Pakistan
Black Wave
For decades, the question has haunted the Arab and Muslim world, heard across Iran and Syria, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, and in the author’s home country of Lebanon. Was it always so? When did the extremism, intolerance and bloodletting of today displace the region’s cultural promise and diversity?
‘The Accused: Damned or Devoted’ + Discussion
The Frontline Club hosts this special advanced screening of this new documentary from BBC Storyville, which follows the rise of powerful cleric Khadim Hussain Rizvi, who is on a mission to preserve Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, against a backdrop of elections. Followed by discussion with director Mohammed Ali Naqvi, exec producer Fiona Stourton, and Dr Farzana Shaikh, Associate Fellow at Chatham House and a specialist on Pakistan. CBS News Foreign Correspondent Imtiaz Tyab will moderate.
Private Event: Book Launch Rethinking Pakistan
Insaan Culture Club is pleased to host the London launch of a highly anticipated new book on Pakistan.
The Al Qaeda resurgence – how Osama bin Laden’s family survived after 9/11 and how his followers have rebuilt the terrorist organisation
Join us for an evening of conversation with journalists Cathy Scott-Clark and Adrian Levey to discuss their new book: The Exile: The Stunning Inside Story of Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda In Flight and the recent resurgence of the terror group, as Osama bin Laden’s son, Hamza is expected to take over the terrorist organisation.
He Named Me Malala: Education and the Refugee Crisis
“We learn so much from Malala, she tells us that we have a voice in the West but we take it for granted”, Guwali Passarlay.
The New War Photographers: In the Picture with David Birkin
For the second in a series of events in partnership with PARC, the University of the Arts London photography research centre based at London College of Communication, we are delighted to welcome artist David Birkin to discuss his work that challenges elements of censorship and spectacle in the so-called War on Terror.
Screening: He Named Me Malala + Panel Discussion
This screening will be followed by a panel discussion on access to education for refugee girls with the Malala Fund’s Director of Policy and Advocacy Philippa Lei and others, moderated by BBC Radio 4 Today correspondent Sima Kotecha.
He Named Me Malala is an intimate portrait of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai, who was targeted by the Taliban and severely wounded by a gunshot when returning home on her school bus in Pakistan’s Swat Valley. The then 15-year-old was singled out, along with her father, for advocating for girls’ education, and the attack on her sparked an outcry from supporters around the world. She miraculously survived and is now a leading campaigner for girls’ education globally as co-founder of the Malala Fund.
Among the Believers: Ideological Battles Shaping Pakistan
On Friday 11 March 2016, the Frontline Club held a screening of Among the Believers, a documentary directed by Hemil Trevedi and Mohammed Naqvi. The screening was followed by a Q&A with Naqvi and producer Joseph Goodman Levitt.
Screening: Among the Believers + Q&A
This screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Mohammed Naqvi and producer Jonathan Goodman Levitt.
Charismatic cleric Abdul Aziz Ghazi, an ISIS supporter and Taliban ally, is waging jihad against the Pakistani state. His dream is to impose a strict version of Sharia law throughout the country, as a model for the world. With unprecedented access, Among the Believers follows Aziz on his very personal quest to create an Islamic utopia, during the bloodiest period in Pakistan’s modern history.
Screening: Yallah! Underground + Q&A
This screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Farid Eslam via Skype.
From the early days of the Arab Spring that sparked hopes for change to the years of instability and political tension that followed, this enthralling documentary follows the stories of young prominent underground artists from across the Middle East during the period of 2009 to 2013.
Insight with Christina Lamb: Farewell Kabul
For over two decades, Christina Lamb has reported from Afghanistan, with unparalleled access to all key decision makers. She has developed an extensive understanding of the country, the people and the conflict. She will be joining us in conversation with BBC Radio 4 Today programme presenter, Sarah Montague, to give her personal account of the longest war fought by the United States in its history, and by Britain since the Hundred Years War.
Screening: Drone + Q&A
This screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Tonje Hessen Schei.
Directed by Tonje Hessen Schei and produced by Flimmer Film, Drone takes an in depth look at the United States’ use of drone technology, questioning how drones are altering the psychology of war. In the midst of fast advancement of technology and international legislation struggling to keep up with it, Schei‘s film displays how drones are rapidly defining a new perception of war.
Balochistan at a Crossroads
Pakistan’s largest province, Balochistan, lies at a crossroads. Bordering Iran and Afghanistan and boasting huge reserves of gold, gas, oil and uranium, it is a land of enormous strategic importance and great natural beauty and yet it remains all but inaccessible to the outside world. With access to foreign journalists all but non-existent, and permanent expulsion or physical intimidation often the price for transgressing its boundaries, Willem Marx and Marc Wattrelot offer a rare insight into an area that has become one of the most hermetic and dangerous on earth.
