Joseph Massad is Professor of Modern Arab Politics and Intellectual History at Columbia University. He is the author of several books, dozens of scholarly articles, and hundreds of op-eds. His books include Colonial Effects: The Making of National Identity in Jordan; The Persistence of the Palestinian Question; Desiring Arabs; and Islam in Liberalism. His forthcoming book is tentatively titled The Age of Independence: A

Muhammad Hameed Shahid is a prominent fiction writer and literary critic. His writing journey began during his school days, with his first book published while he was still a university student. He has authored several collections of short stories, including ‘Band Ankhoon Sy Pare,’ ‘Janam Jahanam,’ ‘Margzaar,’ ‘Aadmi,’ ‘Sans Lene Mein Dard Hota Ha’ and ‘Gandam Ki Mehak.’ In addition

Ghazi Salahuddin is a senior journalist who writes a weekly column for ‘The News.’ Before becoming the launch editor of ‘The News’ in Karachi in February 1991, he served at ‘Dawn’ in various significant positions, including News Editor. During the martial law of General Ziaul Haq, his column ‘Karachi Diary’ was a leading voice of dissent. He has also been

Faryal Mehmood is an American-born Pakistani triple-threat who has been actively contributing to the Pakistani entertainment industry for the past decade through her skills in dancing, singing, and acting. While she has participated in commercials and fashion shows, her primary focus has been on acting. Faryal has showcased her talent on Pakistani TV in plays, web series, and short films,

Faisal Siddiqi is a leading constitutional, civil, and human rights lawyer who practices at the Supreme Court and High Courts of Pakistan. Siddiqi graduated from the London School of Economics and Political Sciences and studied law at the University of Cambridge. He runs one of the largest Pro-Bono litigation practices for Constitutional and Human Rights in Pakistan and is also

Christie Marie Lauder is the Program Director of the Communications and Design department at Habib University, where she teaches creative writing, film theory, and journalism. Formerly, Lauder was the Director of the Centre for Excellence in Journalism at IBA. Her work has appeared in Persephone Magazine, Peauxdunque Review, Jezebel, and Refinery 29, among other outlets. She has also served on the

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

Amber Rahim Shamsi is Director, Centre for Excellence in Journalism (CEJ) at the Institute of Business Administration (IBA). Ms Shamsi is an award-winning multi-media journalist, political commentator, and free speech advocate, with wide-ranging experience in television, radio, online and the print media. She is also an International Visitor Leadership Programme (IVLP) and an International Centre for Excellence in Journalism (ICFJ)

Adeel Hashmi is a multi-talented personality who has made significant contributions to the arts and culture scene in Pakistan. He holds a Masters in Filmmaking from San Francisco, USA, and began his career in the late 1990s as a writer and actor on television. He has since ventured into stage performances and communications training and is renowned for his eloquence.

Syed Kashif Raza— poet, fiction writer, and translator—has authored seven books including two volumes of poetry and a novel. His first novel Char Darvesh aur Aik Katchwa (Four Dervishes and a Tortoise) won the UBL prize for fiction in 2020 and was short-listed for the KLF prize for Urdu Literature in the same year.  His poetry collections Muhabbat ka Mahall-e-Wuqu and Mamnu Mausamon ki Kitab were published