

The Pakistan Experience
The Pakistan Experience
The Pakistan Experience is a podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan, and Pakistanis, through the lost art of conversations.
https://www.youtube.com/c/ThePakistanExperience
Also available on Spotify, Google Podcasts and Apple Podcasts.
Hosted by Shehzad Ghias Shaikh
https://www.youtube.com/c/ThePakistanExperience
Also available on Spotify, Google Podcasts and Apple Podcasts.
Hosted by Shehzad Ghias Shaikh
Episodes
Mentioned books

May 14, 2023 • 2h 20min
The Secret Untold History of Pakistan - Aamir Mughal - Former Intelligence Officer - #TPE 273
Aamir Mughal is a Former Intelligence officer from Directorate Intelligence Bureau , Government of Pakistan and a student of History, he actively archives the history of Pakistan on Twitter.
Aamir Mughal comes on The Pakistan Experience for a tell all about the history of Pakistan, from Jinnah to Imran Khan, Aamir Mughal gets into the history of Jamaat-e-Islami, Politics, and military operations in Pakistan.
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 intro
1:15 Aamir’s knack for history, joining the IB, Imran Khan, political Islam and its roots in Jinnah
20:16 forcing a Pakistani identity, dynastic politics, 1971 & Bangladesh
31:51 Islamic socialism, lawyers movement, Iftikhar Chaudhry, IK’s use of Islam and how Zia started it
40:18 addressing the original sim, who killed Zia, Benazir & the establishment and standing up against the military
54:49 US involvement & the Cold War, our own identity, Ardeshir Cowasjee and Twitter journalism
1:09:00 the pluralistic Karachi of old, recognizing own mistakes, IK’s constant compromises, and Musharraf
1:20:52 Hussain Haqqani, how censorship cannot work anymore, Charter of Democracy and how NAB is not needed
1:28:02 “Pakistan Khappay”, creating violence and PTI’s reaction to Imran’s arrest, establishment bating PTI and Tahir ul Qadri
1:40:15 Imran Khan’s relaunch as a move against democracy, judiciary intervening in governance, IK’s financial corruption and the media
1:50:54 The Herald, insides of journalism in Pak, TPE’s role in pushing the envelope and media not naming Malik Riaz
2:03:51 Audience Questions

May 11, 2023 • 56min
Imran Khan vs The Establishment? - 15 things you don't know - Contextualizing the Crisis
This video was recorded before the Supreme Court declaring the arrest of Imran Khan illegal, they have still not declared the Arrest Warrant illegal so let's see what happens tomorrow but based on the leaked audio call of Imran Khan Lawyer's before the judgment today, they knew what the judgment will be and they also know they will get bail tomorrow.

May 11, 2023 • 7min
The Death of the Political Class - Pakistan Lost - Ep 06 - EBDO
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 6 of the series looks at how the political class was destroyed in Pakistan to pave the way for dictatorships.
Watch all the episodes of Pakistan Lost:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HVcorSr-vM&list=PLlQZ9NZnjq5qRLMfNjRNQyCTBkT0etuaZ

May 9, 2023 • 10min
BREAKING NEWS: The Legal and The Political Case against Imran Khan - Why was he Arrested?
Imran Khan has been arrested; here is what happened, and why it happened.
For details of the Malik Riaz case against Imran Khan and other cases of Corruption. Watch this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mq8psEQsjVg
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

May 9, 2023 • 1h 6min
Kesava Menon recalls visiting Pakistan in 1990 - India-Pakistan Relations - #TPE 272
Kesava Menon comes on The Pakistan Experience to discuss his book, "Never Tell Them We Are The Same People: Notes on Pakistan" - on this episode we discuss the SCO, Indo-Pak Relations, the possibility of peace and friendship between the countries, and how India is changing.
Kesava Menon is an analyst and writer on political affairs. He was The Hindu’s first Pakistan Correspondent, from July 1990 to October 1993. He was also the Editor of the Malayalam newspaper 'Mathrubhumi' for 8 years.
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 and SCO
4:55 Vajpayee's visit to Pakistan
7:54 Modi's visit to Pakistan
9:30 Perceptions of Pakistan before coming
12:30 Experience of living in Pakistan
18:30 The Hindu and the Left
23:30 Land Reforms and Nehru's Legacy
26:50 India's Economic Strength and Aggression
29:00 India's importance in Pakistan's electoral politics
30:30 Establishment and Peace with India
32:30 Visiting Pakistan 1990-1993
41:00 Meeting Pakistani politicians
44:50 Takeaways from visiting Pakistan
47:00 Never tell them we are the same people
50:50 How is India changing
57:30 Can we be friends

