The Pakistan Experience

Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience Ben Burgis, author, podcaster, and philosophy instructor comes on to discuss why the left is fixated on ideas of moralism, individual responsibility and identity, and suffers from defeatism. We get into a deep dive discussion on performativeness, identity politics, cancel culture and the nationalization of social media.  Is Joe Rogan a far right podcaster?  Was Dave Chappelle's special transphobic?  Who will win the oppression olympics?  Would Ben Burgis kill a baby Jordan Peterson?  Find out this and more on this week's episode of The Pakistan Experience.  Ben Burgis is philosophy instructor at Georgia State University Perimeter College, a columnist for Jacobin Magazine and Arc Digital Media, and the co-host of the Dead Pundits Society. He also does a regular segment on The Michael Brooks Show called "the Debunk." Ben is also the author of "Give Them an Argument: Logic for the Left" and "Canceling Comedians While the World Burns: A Critique Of The Contemporary Left"  Chapters: 0:00 Cancelling Comedians while the world burns 7:19 Joe Rogan and the collapse of mainstream media 22:00 "Bernie Bros" as a stick to beat Bernie with 26:00 Defeatism in The Left 35:30 Dave Chappelle, The Closer and Transphobia 53:00 Oppression Olympics and the politics of Victimhood 1:05:00 Identity Politics and the vision of a consolidated left 1:22:00 Jordan Peterson and the right making heroes out of idiots 1:35:00 Should social media be nationalized? 1:48:00 US Imperialism and what Leftist politicians can do 2:02:00 Michael Brooks    Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience  And Please stay in touch: https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1 https://www.facebook.com/thepakistanexperience https://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. He can be found on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Tinder.    Instagram.com/shehzadghiasshaikh Facebook.com/Shehzadghias/ Twitter.com/shehzad89

Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience Dr. Amna Salman is a Forensic Psychologist who has recently completed her PhD from the University of Birmingham. Dr. Sharmeen Khan is a Clinical Psychologist with years of experience in the field.  After the recent cases of violence against women, we decided to bring both of them on to discuss the ethics of Therapy and  the Psychology of Violence.  Why is Pakistan prone to mob violence?  Is cancel culture toxic?  Does 'Mental Health' excuse violence crimes?  Does the news demonize Mental Health?  Find out this and more on this week's episode of The Pakistan Experience. Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience  And Please stay in touch: https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1 https://www.facebook.com/thepakistanexperience https://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. He can be found on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Tinder.    Instagram.com/shehzadghiasshaikh Facebook.com/Shehzadghias/ Twitter.com/shehzad89  Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 2:00 Ethics of Therapy 8:30 Seeing humanity in everyone 20:00 Mob Violence 32:00 Are we all unconsciously racist/sexist and discriminatory? 35:00 How to protect yourself from the news 41:00 The Therapy industry in Pakistan 55:00 Demonizing Mental Health and Schizophrenia 1:00:00 Mental Health, Crime and the Law 1:08:00 You are not your diagnosis 1:14:10 At what point should a therapist intervene to prevent violence 1:20:00 Risk factors for violence against women 1:24:00 Distinguishing Mental Health illnesses and Mental Health problems 1:28:38 The toxicity of Social Media and cancel culture 1:34:30 Lovism

Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience Ali Hasanain is the Economics Department Chair at the Lahore University of Management Sciences and was a Oxford-Princeton Global Fellow, he teaches Economics, Media and Corruption.  Ali comes on The Pakistan Experience to discuss the underlying issues in Pakistan's that impede our Economic growth - what does the country need to do to ensure sustainable Economic growth?  Will the Pandora Papers lead to anything?  What is PTI's Economic Policy?  Are Subsidies bad?  Will CPEC be good for Pakistan?  Find out this and more on this week's episode of The Pakistan Experience.  Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 0:30 Are Pandora Papers Important for Pakistan? 5:40 Why should the common man care about Economic numbers? 10:30 Corruption led Growth 13:00 Khata hay toh lagata bhi hay 17:15 Why is Pakistan lagging behind 22:17 Free Market, Voluntary Exchange, Competitiveness and Growth Models 29:00 The downside of Subsidies 42:00 Political Establishment 49:30 Trade with India: State Interests vs Free Markets 55:15 What are the foundations of an economy? 1:08:30 Boom/Bust cycle of our economy 1:13:00 Police Reform 1:21:00 Analyzing PTI's Economic Policy 1:27:50 Petrol Prices 1:32:10 Hyper Inflation 1:35:30 Does the US printing dollars have any effect on us? 1:39:00 Quick hitters: Audience Questions 1:39:30 is CPEC good? 1:45:00 How can we revive Pakistan's engineering/manufacturing 1:47:30 Public policy for poverty reduction 1:49:30 Will cheap Indian goods destroy our industries? 1:51:10 Military Spending 1:52:05 Team MASEK 1:55:12 Can Consumer Behaviour combat Inflation? 1:57:50 Is there any hope? 2:00:20 What books to read to understand India/Pakistan's economy  Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience  And Please stay in touch: https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1 https://www.facebook.com/thepakistanexperience https://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. He can be found on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Tinder.    Instagram.com/shehzadghiasshaikh Facebook.com/Shehzadghias/ Twitter.com/shehzad89

