Saturday, August 15, 2026

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.

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...

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...

‘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...

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...

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...

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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‘Her Legacy Lives On’:...

Human rights icon Asma Jahangir is being remembered on her 5th death anniversary, with the members of civil society...

Unseen Victims: How Pakistan’s...

This reporting was supported by the International Women’s Media Foundation’s Lauren Brown Fellowship. Tirah Valley, Pakistan - After three months...

LHC Allows Aurat March...

After much ado, the Lahore High Court (LHC) has finally allowed the Aurat March Lahore organisers to hold a...

Swat Peace Protests’ Organiser...

Human rights activist and one of the organisers of Swat peace protests Fawad Khan was allegedly abducted from Swat. Swat...

‘Corps Commander Lahore Whose...

Corps Commander Lahore Lt General Salman Fayyaz Ghanni, whose house was attacked by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) mob protesting...

Arrested Chinese Engineer Says...

The Chinese engineer who was arrested over blasphemy allegations in Kohistan district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has denied the accusations levelled...

Latest articles

Pakistan’s Top Court Upholds Death Sentence in Murder of Woman Killed For Obtaining Divorce

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan’s highest court on Saturday rejected an appeal by a man convicted...

Pakistan’s Civic Freedoms Deteriorate Amid Crackdown on Dissent: Report

ISLAMABAD - Civic freedoms in Pakistan have deteriorated amid a widening crackdown on activists,...

Pakistan Police Arrest 17 at Islamabad Aurat March on Women’s Day

Police arrested 17 organizers and participants of the annual Aurat March in Islamabad on...

Overlooking Homegrown Hate, Pakistan Hesitates to Call Islamabad Blast Anti-Shia Violence

ISLAMABAD - Just hours before a suicide bomber struck the Khadija Tul Kubra Shia...