New Delhi: Malala Yousafzai, the 23-year-old Pakistani activist and the world’s youngest Nobel Prize laureate, was featured on the cover of British Vogue’s July edition.
In the cover story titled ‘The Extraordinary life of Malala Yousafzai’, she opened up about politics, activism, and her path forward.
Malala said she had “never really been in the company of people my own age because I was recovering from the incident, travelling around the world, publishing a book and doing a documentary, and so many things were happening. At university I finally got some time for myself”.
In the cover photo, Malala can be seen wearing a red shirt dress and headscarf with a striking scarlet by Stella McCartney.
In another shot for the magazine, she is pictured in a linen-gauze shirtdress by Michael Kors, linen trousers by Eskandar, and headscarf by Mai Hijabs.
Malala was shot in the head by Taliban militants in 2012 after she campaigned for girls’ education rights in her hometown Mingora in Pakistan.
After months of surgeries and rehabilitation, Malala joined her family in their new home in Birmingham in the UK. She completed her secondary school education at Edgbaston High School, Birmingham in England from 2013 to 2017.
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Hamid Mir banned from Geo
Senior Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir was banned by Geo News after he criticised the country’s powerful military and demanded the arrest of three unidentified men who attacked fellow journalist Asad Ali Toor at his home in Islamabad last week.
Mir worked with the Geo network for almost 20 years and was the host of the popular show Capital Talk.
He was taken off the air Tuesday, days after he gave a fiery speech at the National Press Club where he claimed Pakistan military and agencies were responsible for silencing and assaulting the journalists critical of the administration.
“When you fail to create a narrative about Israel in the Pakistani media, you get very angry. You pick up Matiullah Jan, shoot Absar Alam and enter the houses of people like Asad Toor,” Mir said.
Absar Alam is a senior journalist and former chairman of Pakistan Electronic Media Authority (PEMRA). He was shot at outside his home in Islamabad in April. Journalist Matiullah Jan was abducted by unidentified assailants in July last year, the day before he was to appear before the Supreme Court for allegedly “using derogatory/contemptuous language and maligning the institution of judiciary.” Jan, who was released a few hours later, alleged the abduction was an attempt to intimidate him.
No suspects have been arrested in both cases to date.
The management of the Geo News released a statement Tuesday saying, “The anger, disappointment and frustration that Hamid Mir and other journalists feel on fellow colleagues being attacked is a shared and grave concern but better ways and means exist on how to channel that energy for productive gains for the safety of journalism and journalists”.
In an opinion piece in ThePrint, Mir explained the reasons behind his “visibly harsh speech”, and said he had been “denied justice every time, despite facing two deadly murder attempts. I lost my job twice for exposing greed and corruption. I had to face fake cases of murder and kidnapping. I had to face blasphemy charges in courts because I was supporting women’s rights through my writings.”
He added, “This is not my personal story, this is the story of over 140 media workers who had to die in the line of duty during the last three decades in Pakistan”.
Following Mir’s remarks against the establishment, several applications for registering cases against him and Asma Shirazi, another journalist and political commentator who hosts prime time current affairs show “Faisla Aapka” on Aaj News, have been filed in the last two days.
New application for registering a case against me and Asma Sherazi filed in Gujranwala pic.twitter.com/B7Yf5UC50b
— Hamid Mir (@HamidMirPAK) June 2, 2021
Shirazi, who was also targeted by the Imran Khan government and the previous Nawaz Sharif govt in 2019 for being critical of them, Wednesday tweeted: “Faced all kinds of threats and pressures numerous times. Musharraf banned us in 2007, dealt with treason threats & all kind of pressure tactics. “Truth Has A Price”.”
Faced all kind of threats and pressures numerous times. Musharraf banned us in 2007, dealt with treason threats & all kind of pressure tactics.
“Truth Has A Price”
ناان کی رسم نئی ہے نا اپنی ریت نئی#JournalismIsNotACrime https://t.co/Pd3Hl29LwL— Asma Shirazi (@asmashirazi) June 2, 2021
Shirazi and Mir had also claimed that the government was responsible for silencing the voices of dissent and attacking journalists. “We (journalists) will start naming the ‘known unknown’ if the cycle of violence against media persons continues,” she said during a protest against the attack on Asad Toor on 28 May.
Several Pakistani politicians also slammed the Imran Khan government for making false allegations against journalists.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, chairman of Pakistan Peoples Party, said: “PM’s false claim of ‘most free press in the world’ exposed on a daily basis now.’
Condemn registration of cases against @asmashirazi & @HamidMirPAK. PM’s false claim of ‘most free press in the world’ exposed on a daily basis now. https://t.co/vaademG2pf
— BilawalBhuttoZardari (@BBhuttoZardari) June 2, 2021
ISPR to present Pakistan’s first military reality show
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) has collaborated with Hum TV to produce a military reality show.
The show — 60 Hours to Glory — will be the country’s first military reality show and will feature 8 local teams and 4 international teams.
It will showcase the rigours of the Pakistan Army’s training regime and the intense competition of the Pakistan Army Team Spirit (PATS).
“The events have been shot in realtime, with no enactment at all. The viewers will remain engaged in a roller-coaster production comprising 25 sensational episodes,” ISPR said in a statement.
It is written by Umer Mukhtar and will be hosted by award-winning actor Fakhr-e-Alam.
Sharing the trailer of the show on Twitter, Alam wrote: “One of the toughest & exhausting filming projects of my career. It has been an honor to witness first hand the rigors of a soldier in a hostile, nerve wrecking, body shattering environment. Beyond the adventure & challenges awaits glory.”
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