In March, Tariq Banuri was removed as the chairman of HEC by the Federal Government, a move that is being challenged in the courts.  Dr. Tariq Banuri joins us on The Pakistan Experience to discuss why he was removed by the Government as the Chairman of HEC, exposes the corruption within the HEC, and discusses his philosophy of Education, and his vision for the HEC.  How should Research grants be awarded?  Do HEC rankings make any sene?  Why do we need the HEC to verify our degrees?  What are his thoughts on the SNC?  Should HEC have a sexual harassment mechanism for Universities?  Join us for all this and more on this week's episode of The Pakistan Experience.  HEC Sexual Harassment policy: https://www.hec.gov.pk/english/services/Documents/SEXUALHARASSMENT-POLICY.pdf  Tariq Javed Banuri is a Pakistani academic, development economist, environmentalist, climate scientist, educationalist, human rights advocate, and author who holds a PhD in economics from Harvard University and who is the fourth and current Chairperson of the Higher Education Commission (HEC), a statutorily established regulatory agency whose mandate is to improve and promote higher education and research & development (R&D) within Pakistan.   Chapters: 0:00 Why was he removed as the chairman of the HEC? 8:00 Corruption in the the HEC 17:25 Research Grants 22:10 Using NAB against the Chairman of the HEC 27:50 The vision for Research and Research Programs 38:00 Why do we not see great research coming out of Pakistan? 43:10 Are most research journals in Pakistan fraudulent? 51:30 Digitizing archives in Pakistan 57:00 Fixing Higher Education in Pakistan 1:10:10 HEC Rankings 1:18:20 People being jobless after M.Phil 1:33:20 Government opening Universities just to score points 1:35:30 HEC's verification of degrees 1:43:00 PECs 1:48:00 Government spending in education is very low 1:52:00 Ed Tech 1:55:00 Single National Curriculum 1:57:00 Adil Najam 1:58:30 Governance structure of Universities 2:01:40 Mechanism for Sexual Harassment     Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience  And Please stay in touch: https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1 https://www.facebook.com/thepakistanexperience https://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. He can be found on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Tinder.     https://www.facebook.com/Shehzadghias/ https://twitter.com/shehzad89

Asim Sajjad Akhtar is a professor, writer and political worker.  Asim Sajjad comes on The Pakistan Experience again to discuss fascism, the left, identity politics, online spaces, economics and Marx.  What does the left need to do to respond to the challenges?  Is Democracy prone to majoritarianism?  Are Pakistanis too 'jahil' for democracy?  Find out this and more on this week's episode of The Pakistan Experience.   The Pakistan Experience is an independently run podcast.   Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience  And Please stay in touch: https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1 https://www.facebook.com/thepakistanexperience https://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. He can be found on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Tinder.     https://www.facebook.com/Shehzadghias/ https://twitter.com/shehzad89   Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 1:20 Is it fine to use the word fascism for the current regime? 6:00 It's not like the previous regimes were any better 9:00 Is the worst democracy better than the best dictatorship? 18:00 Is Modi delivering economically? 22:00 Patriarchy and fascism 26:30 Politics of constituency 31:00 Are people in Pakistan too 'jahil' for democracy? 37:00 How to avoid  Majoritarianism   in a democracy 49:00 Why doesn't the left weaponize the hate for the bourgeoisie 53:30 Do we live in a simulation and big tech 1:00:00 Liberty and New World Order 1:05:40 Identity Politics 1:14:00 The politics of victimhood 1:23:00 Online allegations 1:26:00 Why democratically elected leaders become authoritarian  1:34:30 Marx, economy and culture 1:38:20 The final imagination of Marx is a stateless society 1:43:00 Questions

