The Pakistan Experience

Journalist and Editor Badar Alam joins us on The Pakistan Experience to discuss Print Journalism, The Media Industry, Censorship, Herald, the business of News, Channel Owners, Advertising and the state of Journalism today. Muhammad Badar Alam has been a journalist since 1992. He worked as the editor of Herald magazine, Pakistan’s premier current affairs magazine, from June 2010 to July 2019 – until the magazine was forced to close down as a punishment for its independent editorial policy and fearless reporting. He then co-founded loksujag, an independent digital news media outlet dedicated to public interest investigative journalism, and worked as its chief editor between April 2020 and November 2022. He has also worked as a bureau chief, a reporter, a foreign correspondent and a deputy editor for different news outlets. He, similarly, has vast experience in journalism training and research. The Pakistan Experience is an independently produced podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan through conversations. Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience To support the channel: Jazzcash/Easypaisa - 0325 -2982912 Patreon.com/thepakistanexperience And Please stay in touch: https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1https://www.facebook.com/thepakistanexperiencehttps://instagram.com/thepakistanexpeperience The podcast is hosted by comedian and writer, Shehzad Ghias Shaikh. Shehzad is a Fulbright scholar with a Masters in Theatre from Brooklyn College. He is also one of the foremost Stand-up comedians in Pakistan and frequently writes for numerous publications. Instagram.com/shehzadghiasshaikh Facebook.com/Shehzadghias/ Twitter.com/shehzad89 Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 0:52 Shehzad @ The Herald, why print journalism is dying, business and political interests of media owners 14:58 censorship and the dangers of journalism, taking a stand 24:22 delayed salaries and bullying by big media, ad revenue dictating policy, Bahria Town, serving public interest and journalism ethics 34:17 Bias in media and the purpose of journalism, propaganda, and misuse of power 44:55 judgement in absence of evidence, verifying information, Military involvement in parliamentary voting under PTI 58:18 journalists overcompensating in search for balance, are only politicians corrupt, and the IK situation 1:10:15 May 9 and its impact on PTI, can anyone get a majority, engineered power, and the legislative success of politicians 1:20:46 disruption of democracy, lawyers movement and APS attack, and no democracy in political parties 1:29:12 dynastic politics, hate for politics, resistance and protesting for demands, killing of regional identities, Mithi vs Kasur 1:38:43 BTK and PPP, marginalization of rural populations, creating ghettos, and remembering the Herald 1:54:41 Audience Questions

Pakistan Lost is a series of audio essays on history exploring the choices that were made that impacted millions of people for decades to come. Episode 8 of the series looks at the creation, election and selection of Imran Khan, how the military used Imran Khan against the Charter of Democracy. Watch all the episodes of Pakistan Lost: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HVcorSr-vM&list=PLlQZ9NZnjq5qRLMfNjRNQyCTBkT0etuaZ The Pakistan Experience is an independently produced podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan through conversations. Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience To support the channel: Jazzcash/Easypaisa - 0325 -2982912 Patreon.com/thepakistanexperience And Please stay in touch: https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1https://www.facebook.com/thepakistanexperiencehttps://instagram.com/thepakistanexpeperience The podcast is hosted by comedian and writer, Shehzad Ghias Shaikh. Shehzad is a Fulbright scholar with a Masters in Theatre from Brooklyn College. He is also one of the foremost Stand-up comedians in Pakistan and frequently writes for numerous publications. Instagram.com/shehzadghiasshaikh Facebook.com/Shehzadghias/ Twitter.com/shehzad89

Anurag Minus Verma joins us on a fun episode of The Pakistan Experience discussing JNU, Comedy, Satire, Caste and Culture in India. On this deep dive episode, we discuss Extensialism, Devang Patel, Kafka, White Vloggers, Marxism, Adnan Sami, Anti-National, Gaanja, Anti-Caste, Memes, Culture and BC Sutta Na Mila Anurag is a multimedia artist. He studied Art and Aesthetics at JNU, Delhi, and film editing at FTII, Pune. His video diaries and character videos have gained a substantial social media following. His films have been screened at prestigious festivals and museums worldwide. In addition to his video work, Anurag writes opinion pieces. His popular podcast invites global thinkers and artists to discuss pressing issues. Anurag has been invited to share his journey at renowned institutions like Harvard, the University of Michigan, and Brandeis University. The Pakistan Experience is an independently produced podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan through conversations. Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience To support the channel: Jazzcash/Easypaisa - 0325 -2982912 Patreon.com/thepakistanexperience And Please stay in touch: https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1https://www.facebook.com/thepakistanexperiencehttps://instagram.com/thepakistanexpeperience The podcast is hosted by comedian and writer, Shehzad Ghias Shaikh. Shehzad is a Fulbright scholar with a Masters in Theatre from Brooklyn College. He is also one of the foremost Stand-up comedians in Pakistan and frequently writes for numerous publications. Instagram.com/shehzadghiasshaikh Facebook.com/Shehzadghias/ Twitter.com/shehzad89 Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 1:40 Why are you called Anurag Minus Verma 4:30 The importance of Names 9:00 Caste and Culture in Urban India 19:50 Satirizing your own class 23:0 Finding the universality in the unique 27:00 Bollywood creating Culture and culture creating Bollywood and Dil Se 33:30 Issue based content and Cancel Culture 36:00 Vloggers and Foreigners in Pakistan 41:30 Cinema and Music in Pakistan 45:30 Sutta Na Mila and Ad Parody 48:30 Devang Patel 51:40 Existentialism and Roadies 55:30 Memes 1:00:00 JNU, Political Songs and Coffee 1:12:21 Audience Questions

