🇵🇰 Pakistan Episodes

Our studio has been quarantined so we are trying to make do by recording the podcast over the internet. On the first episode, we have Ali Lakhani back with us to tell us how to manage our mental health during the Corona virus lockdown. Worrying about things we cannot control with only lead to anxiety and stress - it is better to focus on yourself and work towards improving yourself each day. Ali Lakhani is a Therapist, Counselor and a Life Coach. He struggled with addiction himself for 19 years and now helps others combat addiction. Ali helps run a drug rehab center in Karachi.

Two stand up comedians walk into a bar......and it becomes a depressive conversation about stand up comedy.  Akbar Chaudhry, a stand up comedian and the host of Chai, Toast aur Host on Dawn News, comes on The Pakistan Experience to have an academic discussion on stand up comedy dissecting the politics of joke and talking about his own journey.  Akbar talks about cancel culture, offensive comedy and the role of a stand up comedian in society on this episode of The Pakistan Experience.  The Pakistan Experience is a podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan, and Pakistanis, through the lost art of conversation.

Faiza Saleem is a comedian and a social media sensation. She also leads the all female improv troupe, The Khawatoons.   Faiza sits down with Shehzad to discuss the current social media climate. The Pakistan Experience is a podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan, and Pakistanis, through the lost art of conversation.

Samar Naqvi is the COO of the Karachi Down Syndrome Program and used to work at the Network of Organizations Working with People with Disabilities. She is a Fulbright Scholar holding a Masters from NYU.   Samar is also a therapist.  Shehzad and Samar sit down to talk about the NGO culture and how people talk about mental health and disabilities in Pakistan.  The Pakistan Experience is a podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan, and Pakistanis, through the lost art of conversation.

Sharmeen Khan is a Therapist, Clinical Psychologist and a Theta healer.   Sharmeen Khan was also Shehzad's therapist; on this episode of The Pakistan Experience she sits down with Shehzad to talk about what therapy is and what a therapy session looks like.  The Pakistan Experience is a podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan, and Pakistanis, through the lost art of conversation.

Ali Lakhani is a Therapist, Counselor and a Life Coach. He struggled with addiction himself for 19 years and now helps others combat addiction. Ali helps run a drug rehab center in Karachi.   In the podcast, Ali talks about his own journey and how to use psychology to help fight addiction.  The Pakistan Experience is a podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan, and Pakistanis, through the lost art of conversation.

Zarrar Khuro is a Journalist, writer and the host of the Dawn News show 'Zara Hut Kay'.    Zarrar talks about the prospects of World War III, the political landscape in Pakistan and the future prospects of the country.   The Pakistan Experience is a podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan, and Pakistanis, through the lost art of conversation.

Musician, Vlogger, Director, Actor, one of the biggest content creators, Mooroo, comes on the podcast to discuss the cancel culture, his philosophy of art and that child molestation joke.   Watch Taimoor Salahuddin aka Mooroo have a long honest conversation on The Pakistan Experience.  The Pakistan Experience is a podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan, and Pakistanis, through the lost art of conversation.

For the 18th episode of TPE we turn the camera around on our director and producer, Mr. Nabhan Karim. Shehzad and Nabhan sit and discuss how The Pakistan Experience came to be.   Nabhan Karim heads the Media Studies department at CBM and runs Wormhole Productions. He has extensive experience directing, having worked at CNN and Stimulus Productions.  The Pakistan Experience is a podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan, and Pakistanis, through the lost art of conversation.

We took a hiatus for a couple of weeks in December so here we are back with two episodes this week - presenting the very special 2019 year end review. Ramish Safa from Bros Meet the world, Sajeer Shaikh from Mangobaaz and Gibran Khaliq from TVP come on The Pakistan Experience to look back at the year that was 2019!  The Pakistan Experience is a podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan, and Pakistanis, through the lost art of conversation.

Uzair Younis, a policy analyst from DC, comes on The Pakistan Experience to discuss the economy, the government and the policies of the country.  Is the economy failing under PTI? What can be done to remedy it? What do the future prospects look like for the country and the economy?  The Pakistan Experience is a podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan, and Pakistanis, through the lost art of conversation.