May 4, 2023 • 1h 58min
Jinnah, Creation of Pakistan,History of India and Hindutva Politics - Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy - #TPE 270
Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy comes back on The Pakistan Experience to discuss his new book, "Pakistan: Origins, Identity and Future" - on this podcast covering a wide range of topics Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy drops some bombshells about Jinnah, the Pakistani Identity, the Two Nation Theory, The History of the Sub-Continent and Hindutva Politics in India.
On this deep dive podcast, Dr. Hoodbhoy and I discuss the Pakistani Identity, the imposition of Urdu, Jinnah's vision for Pakistan, Myth-Making, the Ideology of Nations, the history of Hindus in the Sub-Continent, Sir Syed Ahmad Khan and Land Reforms, and Dr. Hoodbhoy answers your questions.
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
Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy is a Nuclear Physicist holding a PhD from MIT. He taught physics for nearly 50 years at Quaid-e-Azam University in Islamabad and was a visiting professor at several US universities including University of Maryland, Carnegie Mellon University, and MIT. He is a sponsor of The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, a member of the Permanent Monitoring Panel of the World Federation of Scientists, and founder-director of the Eqbal Ahmad Centre for Public Education. Since 1988 he has headed Mashal Books in Lahore which translates books into Urdu for promoting modern thought, human rights, and women's rights. Last year he started The Black Hole, a community space in Islamabad sector G-11/3 for promoting science, art, and culture.
In 1968 Dr. Hoodbhoy won the Baker Award for Electronics, and in 1984 the Abdus Salam Prize for Mathematics. In 2003 he was awarded UNESCO's Kalinga Prize for the popularization of science. In 2010 Dr. Hoodbhoy received the Joseph A. Burton Award from the American Physical Society and the Jean Meyer Award from Tufts University. In 2011, he was included in the list of 100 most influential global thinkers by Foreign Policy magazine. During 2013-2017 he was an adviser to the United Nation’s Secretary General. In 2019 he received the honorary doctor of law degree from the University of British Columbia.
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
1:10 The Creation of the Pakistani Identity and Provincialism
12:05 Jinnah as Governor-General and his vision for Pakistan.
23:45 Would things be different if Jinnah survived, Bengal, and Land Reforms
31:52 What is an Islamic State and Political Islam
38:47 Pervez Hoodbhoy’s plea to those looking to leave Pakistan by sea
39:55 What is Pakistan’s actual ideology, myth-making, parallels in America and Israel, and the war for cultural identity
53:20 Dissecting the desire to go back in history to justify being the first, naya India, destruction of temples and Mughal history
1:00:20 Fetishizing Arab identity as ours and Indian cultural pride, Pakistan’s need for change, and whether our polarization and economic problems are intertwined
1:07:44 Sir Syed Ahmed Khan: reformist or colonist; Allama Iqbal and his hate for the west
1:17:38 Writing a book on Pakistan’s history as a non-historian
1:26:49 Audience Questions