Pakistan Lost is a series of audio essays on history exploring the choices that were made that impacted millions of people for decades to come. Episode 7 of the series looks at the dismissal of Benazir Bhutto's first Government on August 6th, 1990. Watch all the episodes of Pakistan Lost: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HVcorSr-vM&list=PLlQZ9NZnjq5qRLMfNjRNQyCTBkT0etuaZThe Pakistan Experience is an independently produced podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan through conversations. Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience To support the channel: Jazzcash/Easypaisa - 0325 -2982912 Patreon.com/thepakistanexperience

Imran Khan vs the COAS - Has PTI been Dismantled? Is the Party Over? The Pakistan Experience is an independently produced podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan through conversations. Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience To support the channel: Jazzcash/Easypaisa - 0325 -2982912 Patreon.com/thepakistanexperience And Please stay in touch: https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1https://www.facebook.com/thepakistanexperiencehttps://instagram.com/thepakistanexpeperience The podcast is hosted by comedian and writer, Shehzad Ghias Shaikh. Shehzad is a Fulbright scholar with a Masters in Theatre from Brooklyn College. He is also one of the foremost Stand-up comedians in Pakistan and frequently writes for numerous publications. Instagram.com/shehzadghiasshaikh Facebook.com/Shehzadghias/ Twitter.com/shehzad89

The Pakistan Experience is an independently produced podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan through conversations. Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience To support the channel: Jazzcash/Easypaisa - 0325 -2982912 Patreon.com/thepakistanexperience And Please stay in touch: https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1https://www.facebook.com/thepakistanexperiencehttps://instagram.com/thepakistanexpeperience The podcast is hosted by comedian and writer, Shehzad Ghias Shaikh. Shehzad is a Fulbright scholar with a Masters in Theatre from Brooklyn College. He is also one of the foremost Stand-up comedians in Pakistan and frequently writes for numerous publications. Instagram.com/shehzadghiasshaikh Facebook.com/Shehzadghias/ Twitter.com/shehzad89 Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 1:15 NFP’s new book, Imran Khan & his parallels with ZA Bhutto 09:29 The urban middle class, the voter split of Punjab, and Maududi’s political Islam 25:10 Democracy & Islam, Allama Iqbal, Maududi and political Ideologues 35:40 “Riyasat e Madina”, is there a major vote bank for religious parties?, the startof the military’s religiosity and Zia’s violence 51:26 the liberal elite, the left & reactionaries, double standards about protests 1:02:04 PTI’s protests and their false sense of security, Imran Khan’s political future and PTI’s hubris 1:17:25 Imran Riaz Khan’s arrest, projecting dreams onto reality, Cuba and his experience with communist movements 1:25:38 Myth of PTI bringing political awareness, how IK got popular and filling a void, IK’s colonial Pashtoon identity 1:42:55 PTI’s propaganda and bullying campaigns, disappearances of party leaders, and attacking feminists and liberals 1:52:58 Teflon Khan, PTI from invincibility to vulnerability, empty Zaman Park and virtue signaling 2:04:40 the Islamic voter, Salman Ahmed and Sufism, Malik Riaz and everyone in bed with the elite 2:13:52 Imran as a father figure and IK’s cricket career 2:17:29 Audience Questions

Laurent Gayer comes on the Pakistan Experience to discuss his book, "Karachi: Ordered Disorder and the Struggle for the City", Student Politics, MQM, PPP, JI, Altaf Hussain, PTM, Benazir's Assassination, Delhi and Paris. Laurent Gayer is Senior Research Fellow at the Center for International Studies (CERI-Sciences Po), Paris. For the past twenty years, he has been investigating urban transformations, social struggles and political conflicts in Karachi. His main publications include Karachi: Ordered Disorder and the Struggle for the City (Hurst, 2014), and the forthcoming Gunpoint Capitalism: Enforcing Corporate Order in Karachi (Hurst, 2024) The Pakistan Experience is an independently produced podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan through conversations. Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience To support the channel: Jazzcash/Easypaisa - 0325 -2982912 Patreon.com/thepakistanexperience And Please stay in touch: https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1https://www.facebook.com/thepakistanexperiencehttps://instagram.com/thepakistanexpeperience The podcast is hosted by comedian and writer, Shehzad Ghias Shaikh. Shehzad is a Fulbright scholar with a Masters in Theatre from Brooklyn College. He is also one of the foremost Stand-up comedians in Pakistan and frequently writes for numerous publications. Instagram.com/shehzadghiasshaikh Facebook.com/Shehzadghias/ Twitter.com/shehzad89 Chapters 0:00 Introduction 2:30 Finding order in Karachi’s chaos, MQM and military involvement 13:20 Student politics and Jamat e Islami, history of the region and who wrote it, creation of the muhajir identity 30:03 Using autobiographies as a source, Karachi’s motorcycle culture, conspiracy theories, Altaf Hussain and Punjab 40:07 Economic anxiety & pashtoon-muhajir conflict, partition and its impact on Karachi 51:17 the good old times, and protests in France compared to Karachi 1:04:05 PTM, Aurat March and impacts of social mobilization, global protest dynamics, anti military consciousness in Karachi 1:11:26 Benazir’s assassination and its impact on the city; is the PPP a mafia? 1:19:47 Karachi’s divisions & cantonments, local governments, the new corporate elite & sweatshops 1:30:36 Blatant protection from the courts and whether Delhi is the most segregated city and BJP changing India 1:43:33 Audience Questions

