jinnah government school in Karachi, where she volunteered with Zindagi Trust for 4 years. After graduating from Harvard University in 2013, Salma spent two years consulting with the World Bank. In 2016, after returning from Singapore with a primary teaching qualification, Salma was appointed as the CEO of Durbeen, to lead a public-private partnership in the Government Elementary College of Teacher Education, Hussainabad in Karachi.
Sam Dalrymple
Sam Dalrymple is a Delhi-raised Scottish historian and award-winning filmmaker. He graduated from Oxford University as a scholar of Persian and Sanskrit and also studied at the University of Isfahan and Ferdowsi University of Mashhad in Iran. He has worked across South and Central Asia, including with Turquoise Mountain in Kabul and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture in Hunza and Lahore. In 2018, he co-founded Project Dastaan, a peace-building initiative that reconnects refugees displaced by the 1947 Partition of India. His debut film, Child of Empire, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2022 and received the inaugural XR History Award from the Körber-Stiftung Foundation. His animated series Lost Migrations sold out at the BFI the same year. Dastaan’s work has been exhibited at leading institutions, including the Smithsonian, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Asian Art Museum, and the Partition Museum, with support from the British Council, the Australia Council for the Arts, and the Ford Foundation. Dalrymple’s writing has appeared in The New York Times and The Spectator, and his work has been featured in TIME, The New Yorker, and The Economist. He is a columnist for Architectural Digest, and in 2025, Travel + Leisure named him ‘Champion of the Travel Narrative.’ He runs the history Substack, @travelsofsamwise. His debut book, Shattered Lands: Five Partitions and the Making of Modern Asia, was a #1 bestseller in India and was named one of ‘the best history books to read in 2025’ by The Week. It has been translated into three languages, shortlisted for the 2025 Eastern Eye Award for History, and longlisted for the Ramnath Goenka Sahitya Samman 2025 for Best Debut. [Photograph credit: Akshay Kapoor]
Saman Shamsie
Saman Shamsie is the author of five children’s books: Think of Good Things (OUP UK, 2025), Wali Dad (OUP UK, 2025), Where the Rivers Meet (OUP, 2020), The Magical Woods (OUP, 2014), and The Adventures of Slothful Sloughoff (OUP, 2010). Her story ‘The Heartbeat Tree’ was published in Magic Stories for Eight-Year-Olds (Puffin India, 2011). She was educated at Karachi Grammar School and Allegheny College, USA. In 2013, she earned a master’s degree in education management from King’s College, London. While in London, she was actively involved in the Preston Road Community Library Campaign and was named its Children’s Laureate. In 2016, the library hosted the ‘Saman Shamsie Young Writer’s Challenge’ for children. She also participated in the Alchemy Festival—an art and culture event celebrating South Asia and the UK—at the Southbank Centre in 2016. Saman Shamsie currently teaches at the Junior Section of Karachi Grammar School.
Sanam Maher
Sanam Maher is indeed a prominent Karachi-based journalist and author. Her acclaimed book The Sensational Life and Death of Qandeel Baloch (2018) explores the life and tragic murder of Qandeel Baloch, Pakistan’s first social media celebrity, and examines themes of gender, fame, and morality in Pakistani society. The book received international recognition and was listed among the best books of 2018 by The New York Times and The New Yorker. Maher’s journalism spans major global outlets, including BBC, The Guardian, and Al Jazeera, where she often writes on issues related to gender, culture, and social change in South Asia.
Shahid Siddiqui
Shahid Siddiqui is a renowned educationist, linguist, teacher, researcher, academic administrator, and prolific writer. He currently serves as Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Media Studies, Art and Design at the Lahore School of Economics. He earned his PhD in Applied Linguistics from the University of Toronto, Canada; an M.Ed. in TESOL from the University of Manchester, UK; and completed postdoctoral research at Oxford University. Dr. Siddiqui has held academic and administrative positions at several prestigious institutions, including AKU, LUMS, GIKI, and NUML. He also served as Vice Chancellor of AIOU from 2014 to 2018. 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; Reimagining Education in Pakistan: Contemporary Challenges and Critical Choices; 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 the 21st Century; and Toronto, Dubai, and Manchester (Travel Stories in Urdu).
