‘Behind the headlines’: Photos that reveal the ‘other’ side of FATA

Photojournalist’s work from trip to tribal areas on display at Nomad

ISLAMABAD:

British born Pakistani photographer Sa’adia Khan is exhibiting a series of photographs she captured on her recent visit to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) at Nomad Art Gallery. The show, titled “Pakistan Behind the Headlines,” is curated by journalist Shaista Aziz who traveled with Khan along with a few other members from the Medicine Sans Frontier (MSF) team.

The exhibition explores the stories and realities of residents of Kurram Agency (Durrani Camp) and the displaced population of the tribal areas which has been adversely impacted by violence, displacement and suffers from lack of healthcare.

PHOTOS: HUMA CHOUDHARY/EXPRESS

Passionate about photojournalism, Khan spent five days in FATA photographing women and children in need of medical assistance and healthcare. To not risk is to not live, says the consummate traveler, whose passion for photography defines who she is.

Being self-taught, she discovered her love for telling stories through images when she was gifted a digital camera by an uncle at the age of 14.

She’s been a visual storyteller since but launched her career formally as a photographer in 2007. Her focus is to create compelling and interesting images with a balanced and nuanced narrative.

While sharing her experience from the recent trip, Khan told The Express Tribune that “People in FATA thought I’m holding a weapon in my hands and weren’t comfortable being photographed at all.”

She revealed that despite being there for five days, she captured all the images on display in less than twenty minutes since getting access was quite difficult.



Talking about her visit along with Khan, Aziz said “Beyond the headlines of conflict, violence and displacement, there are narratives of ordinary Pakistanis — men, women and children facing immense challenges in their daily lives.”

She shared that the photographs on display are shining a spotlight on these narratives and realities since these people deserve to be seen and heard.

PHOTOS: HUMA CHOUDHARY/EXPRESS

Rehman Sakhi, a physician who works for the MSF in the tribal areas, said “Common health issues mostly faced by women and children include respiratory infections, skin diseases and malnutrition.” These issues need to be told through photographs and stories, he stressed.

Khan’s work will be on display at the gallery till June 13 between 10am to 7pm.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 9^th, 2015.