All sides of the Al Qadir Trust case, and the context of Corruption, Imran Khan's tenure and this case. The Pakistan Experience is an independently produced podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan through conversations. Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience To support the channel: Jazzcash/Easypaisa - 0325 -2982912 Patreon.com/thepakistanexperience And Please stay in touch: https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1https://www.facebook.com/thepakistanexperiencehttps://instagram.com/thepakistanexpeperience The podcast is hosted by comedian and writer, Shehzad Ghias Shaikh. Shehzad is a Fulbright scholar with a Masters in Theatre from Brooklyn College. He is also one of the foremost Stand-up comedians in Pakistan and frequently writes for numerous publications. Instagram.com/shehzadghiasshaikh Facebook.com/Shehzadghias/ Twitter.com/shehzad89 Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 2:40 What is Corruption? 8:00 Malik Riaz’s Dealings in London 12:40 What is the Al Qadir Trust Case? 18:50 Imran Khan’s Involvement 23:50 Selective Justice 34:00 Civil Society needs to oppose Military Courts for PTI

Mahenaz Mahmud comes on podcast for our Mothers Day Special.Mahenaz Mahmud comes on the podcast to discuss early childhood Education, Sabeen Mahmud's legacy, T2F and how to raise children.Mahenaz Mahmud Sabeen’s mother, Mahenaz, has worked with children and adults since 1979, teaching, developing curricula and learning resources in urban and rural Pakistan. She initiated innovative Early Years projects, research and advocacy in the public and private sectors resulting in Pakistan’s first National ECE Curriculum in collaboration with the Ministry of Education. Currently, as Academic Advisor, PECHS Girls’ School, one of her favourite roles is to provide a safe space for students to come and talk through their social, emotional and academic difficulties. The Pakistan Experience is an independently produced podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan through conversations. Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience To support the channel: Jazzcash/Easypaisa - 0325 -2982912 Patreon.com/thepakistanexperience And Please stay in touch: https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1https://www.facebook.com/thepakistanexperiencehttps://instagram.com/thepakistanexpeperience The podcast is hosted by comedian and writer, Shehzad Ghias Shaikh. Shehzad is a Fulbright scholar with a Masters in Theatre from Brooklyn College. He is also one of the foremost Stand-up comedians in Pakistan and frequently writes for numerous publications. Instagram.com/shehzadghiasshaikh Facebook.com/Shehzadghias/ Twitter.com/shehzad89 Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 02:56 Identity formation and her Bengali roots, class barriers and being a good person, being privilege conscious and appreciating Karachi 12:05 Gandhi’s anti colonial philosophy & her grandparents, increasing markers of religious identity, and inter-country harmony 18:59 Dhaka & 1971, facing discrimination, Karachi in the 70s, changes under Zia and spreading hate, and the fear narrative 31:00 Women in public, internalized patriarchy, parenting a girl and striking a balance, banning school bells and managing students 43:32 Teaching at elite schools, Sabeen’s early schooling, writing a manual for student learning 53:15 Holistic learning and critical thinking, Sabeen and T2F’s impact 1:02:45 Sabeen and her ambitious goals, doing good work, building a community and T2F 1:11:53 Sabeen’ legacy, Sabeen Mehmud Foundation and how to raise a Sabeen 1:23:39 Middle-class aspirations, dealing with trolls and details about Sabeen’s killer and dealing with the loss 1:38:51 Q&A

Tamkenat Mansoor, Syed Muzammil Shah, Ali Aftab Saeed, Mariam Shafqat Goraya, and Sajeer Shaikh, join us for a special live stream celebrating 100,000 subscribers! This is the return of Bachodiyan you have all been waiting for. The Pakistan Experience is an independently produced podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan through conversations. Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanex... To support the channel: Jazzcash/Easypaisa - 0325 -2982912 Patreon.com/thepakistanexperience And Please stay in touch: https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1https://www.facebook.com/thepakistane...https://instagram.com/thepakistanexpe... The podcast is hosted by comedian and writer, Shehzad Ghias Shaikh. Shehzad is a Fulbright scholar with a Masters in Theatre from Brooklyn College. He is also one of the foremost Stand-up comedians in Pakistan and frequently writes for numerous publications. Instagram.com/shehzadghiasshaikh Facebook.com/Shehzadghias/ Twitter.com/shehzad89