Raza Rumi joins us on this deep dive podcast to discuss why he had to leave Pakistan, the shrinking space for Journalism in the country, how digital journalism is changing the landscape, the philosophy behind Naya Daur, new media and nation building.  What do we need to do to build a Pakistani state?  Should journalists be scared of the new laws?  What is the role of journalism?  Find out this, and more on this week's episode of The Pakistan Experience.   The Pakistan Experience is an independently run podcast.   Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience And Please stay in touch: https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1 https://www.facebook.com/thepakistanexperience https://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. He can be found on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Tinder.     https://www.facebook.com/Shehzadghias/ https://twitter.com/shehzad89 Raza Ahmad Rumi is a Pakistani writer and a public policy specialist currently based in Ithaca, USA. He is the Director, Park Center for Independent Media, Ithaca College and has been teaching in Journalism department since 2015. He is also visiting faculty at Cornell Institute for Public Affairs and teaches courses in international development and public policy. Earlier, Raza was a global faculty fellow at the Gallatin School, New York University (Spring 2016).  Raza was a fellow at New America Foundation (2014); United States Institute of Peace (Sept 2014-March 2015), a  fellow at National Endowment for Democracy (summer 2016); and currently a member of Think Tank at Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics, Georgetown University. He is also a senior fellow at the Jinnah Institute in Islamabad.  In recent years, Raza founded a digital media platform NayaDaur Media in collaboration with Pakistani diaspora in the United States. It is a bilingual multimedia portal with a Youtube channel. From 2017-2019, Raza was also the editor of Pakistan’s national newspaper Daily Times. From 2005-2017, he was affiliated with weekly The Friday Times  in various editorial positions. Raza was also a commentator and a current affairs talk show host in Pakistan and was affiliated with the Express TV, Pakistan before he left Pakistan in 2014. He contributes regularly to Foreign Policy, Huffington Post, New York Times, The Diplomat, Fair Observer, CNN and Al Jazeera, Daily O, Scroll India, The Hindu and Indian Express. His columns for the Express Tribune can be accessed here.  Prior to his foray in journalism, Raza worked as a governance and capacity development specialist for the Asian Development Bank, the Government of Pakistan, a number of Pakistani nongovernmental organizations, and the United Nations Mission in Kosovo. He has also been an academic adviser to the Network of Asia Pacific Schools and Institutes of Public Administration and Governance (NAPSIPAG); a public policy adviser to LEAD Pakistan, a nonprofit focused on sustainable development; and was an advisory board member of both the ASR Resource Centre and the South Asian Institute of Women’s Studies in Lahore. As a freelance policy professional/consultant he continues to advise international development organizations, governments and NGOs.  Books: He is also the author of Delhi by Heart: Impressions of a Pakistani Traveler (Harper Collins, 2013); The Fractious Path: Pakistan’s Democratic Transition (2016); Identity, Faith and Conflict: Essays on Pakistan & Beyond (2017); and Being Pakistani–Essays on Arts, Culture & Society (2018).

Dr. Ilhan Niaz is a Historian and a Professor at Quaid-e-Azam University.  Dr. Ilhan joins us on this deep dive podcast to discuss why the Civil Service has not been reformed in Pakistan, why the Pakistani state continues to be colonial, the struggles Pakistan has faced in making a state, the Pakistani elite, and 'sahab' culture.  Why has the Pakistani civilian bureaucracy not developed?  Should Karachi be an independent administrative unit?  Who the main beneficiaries of the status quo?  Do we need an alternative to CSS?  Find out this, and more on this week's episode of The Pakistan Experience.  The Pakistan Experience is an independently run podcast.   Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience  And Please stay in touch: https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1 https://www.facebook.com/thepakistanexperience https://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. He can be found on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Tinder.     https://www.facebook.com/Shehzadghias/ https://twitter.com/shehzad89  Chapters: 0:00 Why is the Pakistan civil service not good? 8:00 Why has our Civilian Bureaucracy not developed? 14:30 Is the Bureaucracy not letting imran Khan work? 18:30 CSS Officers using social media 24:00 What is the legacy of the 'sahab' culture? 29:00 Mughals, colonialism and wealth extraction 51:00 Why was the Muslim League not decolonial? 59:00 The loosely connected federation of states model for South Asia 1:06:00 1857 War of Independence 1:12:00 Did Pakistan ever stop being "colonial"? 1:20:00 Why is the Pakistani elite not loyal to Pakistan 1:30:00 Is the status quo even interested in creating a Pakistan for all? 1:46:00 The 1971 KLF session 1:53:00 Main beneficiaries of the status quo 1:57:00 Zia ul Haq and PSDP 1:59:00 Karachi as an administrative unit 2:04:00 Ayub and Nehru Defence Pact 2:07:00 How can the civil service be reformed? https://instagram.com/shehzadghiasshaikh

