As war drums beat, remembering three departed comrades who stood for peace

Posted on April 24, 2025 by beenasarwar

It has been a decade since we lost Sabeen Mahmud to a targeted attack in Karachi and since we lost Shayan “Poppy” Afzal Khan to cancer. It is also 20 years since the pioneering environmental journalist Saneeya Hussain died in Brazil. Their peacemongering legacies live on.

Personal Political
Beena Sarwar / Sapan News

On 24 April 2015, a valiant crusader for peace, social justice, creativity and human dignity was killed in Karachi. That tragedy ten years ago deprived a mother of her only child, and many of us of a dear friend.

Social entrepreneur Sabeen Mahmud, 40, was driving home with her mother Mahenaz next to her. A motorcyclist approached while they were stopped at a red light, and shot Sabeen at point blank range. She died on the spot. 

  • Sabeen. Photo by Zaheer Alam Kidvai.
    Sabeen. Photo by Zaheer Alam Kidvai.
  • Mahenaz at Creative Karachi Festival 2016: Sabeen would hate for any of us to give up. Photo: Beena Sarwar
  • A poster with Sabeen’s photo at Creative Karachi Festival, 2016, Alliance Francaise. Photo: Beena Sarwar
  • Pakistan: Countrywide demonstrations for Sabeen, 2015
  • Protest for Sabeen in Delhi, 2015. File photo

I had known Sabeen since she was a teenager. We were comrades together in several peace initiatives – part of a large, cross-border tribe of ‘peacemongers’ as I call our community. 

Continue reading →

Filed under: Art and activism, Balochistan, Pakistan-India, Southasia, Terrorism, Violence in the name of religion | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Dictatorships come and go but the music continues

Posted on January 28, 2025 by beenasarwar

Wrote this piece a couple of weeks ago, on one of Pakistan’s most versatile composers who continues to produce a genre embedded in Southasian traditional music, to get the younger generation to appreciate classical poetry and music — and provide a platform for new talent. A Sapan News syndicated feature also published in other outlets.

Personal Political
By Beena Sarwar / Sapan News

Arshad Mahmud in Such Gup, PTV, 1970s. Screenshot.

Will there be singing
In dark times?
Yes, there will be singing
About dark times

— Bertolt Brecht,
Germany, 1939

Arshad Mahmud is one of Pakistan’s most prolific and talented composers, the man whose music launched singing sensations like Nayyar Noor and Tina Sani.

He made his debut with the children’s television show Akkar Bakkar, 1972, along with Nayyara Noor and the pioneering puppeteer Farooq Qaiser, produced by Shoaib Hashmi, then an economics professor at Government College (now University) Lahore.

Behind the ustad (teacher) Hashmi’s booming voice, gruff manner and handlebar moustache was a brilliant writer and satirist who went on to write and produce the groundbreaking, now legendary satirical television shows Such Gup and Tal Matol. We would use these as the titles of Shoaib Hashmi’s columns for The Frontier Post later and The News on Sunday that I edited in Lahore, starting in the 1990s. His daughter Mira Hashmi has uploaded many of the videos to her YouTube channel.

‘Lord Clive’

Continue reading →

Filed under: Art and activism, Freedom of expression, Music | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

The dream that MLK articulated may seem distant, but we’re moving towards it

Posted on January 20, 2025 by beenasarwar

I began writing this piece some time ago, after watching Ava DuVernay’s ‘Origin’ at a friend’s place in Chicago – appropriate because that’s where Dr. King did a lot of his activism. Today seemed like a good time to finish it.

There is more awareness about systemic racism, caste oppression, and gender rights than ever before but we have a long way to go to achieve the dream of equality, justice and human dignity embodied by Dr. Martin Luther King. Those who fear change will continue to fight it. The struggle continues

Personal Political
By Beena Sarwar / Sapan News

The third Monday of January, which falls this year on the 20th,  is a federal holiday in the U.S., in honour of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. Born on 15 January 1929, Dr King was assassinated on 4 April 1968. A bill passed by Congress led to his birthday being commemorated  as a federal holiday on the third Monday in January since 1986.

