Taking the plunge: Pakistani journalist takes leap of faith

Sherin Zada, an Express TV reporter, sets a world record in skydiving.

SWAT:

“Tandem skydiving is only for the brave of heart,” Sherin Zada was told when he arrived to cover the Spirit of Swat event recently.

Zada, the Express TV reporter, was there to provide media coverage to Andrew, a UK-based skydiver who was getting ready to set the record for flying the largest Pakistan flag over Swat Valley by jumping from a height of approximately 10,000 feet.

“When they said that, I thought nothing could require more courage than being a journalist in Pakistan,” Zada recalls, saying that was all it took for him to make an attempt at the sport.

“Some of my colleagues tried to persuade me not to go ahead with it. They said it was too dangerous, but my mind was made up.”

Zada suddenly remembers the adrenaline that rushed through him as the jump drew nearer. “My heart began beating faster … when I looked down just before I was about to jump, I could see nothing but the clear sky and the ground at a distance…”

Completely unaware that he was about to set a world record, Zada, jumped.

“I had no idea I was about to set a record, but when I hit the ground I was told that not only was I the first journalist, but also the first Pakistani to have jumped from 10,000 feet. My jump proved that journalists can accept any challenge.”

Not only did Zada set a record, he also covered the event for Express TV while he was floating in the air.

Edited by Saarysh Zuberi



Published in The Express Tribune, July 23^rd, 2011.