Nadeem Haque is the Vice Chancellor of PIDE, he was the Deputy Chairman Planning Commission, Dr. Nadeem comes on to a live episode of The Pakistan Experience where we debate what the concerns of Development should be - is there any point to development that is not human centric? Does anyone still believe in trickle down economics anymore? What is the boomer-millennial debate?  Ending with a surprising debate on Colonialism!  The Pakistan Experience is an independently run podcast.   Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience  And Please stay in touch: https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1 https://www.facebook.com/thepakistanexperience https://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. He can be found on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Tinder.     https://www.facebook.com/Shehzadghias/ https://twitter.com/shehzad89 https://instagram.com/shehzadghiasshaikh

Ahmad Rafay Alam is one of the leading Environment Lawyers in Pakistan and teaches at LUMS.   Rafay Alam comes on the podcast to discuss the law, climate change, the need of the hour, the efficacy of our Environmental Protection Agencies, Dams and what we can do to save the world!   The Pakistan Experience is an independently run podcast.   Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience    And Please stay in touch: https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1 https://www.facebook.com/thepakistanexperience https://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. He can be found on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Tinder.     https://www.facebook.com/Shehzadghias/ https://twitter.com/shehzad89 https://instagram.com/shehzadghiasshaikh Chapters: 0:00 Why is it so hot in Karachi 1:00 Climate Change vs Global Warming 5:00 Climate Change Skepticism 10:00 The role of the United States 18:50 The responsibility of the Developing Countries 27:00 Renewable energy vs the Thar Coal Project 33:00 What makes you hopeful that we will change our behaviour? 36:00 Shehla Zia 38:30 Pakistan's obsession with giant Dams 47:00 Companies using ground water 54:00 The financial value of water 1:03:00 Davos kay harami 1:12:00 Attabad Lake as a tourist destination 1:14:28 Billion Trees 1:16:00 Recycling Industry 1:19:00 Walton Airport and the Kalwa Chowk nursery 1:21:40 EPAs and EIAs 1:28:00 World Bank Projects 1:32:00 Urban Ravi Development 1:39:00 Regulations on Pakistani Industry 1:43:00 Conclusion

Michael Kugelman is the Deputy director  of the Asia Program, South Asia senior associate  at The Wilson Center and writes for the weekly South Asia brief at Foreign Policy magazine.  Michael comes on the podcast to discuss the recent take over of Afghanistan by the Taliban, and what it could mean for South Asia.  Did India lose in Afghanistan?   What all did the US get wrong?   Will Pakistan be able to exert control over the Taliban or will we see a rise in TTP?   Find out this, and more, on this week's episode of The Pakistan Experience, as Michael Kugelman and I, take a deep dive on Afghanistan, the Taliban, China, The Belt and Road initiative, Pakistan, TTP, India, and attempts to isolate Pakistan on the international stage.   The Pakistan Experience is an independently run podcast.   Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience    And Please stay in touch: https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1 https://www.facebook.com/thepakistanexperience https://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. He can be found on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Tinder.     https://www.facebook.com/Shehzadghias/ https://twitter.com/shehzad89 https://instagram.com/shehzadghiasshaikh Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 1:00 Did America lose itself on 9/11? 4:30 Will Afghanistan now become a terrorist sanctuary? 12:00 Is instability in Afghanistan in the US's interests? 15:50 How interested is China in Afghanistan? 22:30 Will China care about human rights in Afghanistan under the Taliban? 26:35 Will the Taliban support the TTP and terrorism in Pakistan? 31:00 Why did the Pakistan state support the Taliban? 35:50 What will India's role now be in Afghanistan? 40:00 Will the West pour in aid under the guise of humanitarianism?  44:30 Taliban's economic policies and governance  51:10 Is there any truth to the Taliban 2.0 narrative? 54:20 Think tanks 57:00 What all did the US get wrong about Afghanistan? 1:03:00 Did the US sell the Afghan Government down the river with the Doha accord? 1:07:00 Will India be able to isolate Pakistan on the international stage? 1:11:24 Will India benefit from the US-China rivalry? 1:14:00 Pakistan as an emerging market 1:18:30 Are Indian or Pakistani trolls worse? 1:21:20 Conclusion