Shahnawaz Ghoto
Shahnawaz Ghoto was born in Ghotki and received his early education there, later completing his higher and secondary education in Sukkur. A graduate of the Pakistan Military Academy, Kakul, he holds a master’s degree in international relations from the University of Karachi, an MBA in Human Resource Management from PIMSAT Karachi, and a Diploma in Administration and Management from IBA Karachi. A prolific poet, Shahnawaz has published more than 500 poems in various Sindhi literary magazines. He currently resides in Karachi.
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.
Shueyb Gandapur
Shueyb Gandapur is the author of Coming Back, a memoir recounting his sojourn in India as a Pakistani visitor. The book offers a refreshing and intimate perspective on the enduring cultural and human connections between the two countries, despite the political divisions that continue to keep them at odds. A restless traveler who has visited 114 countries, 86 of them on a Pakistani passport, Gandapur observes landscapes and everyday life across the world, reflecting on questions of borders, belonging, and identity. A chartered accountant by training, he writes about travel, politics, and literature, and paints in his free time. His work has been published by Writer’s Mosaic, The News on Sunday, The Friday Times, The Aleph Review, Quint, and National Herald.
Syed Kashif Raza
Syed Kashif Raza is a poet, novelist, and translator. He has authored several works, including three poetry collections and the celebrated novel Char Darvesh aur Aik Katchwa, which won the 9th UBL Prize for Best Fiction in Urdu. The novel was also shortlisted for the KLF Prize for Urdu Literature in the same year. Its German translation was published by Draupadi Verlag and launched in several German cities in May 2025. His poetry collections Muhabbat ka Mahall-e-Wuqu and Mamnu Mausamon ki Kitab were published in 2003 and 2012, respectively. His third collection, Gul-e-Dogana, was published by Maktaba-e-Daniyal in 2025. His poems have been translated into English, Arabic, Hindi, and Sindhi, and have appeared in the prestigious Portland Review. He has taught courses on world literature and scriptwriting and mentored young poets through the Youth Poet Laureate Programme in New York. Raza has translated notable works by authors such as Noam Chomsky, Arundhati Roy, Muhammad Hanif, Eqbal Ahmad, and Frances Hodgson Burnett into Urdu. He has also translated stories by Milan Kundera, James Joyce, Jorge Luis Borges, and Isabel Allende. Additionally, he co-compiled a bilingual anthology with Naila Mehmood that explores the COVID-19 experience in literature and the arts. Kashif Raza has written socio-political articles, literary essays, and book reviews for Dawn, The News International, Jang, and various literary magazines. He also edited six volumes of Karachi Review, a journal of book and art reviews. Professionally, he is a broadcast journalist and currently serves as Executive Producer at Geo News.
Tazeen Hussain
Tazeen Hussain is an Associate Professor of Practice in the Department of Communication and Design at Habib University. She previously served as Head of the Department of Communication Design and the Foundation Program at IVS, and as visiting faculty in the Department of Visual Studies at Karachi University and the Department of Media Sciences at SZABIST. She also maintains an active media practice as an actor and voice-over artist. As a design academic, Hussain has published and presented her research nationally and internationally. She served as Chair of Design for the ADA Awards Fourth Cycle and actively contributes to the Boards of Studies of various design institutions across Pakistan. Additionally, she is a member of the Advisory Board for the Gandhara Film Festival. Hussain earned a bachelor’s degree in communication design from the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture and a Master’s in New Media and Society from the University of Leicester, UK.
Ute Krause
Ute Krause, a bestselling German children’s book author, was born in 1960 in Berlin. She spent her childhood in Turkey, Cyprus, and Nigeria, and later lived for six years in New York. Krause has published more than forty books and illustrated over four hundred. Her works cover all age groups, from picture books to chapter books and juvenile novels. Most recently, her biographical novel for adults was published by Penguin Random House. She has traveled extensively on behalf of the Goethe-Institut, reading from her books and conducting workshops for authors and illustrators. Her works have been translated into several languages, including Arabic and English. Two of her most popular children’s book series (The Muscleteers and Dinomite & Lucy), as well as a young adult novel, have been adapted into TV series for Germany’s ZDF (Channel 2). Krause has been nominated for multiple children’s book prizes and is regarded as one of Germany’s leading children’s book authors. Her Instagram handle is @utekrause_autorin.
