Pakistan Unveiled
Pakistan is a country of contradictions - full of promise for growth, modernity and progress, yet shrouded by political, social and cultural issues that undermine its quest for identity and integrity. My bimonthly column "Pakistan Unveiled" presents stories that showcase the Pakistani struggle for freedom of expression, an end to censorship, and a more open and balanced society.
Bina Shah is a Karachi-based journalist and fiction writer and has taught writing at the university level. She is the author of four novels and two collections of short stories. She is a columnist for two major English-language newspapers in Pakistan, The Dawn and The Express Tribune, and she has contributed to international newspapers including The Independent, The Guardian, and The International Herald Tribune. She is an alumnus of the International Writers Workshop (IWP 2011).
  • Bina blank page
    On Self-Censorship
    by  / December 11, 2012

    A blank page in Pakistan’s International Herald Tribune leads columnist Bina Shah on a quest to discover what was censored and why.

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  • distorted_image
    A Distorted Picture
    by  / November 27, 2012

    Searching for truth in media hyperbole. In this week’s Pakistan Unveiled, Bina Shah takes the media to task for their portrayals of Pakistan, including in the reporting of the Gaza-Israel conflict.

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  • Bina China
    Five Days in China
    by  / November 13, 2012

    Bina Shah writes about her recent trip to China and about the perils and uncertainties of having your work translated in a restrictive environment.

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  • love_the_prophet_protests
    Testing Boundaries
    by  / October 2, 2012

    “Is freedom of speech incompatible with the values that Muslims hold? Does art have its limits in the Muslim world?” In this week’s Pakistan Unveiled author Bina Shah focuses on The Innocence of Muslims and its effect on the Muslim world.

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Fearless, Ink.