The U.S. Presidential Inauguration also takes place on 20 January. This will mark the third time ever for a president to take the oath of office on the holiday designated for Dr Martin Luther King – the earlier two were President Bill Clinton and President Barack Obama. 

Dr King’s children have urged supporters to hear what President Trump has to say, even if they do so later.

The ideals of equality, justice, human dignity, and peace that Dr King stood for remain relevant, opposed by those threatened by these concepts.

Martin Luther King, Jr.
A photo of a photo from the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Center in Atlanta, Georgia, by Matt Lemmon.
Continue reading →

Filed under: democratic political process, Freedom of expression, Human rights, Interfaith, Peace, Southasia, Violence in the name of religion | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Fact-checking starts with self-accountability

Posted on January 10, 2025 by beenasarwar

The recent disbanding of Facebook and Instagram’s third-party factchecking programme has raised fears about the kind of news and information that will shape public discourse. Whatever facts or non-facts get pushed out, it is up to us, citizens who are news producers and consumers through our social media apps, to be the change. The Social and Digital Media Ethics Code and Pledge, an initiative by Sapan News, is a step in this direction.

By Beena Sarwar / Sapan News

Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta disbanding of Facebook and Instagram’s third-party factchecking programme, following the lead of Elon Musk’s X, formerly Twitter, may well lead to strengthening a public narrative that further undermines values of humanity, inclusivity and democracy.  

This makes it all the more important for those of us who strive to uphold these principles and who value facts over opinion, to buckle down and do what we can to “hold the line,” to use the words of Filipina journalist Maria Ressa.

That is why we at Sapan News last year initiated a Social and Digital Media Ethics and Responsibility Pledge, which provides guidelines with resources to help social media and digital media users enhance their credibility. Endorse here

Endorse the Pledge
Continue reading →

Filed under: Media, Resistance | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Sapan shines at the WISCOMP Saahas awards in Delhi – a video and a report

Posted on December 29, 2024 by beenasarwar

Hello friends – I’m still in Boston, waiting for permission to visit India. The WISCOMP Saahas (courage) awards ceremony I wanted to attend on 16 December is over, but I am still like to go and visit my friends and family, and show my Sri Lanka documentary at various places including the Bangalore International Center, the IIC, Delhi, and in Chennai – police in all three cities have given clearance as far as I know.

Sharing the edited version of the WISCOMP awards ceremony below – they had taken it offline to edit out the Afghan and Bangladeshi activists who were kept anonymous. Don’t miss the inspirational speeches by the awardees and thoughtprovoking documentary on the courageous journalist Patricia Mukhim from India’s North-East (I love her singing in it and now I know where her love for plants and nature comes from).

Here is a report about the event in The Wire – I’m delighted they used a photo of featuring the wonderful community of Southasia Peace Action Network (Sapan) Peacemongers who joined my dear friend and colleague, journalist Mandira Nayar on stage after she accepted the award on my behalf from Dr Syeda Hameed, a Sapan founder member and advisor. It was wonderful and moving to see Aekta Kapoor, Ruchira Gupta (also a Saahas awardee), Parshu Narayan, Reema Amin, and the veteran peace activist O.P. Shah from Kolkata come together – thank you WISCOMP for inviting them.

Other wonderful members of our community were present but remained seated, like the inspirational activist Harsh Mander of Carvan-e-Mohabbat, poet and writer Sagari Chhabra, and journalist and activist Rita Manchanda.

Mukta Lall, daughter of the poet Jagannath Azad, was also present but had to leave before my name was called. We’ve been been in communication with for years but never met. It was Mukta ji who provided me with a scan of her father’s Urdu poem that served as Pakistan’s first national anthem – well documented, although there is no official record.