May 2, 2023 • 35min
Destroying the myths of 1971 - The Loss of East Pakistan and the Rise of Dhakka - Pakistan Lost Ep 5
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 5 of the series looks at the loss of East Pakistan, the war for Bangladesh and the rise of Dhakka.
Watch all the episodes of Pakistan Lost:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HVcorSr-vM&list=PLlQZ9NZnjq5qRLMfNjRNQyCTBkT0etuaZ
Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
2:00 1947-1971
10:21 Destroying the Myths
25:51 How we remember 1971 and Lessons
Podcasts you should watch:
1. Khurram Hussain on the Economic History of Pakistan:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68NUwsRH6vo
2. Anam Zakaria on a People's History of 1947 and 1971:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YKulPg_TxA
3. Asim Sajjad Akhtar on the political history:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbH4m6tfUKk
4. Yousouf Nazar on 1971 and the Economy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncXBoovBcSI
5. Ali Usman Qasmi on the history of Pakistan:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZhd_CgFzrA
6. Mustafa Nawaz Khokar on Reimagining Pakistan:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZfLwGnjim0
7. Tariq Ali on 1971:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOoYYGwRORk
Sources:
A) Books
1. Murder of History by K.K. Aziz
2. Pakistan: Between Mosque and Military by Hussain Haqqani
3. Witness to Surrender by Siddiq Salik
4. From Jinnah to Zia by Muhammad Munir
5. Diaries of Justice Muhammad Ibrahim
6. Sheikh Mujib's 6 point Formula by Syed Humayun
7. Conflict Unending by Sumit Ganguly
8. A Tale of Millions by Major M. Rafiqul Islam
9. The Great Tragedy by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto
10. Pakistan: Eye of the Storm by Owen Benett Jones
11. 1971: A People's History by Anam Zakaria
12. The Pakistan People's Party by Philip E. Jones
13. Hamood ur Rehman Commission Report and the Supplementary Report
B) Articles
1. https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,830952,00.html
2. https://www.jstor.org/stable/24494181
3. https://www.thefridaytimes.com/2022/08/12/1971-and-the-erasure-of-the-biharis/
4. https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2017/8/15/haunted-by-unification-a-bangladeshi-view-of-partition
5. http://pu.edu.pk/images/journal/csas/PDF/Mussarat%20Jabeen%207.pdf
6. https://www.dawn.com/news/1353861
7. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3023816
8. https://www.nytimes.com/1954/11/23/archives/pakistani-leader-airs-merger-plan-mohammed-ali-says-both-east-and.html?searchResultPosition=2
9. https://tribune.com.pk/story/40218/the-cyclone-that-broke-pakistans-back
10. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/modern-asian-studies/article/cyclone-not-above-politics-east-pakistan-disaster-politics-and-the-1970-bhola-cyclone/08E3F02666C89C041F57933C0C1B447E
11. https://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2011/02/23/agartala-conspiracy-case-was-not-false
12. https://www.dawn.com/news/1602835
13. https://www.nytimes.com/1971/12/28/archives/bhutto-meets-with-mujib-says-hell-continue-talks-bhutto-meets-with.html
14. https://www.dawn.com/news/130047/niazi-surrendered-on-yahya-s-orders
18. https://www.dawn.com/news/1664104
19. https://www.dawn.com/news/1462757
28. https://www.dawn.com/news/1726305/fact-vs-fiction-pakistan-must-accept-the-uncomfortable-truths-about-the-1971-war
C) Videos
1. https://twitter.com/DrMAliShaikh/status/1628081771509166081
2. https://twitter.com/kashmiriRefuge/status/1279667976086548480?lang=en
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eATr7e03N6w
4. https://twitter.com/DrMAliShaikh/status/1628414565586284544
5. VOA Series on 50 years of Fall of Dhaka
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

Apr 26, 2023 • 16min
Exposing Pakistani elite - Big Capital in an Unequal World by Dr. Rosita Armytage - TPE Book Club
Book Review of Big Capital in an Unequal World: The Micropolitics of Wealth in Pakistan by Dr. Rosita Armytage
Watch the podcast with Dr. Rosita Armytage here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCgueX5TGGM
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

Apr 24, 2023 • 1h 44min
Discussing the Blasphemy Law - Arafat Mazhar - #TPE 269
Arafat Mazhar is the founder of Puffball, an animation studio, and director of multiple animated short films, including Shehr e Tabassum (2020) and Swipe (2020), which takes on the nexus of technology and religious extremism, which has won multiple accolades including best short film at the oscar 2023 qualifying film festival - CINANIMA. Swipe also became the first animated film from Pakistan showcased at Annecy 2021. Arafat has also created multiple educational online platforms: Shehri Pakistan, which produces civic and legal literacy animations; Hashiya, a channel with a focus on critical approaches to history. He is a published author in the Bloomsbury publication ' Freedom of Expression in Islam: Challenging Apostasy and Blasphemy Laws.
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 The Blasphemy Law
6:30 Hadh, Ijma and Application on Non-Muslims
18:00 How the Pakistani Blasphemy Law was Drafted
40:00 Use of religion in Politics
47:30 Reformation Arguments and State-Religion Nexus
57:00 Discussion in the Parliament
1:01:30 Citizenship of Non-Muslims and Jurisprudence
1:18:00 Definition of Ishq and Speech
1:26:30 Things to be mindful of and Actionable Items
1:38:00 Conclusion and Mashal Khan

Apr 23, 2023 • 22min
Pakistan Lost - Ep. 04 - The Imposition of Urdu on Pakistan - ft. Mannan Ahmed Asif
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 4 of the series looks the imposition of Urdu as the National Language of Pakistan.
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