Jibran Nasir comes back on The Pakistan Experience to discuss his engagement,  the Musharaf Judgment and the general state of Pakistan.  Where are we headed as a country and how we can come together to create change?   Watch Jibran Nasir at his candid best talking about his work, his life and his hopes for the future.  The Pakistan Experience is a podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan, and Pakistanis, through the lost art of conversation.

On the 14th episode of The Pakistan Experience, Daanika Kamal and Hera Mannan come on to discuss relationships, divorce and mental health.   Hera Mannan is a content creator and Daanika Kamal runs a Mental Health organization.  The Pakistan Experience is a podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan, and Pakistanis, through the lost art of conversation.

Sabin Agha, a Journalist and a Documentary Film-maker, candidly talks about Journalism and Censorship in Pakistan. Is Journalism dead? Are there still some flag bearers managing to get the truth out there? Will Journalism rise again? How much of news in Pakistan is controlled by the state? Sabin Agha holds no punches back in this podcast.   The Pakistan Experience is a podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan, and Pakistanis, through the lost art of conversation.

Natalia Gul Baghdadi is a stand up comedian, who was trolled and bullied online for a standup comedy video she made talking about Sindhis. Natalia talks about dealing with the hate with love, her life's philosophies and promoting a more holistic lifestyle.    The Pakistan Experience is a podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan, and Pakistanis, through the lost art of conversation.

Nusrat Hidayatullah is the founder of the 42 day challenge and the F word. She is a fitness and nutrition consultant and trainer.  Parishae is a strategist, and a managing director for Shapar Pvt Ltd. (the holding company of 4 brands - Amir Adnan, Huma Adnan, Fnk Asia, Craft Stories). She likes to work out and has an instagram to inspire people.   The Pakistan Experience is a podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan, and Pakistanis, through the lost art of conversation.

The Pakistani short film 'Darling' just won the Orizzonti best short film award at the Venice Film Festival. We have the director of the film, Saim Sadiq, the AD and casting director, Sana Jafri and the star of the movie, Alina.  Darling is a movie with a trans character at the center, played by Alina, who is a khawajasira, the film explores notions of femininity and masculinity in Pakistan.  In the podcast we discuss why it was important to cast a trans character to play the trans role, how the movie came to be and Alina shares her gutwrenching personal experiences. The Pakistan Experience is a podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan, and Pakistanis, through the lost art of conversation.

A very special episode of The Pakistan Experience with Mrs. Khan. Mrs. Khan recently gained virality for her comments on TV about women and relationships. We sit down to have a respectful deep dive conversation with Mrs. Khan to contextualize her views and give her the space to clarify and expand on her opinions, rather than relying on 5 minute sound bites.   Listen to this conversation between Mrs. Khan and Shehzad Ghias Shaikh about the Rishta culture in Pakistan and gender roles The Pakistan Experience is a podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan, and Pakistanis, through the lost art of conversation.

The admins of the all male group 'Soul Brothers' and Muhammad Moiz sit down with Shehzad Ghias to discuss online male spaces in Pakistan.    What is incel culture and why it is dangerous? Do online male spaces tend to be anti-feminism?   Four people with different views on gender,  masculinity and online spaces, sit down and have a frank discussion to help create a more inclusive and safe space online for everybody.   The Pakistan Experience is a podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan, and Pakistanis, through the lost art of conversation.

Syed Muhammad Kumail is a member of the Improvisational Comedy Troupe 'LolWalay', a Sozkhuwan and a teacher. Kumail sat down with Shehzad to dispel some of the rumours spread about Shias during Moharram. If you heard Shias mix spit into the Haleem or have sex orgies, please listen and educate yourself.    Also we would like to request everyone to please listen to the entire podcast with an open mind. It is a frank, open and honest discussion between two friends that seeks to combat hate and bigotry. We do not wish to offend the religious sensibilities of any person nor do we wish to engage in religious debates about who is right or who is wrong, I hope we can atleast agree that we can co-exist with people with different beliefs than ours and nobody deserves to be killed for their belief. Let's make Pakistan a country where everybody is free to practice their faith in complete harmony and peace. Let's not spread hate and help our enemies divide us, let us increase people to people exchange and have more conversations.   The Pakistan Experience is a podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan, and Pakistanis, through the lost art of conversation.