An awards ceremony in Delhi I will miss

Filed under: Gender, Human rights, Pakistan-India, Peace, Southasia | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a comment »

An awards ceremony in Delhi I will miss

Posted on December 16, 2024 by beenasarwar

The event in India this afternoon represents a significant moment for Southasian solidarity. It also underscores the challenges in the region, including visa restrictions between Pakistan and India

I feel deeply honoured to be among the wonderful women being conferred the Saahas-e-Azim (Most Fearless) award by WISCOMP in Delhi today – Women in Security, Conflict Management and Peace, celebrating its 25th anniversary.

Sapan founder member Dr Syeda Hameed

It is amazing that three of the awardees are from Pakistan – but sadly unable to be there at the ceremony, thanks to the visa issues between Pakistan and India.

I’m also delighted that several awardees are Sapaners – from the Southasia Peace Action Network.

The highest award, the Saahas Shresta (Great Courage), goes to the journalist and activist Patricia Mukhim, Editor of Shillong Times and a Sapan News advisory council member. The jury termed Mukhim a “tireless advocate for communal harmony and gender equality” with “ceaseless positive energy in countering violence”.

Further delighted that our dear mentor Dr Syeda Hameed is a guest of honour conferring the awards, and that our lovely friends Kavita Srivastava and Mandira Nayar will be there to receive the honour on behalf of Saeeda Diep and me.

The large Sapan presence and contingent in this event includes four of the awardees, a guest of honour, and two accepting the awards, as Pragyan Srivastava wrote today for Sapan News

Saahas Awards to honour courageous changemakers across Southasia

Patricia Mukhim, Ruchira Gupta, Beena Sarwar, Saeeda Diep. Collage by Pragyan Srivastava.

Read the article

The Pakistanis besides myself are Sapan founder member Saeeda Diep, “peace activist and human rights advocate from Pakistan, championing the rights of religious minorities, especially Hindus through a gender lens” and Mossarat Qadeem, a university professor turned activist, being honoured for her work through her Paiman Trust which “empowers women and radicalised youth in conflict zones to become agents of peace and reconciliation”.

The fourth Saahas-e-Azim awardee is Ruchira Gupta, “globally renowned journalist, filmmaker, and activist, dedicated to eradicating sex trafficking and empowering women”, a Sapan member from India.

Thanks also to our great friends and Sapaners Aekta Kapoor and Sagari Chhabra for the nominations.

(ends)

Filed under: Southasia | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Farewell Karamat Ali: A journalist in India remembers a Pakistani peace activist who brought home her late grandfather’s ashes

Posted on July 7, 2024 by beenasarwar

Guest post: A personal tribute to Karamat Ali (19 August 1945 – 20 June 2024) by Mandira Nayar in Delhi, for Sapan News

Karamat Ali was many things but for Mandira Nayar he was always the person who returned her grandfather Kuldip Nayar to Lahore, where he was born and which he considered home. The relationship between them defies labels but it has a bond that is deep and unbreakable, stronger than many relationships with names, she writes:

There are many words for friendship. Arabic has twelve. You can choose from friendships of different shades — the intense saqeeb, a true friend;  sameer, someone who you like to have a conversation with, or the casual zameel, an acquaintance. 

  • Announcement from Pakistan India People’s Forum for Peace and Democracy for an online memorial
  • Memorial meeting at Arts Council of Pakistan, Karachi, for Karamat Ali
  • Comrades at the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan in Lahore remember Karamat Ali

English has just the one — a bland ‘friend’. The short dost (friend) in Hindustani encompasses in its tiny frame a sort of bro-code for the intense relationship that Hindi film songs refer to, between Maana Dey’s ‘Yaari hai Imaan’ (My friend is my faith) to Sholay’s anthem ‘Yeh Dosti Hum Nahi toRe.nge‘ (This friendship we will never abandon). 

‘Dost’

So I struggle to find a word to describe the relationship between Karamat Ali, labour leader, peace activist, revolutionary, lover of music, and my grandfather Kuldip Nayar, journalist, peace-activist and fellow dreamer. And by extension, my relationship with Karamat Sahib. 

