Ailia Zehra
The writer is a journalist and the Founding Editor of Dissent Today. She covers politics, human rights, and religious extremism. She tweets at @AiliaZehra.
Features
A Year After Elections, Ex-Waziristan Parliamentarian Unable to Find Justice for...
This report is part of Dissent Today's special series documenting violence and alleged irregularities during Pakistan's 2024 general elections. When Mohsin Dawar narrowly escaped an elaborate assassination attempt in which his vehicle was sprayed with more than 60 bullets about a month before the 2024...
News
Inside the Ongoing Racial Profiling in Islamabad
Islamabad, Pakistan -- Lawyer Imaan Mazari had just got home after getting journalist Matiullah Jan released from the custody of Islamabad police on Nov. 30 when she received a panicked call from the Street Vendors Association of Islamabad, informing her that several vendors had...
Features
‘Self-Censorship Shapes My New Identity’: Exiled Russian Activist Reflects on Leaving...
Russian President Vladimir Putin's onslaught on dissent intensified after his invasion of Ukraine in 2022. This article is part of Dissent Today’s special series documenting the past and present struggles of exiled Russian dissidents who sought political asylum in the U.S. in recent years. Mikhail...
Features
Pro-Palestine DNC Delegate Assaulted For Disrupting Biden’s Speech Vows To Keep...
A pro-Palestine elected member of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) from Florida, Nadia Ahmad, was hit in the head repeatedly with vertical signs that read "We love Joe" by a group of DNC guests when she disrupted President Joe Biden’s speech on the first...
Human Rights
Unfazed By Police Violence, Mahrang Baloch Continues To Lead Islamabad Protest...
Mahrang Baloch, the activist leading the ongoing sit-in in Islamabad against enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in Balochistan, has stated that the whereabouts of over 100 protestors picked up by the authorities are still unknown. This contradicts the Islamabad police's claim that all protestors...
News
Extremist Groups Back In Action As Blasphemy-Convict Junaid Hafeez’s Appeal Against...
LAHORE After blasphemy-convict Junaid Hafeez’s appeal against his death sentence was finally fixed before the Lahore High Court (LHC) earlier this month, his new lawyer, Saif ul Malook, appears to be mishandling the case, Dissent Today has learnt. Hafeez, a progressive academic who served as a...
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News
Islamabad Bar Association Faces...
Social media users are criticising the Islamabad Bar Association for inviting controversial Muslim cleric Mian Abdul Haq, popularly known...
News
‘Her Legacy Lives On’:...
Human rights icon Asma Jahangir is being remembered on her 5th death anniversary, with the members of civil society...
Human Rights
Baloch Woman Mahal Remains...
The Sindh High Court (SHC) has yet to take up the bail application of Mahal Baloch, a 28-year-old woman...
Elections 2024
Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s Calls For...
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman and former Foreign Minister, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, has reiterated the need for an end to...
News
Ahmadis At Risk Of...
In an apparent attempt to further harass the persecuted Ahmadi community residing in Rabwah, the Punjab government has formed...
News
Peshawar Women University Bars...
The Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women University (SBBWU), Peshawar, has barred students from wearing jeans and tights while introducing what...
Latest articles
Editorial
Why a ‘Boycott Israel’ Campaign Cannot Work in Pakistan
In Pakistan, calls for boycotts of international brands perceived to have ties to Israel,...
Human Rights
Rights Groups Sound Alarm As Afghan Taliban Publicly Execute 4 Men In One Day
Afghanistan's Supreme Court announced on Friday the public execution of four men, marking the...
News
‘Will Face Oppression With Courage’: Jailed Activist Mahrang Baloch Writes Letter from Prison
ISLAMABAD: The chairperson of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), Dr. Mahrang Baloch, who was...
News
In Powerful Verdict, Islamabad High Court Upholds Conviction of Rapist While Defining ‘Consent’
ISLAMABAD: Upholding the conviction of a man charged with raping a 20-year-old woman, the...