From toddler to trailblazer

"When I joined the Life & Style section, The Express Tribune was hardly three-days-old"

When I joined the Life & Style section, The Express Tribune was hardly three-days-old. With my affiliation with the publication dating back to its inception, I have seen it evolve among Pakistan’s English dailies. Having worked closely with Life & Style editors, sub editors and reporters over the years, I’ve witnessed that it is no easy feat to churn out stories about the once dormant arts and culture scene in the country, which has only recently picked up pace.

I clearly remember the day I pledged my allegiance to the team. A local fashion week was looming and I could sense the uneasiness and doubt that many people directed towards the fate of a new kid (read: newspaper) on the block. As the then editor of the Life & Style section sat in the second row at the fashion week, she fumed with anger over their misgivings. It was a challenge for us to prove our mettle as a budding publication amid those, which had years to their credit. And we were ready to take it up – even if it meant spelling out for everyone that we work for The Express Tribune... ‘Express ka angraizi parcha’.

I knew I had to work hard to gain ground, with sometimes covering as many as three events in a day and sometimes, filing exclusive features. Being the first primary Karachi correspondent for the section, I knew I had a big responsibility on my shoulders. Initially, I single-handedly wrote for diverse beats, such as fashion, theatre, cinema and music, encompassing both local and international news. But with perseverance, we managed to generate content that gave our contemporaries a run for their money.

In retrospect, one of the stories I deem to be a milestone of my journalistic career, for which I share the credit with my team, was reporting on the demise of Minnaal Jamshed, daughter of known fashion designer Teejays. I interviewed Feeha Jamshed, Minnaal’s sister, for the exclusive story. Another memorable report I did was about Fayezah Asad Ansari, who opened up about her fight against drug addiction and surviving in the glamorous field of modelling. Both the stories received recognition, with both local and international media commending our factual reporting.



From editing raw copies to generating creative layouts to page-making to page-vetting, the effort that goes into delivering news isn’t as simplistic as it’s perceived to be. The Life & Style section has honed in on creating content that pushes boundaries and delivers gripping news to their readers.

For a section that has relatively more creative liberty, it’s always difficult to maintain the innovation quotient while ensuring that journalistic ethics are not trespassed. But the Life & Style desk has learnt the ropes of striking a balance between the two, challenging the common misperception that news of this nature is fluff or non-serious. And, gradually, what people began lauding as a ‘fresh layout’ and good news sense became our strong suit and so, we continue to generate a strong readership for both our print and online editions.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 12^th, 2015.