Talking to the Taliban
by Sally Ashley-Cound The Taliban have made steps towards wanting to be seen as a legitimate political force, by setting up an operations office in Qatar on 18 June this year. The First Wednesday discussion chaired by Paddy O’Connell at the Frontline Club on 3 July asked: Is talking to the Taliban a solution? John D McHugh, […]
Netanyahu in China, London conference on Somalia, US-South Korean talks, and Pakistan elections – the world next week
By Jasper Wenban-Smith, International Editor, Foresight News A round up of world news in the week ahead from journalist resource ForesightNews. Monday 6 May The high-profile trial in Germany of Beate Zschäpe, an alleged member of a group called the National Socialist Underground (NSU), is due to open on Monday in Munich. Zschäpe and four […]
Pakistan elections: a critical juncture
By Nishat Ahmed As Pakistan gears up for crucial general elections in just over a week, on 1 May the Frontline Club hosted a panel discussion, First Wednesday: Pakistan goes to the polls, to consider the country’s prospects. The panelists on the evening were journalist and author Irfan Husain, Pir Zubair Shah of the Council on Foreign […]
World week ahead: Pope Francis’ inauguration, Obama’s first trip to Israel, ceasefire in Turkey, and Musharraf return to Pakistan
By Jasper Wenban-Smith, international editor of ForesightNews. A round up of world news in the week ahead from journalist resource ForesightNews. Monday 18 March On Monday, the UN Human Rights Council will formally consider a highly critical report on Israeli settler activities that was published at the end of January. Meanwhile, in Yemen a national […]
Afghani children held hostage in the drug trade
By Nishat Ahmed Children pay the heaviest price for Afghanistan’s drugs trade – according to a powerful account by journalist Najibullah Quraishi and producer Jamie Doran in their documentary Opium Brides. Opening to a packed screening at the Frontline Club on Friday 7 March, the film exposed the failure of the Afghan government and its […]
ForesightNews world briefing: upcoming events 7 – 13 May
A weekly round up of world events from Monday, 7 to Sunday, 13 May from Foresight News By Nicole Hunt Given the ongoing violence and international concern over Syria, it’s hard to believe (‘ridiculous’, even) that parliamentary elections are scheduled to take place on Monday, but President Bashar al Assad has insisted they will go […]
Insight with Ahmed Rashid – Pakistan on the Brink: The Future of America, Pakistan, and Afghanistan
By Emily Wight View event here. Download this episode View in iTunes The end of this month will see the anniversary of Osama Bin-Laden’s death, which exposed the escalating tensions between the United States and Pakistan. Topically, the celebrated writer and central Asia expert Ahmed Rashid joined BBC special correspondent Lyce Doucet in conversation to discuss his […]
FULLY BOOKED Insight with Ahmed Rashid – Pakistan on the Brink: The Future of America, Pakistan, and Afghanistan
As we approach the one year anniversary of the death of Osama Bin Laden, Ahmed Rashid will be joining senior BBC presenter and special correspondent Lyse Doucet to discuss the future for Pakistan, Afghanistan and the United States.
FULLY BOOKED Screening: Saving Face
Every year hundreds of people, most of them women, are attacked with acid in Pakistan. Saving Face is a heartbreaking and human documentary that follows two of these survivors as they reveal their internal and external scars.
Are cheap, local hires saving or ruining foreign reporting?
By Helena Williams Foreign reporting is changing. With news outlets’ budgets tightening, and competition, pressure and risks on the rise, foreign journalists working in conflict countries are abandoning traditional methods of reporting in favour of using cheap, local hires to get the story: “It used to be that you were a local journalist, and treated […]
First Wednesday: The problems facing Pakistan and its leadership
View event here. Download this episode View in iTunes By Rosie Scammell The Forum opened to a full house on Wednesday evening for a clash of opinions over the problems facing Pakistan. With BBC journalist Owen Bennett-Jones acting as chair, the government and military soon took centre stage, a relationship described as “A power struggle […]
It’s the Military, Stupid
By Thomas Lowe ‘Memogate’, nuclear weapons, Bin Laden, Imran Khan, US foreign policy, Afghanistan – it seems that global issues are destined to pass through Pakistan. But it’s the vast military apparatus at the very centre of the state of Pakistan that took the attention of the Frontline panel – and demanded the mediation skills […]
FULLY BOOKED First Wednesday: The problems facing Pakistan and its leadership
Political tension are rising in Pakistan following the the Supreme Courts decision to charge Prime Minister Yousef Raza Gilani with contempt for failing to re-open corruption cases against President Asif Ali Zardari.
We will be bringing together a panel of experts to discuss the deepening political crisis in Pakistan and ask what lies ahead.
ForesightNews world briefing: upcoming events 27 February – 4 March
A weekly round up of world events from Monday, 27 February to Sunday, 4 March from Foresight News By Nicole Hunt This week’s roundup includes no fewer than eight elections at all levels of government, beginning with a leadership ballot for Australia’s Labor Party on Monday. Prime Minister Julia Gillard called the snap ballot on […]
ForesightNews world briefing: upcoming events 20- 26 February
A weekly round up of world events from Monday, 20 February to Sunday, 26 February from Foresight News By Nicole Hunt After a false start on 9 February and another postponement on 15 February, euro zone Finance Ministers are using their regularly-scheduled meeting on Monday to discuss whether to release the next tranche of Greece’s […]
ForesightNews world briefing: upcoming events 13- 19 February
A weekly round up of world events from Monday, 13 February to Sunday, 19 February from Foresight News By Nicole Hunt Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has been ordered to appear before the Supreme Court again on Monday, this time to be indicted on charges of contempt of court over what prosecutors say is […]
ForesightNews world briefing: upcoming events 6 – 12 February
A weekly round up of world events from Monday, 6 February to Sunday, 12 February from Foresight News By Nicole Hunt Towards Healing and Renewal, the Catholic Church’s four-day long symposium on sexual abuse within the Church, begins on Monday in Rome. The conference brings together over 200 representatives from bishops’ conferences and other religious […]