This relationship without a name has a bond that is deep and unbreakable, stronger than many relationships with names.

Karamat Ali was many things but for me he was always the person who returned my grandfather to the home he was born in.

Continue reading →

Filed under: journalism, Obituary, Pakistan-India, Southasia | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Boston area: Anja Niedringhaus exhibit opening today

Posted on May 9, 2024 by beenasarwar

A tribute to the spirit of Anja – and the courage of journalists

The story behind a poignant photo exhibition that opens at Harvard today featuring the work of the late photojournalist Anja Niedringhaus who covered Afghanistan and Pakistan at the height of the war between the Taliban and the USA. The show, and its accompanying book, are co-curated by the reporter Kathy Gannon who was injured in the attack that killed Anja.

Pakistani journalist Raza Rumi at the exhibit opening at the Bronx Documentary Center last month. Photo: Beena Sarwar

PERSONAL POLITICAL 
By Beena Sarwar

An exhibition of powerful images from Afghanistan and Pakistan by the late Pulitzer-prize winning photojournalist Anja Niedringhaus opens in the Boston area today.

Continue reading →

Filed under: 'War on terror', Afghanistan, Pakistan | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Hello, and updates from Sapan News and Southasia Peace Action Network

Posted on December 24, 2023 by beenasarwar

Seasons greetings despite the sadness, and excerpts from a Sapan Alliance newsletter sent out a few days ago on Substack

Joy is also a form of defiance. Dancers: A greeting card I made some years ago (pastel and water colour), repurposed for Southasiapeace.com and Sapannews.com.

In times that can feel dark and dismal, some good news and exciting updates.

Meet Sapan News — a unique media outlet that aims to cover and connect Southasia, the Indian Ocean and diaspora. That goes behind the headlines, connects communities, academics, activists, and more. Creating space for understanding, empathy and nuance.

  • In November, Sapan News qualified for NewsMatch, a philanthropic fund helping nonprofit newsrooms like ours in the U.S. Contributions made by year-end will get matched up to $15,000. Gratitude to our community that has stepped up to meet this challenge.
  • Those wanting to chip in are welcome – here’s the donate link for tax-deductible contributions.
  • A 100 new donors will secure a $1,000 bonus, and monthly donations initiated this month will get matched x12!
Donate now to double your impact

Thank you for your support. It means so much – and together, we are stronger.

Collaborations: Hello, Central Desi!

Sapan News is proud to partner with Central Desi, a dynamic news portal that started as a newsletter to cover all things ‘desi’ (Southasian) in New Jersey. Kudos to journalist Ambreen Ali for growing her passion project into a news org that won a major grant, enabling them to hire reporting fellows. Sapan News has much to learn from this initiative.

Continue reading →

Filed under: Media, Pakistan-India, Southasia | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Pakistani minority rights activists renew demands for justice after attacks on churches

Posted on August 23, 2023 by beenasarwar

The attacks on the Christian community in Jaranwala near Faisalabad (former Lyallpur) are among a long string of such violence instigated by extremist elements seeking power in the name of religion in Pakistan. I co-wrote this article for Sapan News with a young reporter in Karachi who was initially only reporting on Pakistan’s first Minority Rights March. Then Jaranwala happened. We now present a longish read putting the violence in context and tracking the trajectory of a turning point in the state’s responses, with a couple of inputs from India

By Abdullah Zahid and Beena Sarwar

Sapan News

  • Karachi protest at Teen Talwar, 19 August 2023. Photo: Abdullah Zahid
  • Karachi protest at Teen Talwar, 19 August 2023. Photo: Abdullah Zahid

“Manzoor Masih – will be remembered!… The Christians of Shanti Nagar – will be remembered!… Rimsha Masih – will be remembered!… ”

Activist and dancer Sheema Kermani led the chanting, evoking the names of a long list of Pakistani Christian individuals and communities targeted by extremist elements in the name of religion over the years. 

Continue reading →

Filed under: Blasphemy Laws, Pakistan-India, Progressive politics, Resistance | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Next Page »