Veera Rustomji
Veera Rustomji is a multidisciplinary artist from Karachi. Her practice focuses on uncovering historiographical power structures through materials that explore geographical influences, religious iconography, and archival methods. She holds a BFA from the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture (IVS) and an MA from Chelsea College of Arts at the University of the Arts London (UAL), where she was awarded the UAL Postgraduate International Scholarship. Veera is the recipient of the 2021–2022 Mead Fellowship, during which she produced a body of documentation capturing the erasure of island life and coastal heritage within the Indus Delta. Her site-specific investigations coexist with literary and community-based archives from public and private collections that examine the Zoroastrian diaspora. Veera is also the co-director of the Urban Repository Archive (URA), housed within the Department of Fine Art at IVS, which explores how student-led research responds to the changing landscape of Karachi.
Zahir Rahimtoola
Zahir Rahimtoola, Chief Executive Officer of ECOM PK, is a trailblazer in Pakistan’s fashion retail and eCommerce sectors. Holding Hotel Management certifications from École Hôtelier de Lausanne, Switzerland, and Cornell University, USA, Zahir began his professional journey at Holiday Inn Karachi (now Marriott Karachi) and later served as Corporate Manager, Guest Services at Pearl Continental Hotel. In 1991, he established one of Pakistan’s earliest textile buying houses, representing prominent US and European brands such as Urban Outfitters, Columbia Sportswear, and Capital Mercury Shirt Corporation. His entrepreneurial vision led to the launch of LABELS in 1996, Pakistan’s pioneering fashion retail chain, followed by the country’s first Original Levi’s & Dockers Store under Levi Strauss USA license in 2000. In 2012, Zahir co-founded ECOM PK, introducing Pakistan’s first online fashion retail store and enabling digital solutions for leading brands like Khaadi, Bonanza, Al Karam, and Generation. ECOM PK also spearheaded the Emerging Pakistan digital branding initiative for the Ministry of Commerce and facilitated Pakistan’s debut at Milan Fashion Week in collaboration with Italian designer Stella Jean, showcasing embroidery by women artisans from Kalash, Chitral, and Hunza. During the Covid pandemic, ECOM developed a free-of-cost Covid Portal for the Government of Pakistan and later created an online trade portal for TDAP. Beyond business, Zahir serves on the Governing Body of The Aga Khan Hospital and Medical College Foundation and is an active member of Sind Club and Karachi Boat Club. He has recently been appointed Director of the Thar Coal Rail Connectivity Project by the Government of Sindh as their nominee on the Board of Directors.
Zain Saeed
Zain Saeed is the author of Little America, winner of the Karachi Literature Festival English Fiction Prize 2022, and The Year of Sound and Heat, which was also nominated for the same award. He earned his MFA from the University of Texas at Austin. His work has appeared in several publications, including Glimmer Train, The Kenyon Review, the Home #itscomplicated Anthology, The Hindu BL Ink, and the Freiburg Review. He lives in Ifrane, Morocco, where he teaches creative writing and performance studies at Al Akhawayn University. He can be found on Instagram @zainssaeed.
Zarminae Ansari
Zarminae Ansari is an architect, cultural tourism consultant, and journalist currently residing in Portugal. She founded Joy of Urdu, an international bilingual, volunteer-run organization that promotes Urdu language, literature, and literary heritage by making it accessible. Since its inception in 2013, the initiative has grown to over 150 volunteers worldwide, offering bilingual resources and reading group chapters. Ansari’s passion for Urdu was sparked during her studies in Canada, the U.S., and Lahore. On the organization’s 10th anniversary, Joy of Urdu Bilingual Publications was launched, and its first book, Three Tales from Gulistan-e-Saadi, won the ADA Award in 2025.
