Zofeen Ebrahim

Zofeen Ebrahim has been the MintPress News South East Asia Correspondent since 2014. She is based in Karachi, Pakistan. For Zofeen , the path to journalism was never a "carefully thought out" or a "planned" career choice. It was as if she was being led towards it. After graduating, and doing her master’s she got married and moved cities. "I had no clue what I wanted to do or even if I wanted a career". A small inconspicuous advert in an English daily changed all that for her. They were seeking editorial assistants for an English language women's magazine that was soon to be launched. Since then there has been no looking back for her. Today, she freelances for several national (Dawn and The News) and international (IPS, The Guardian, The Third Pole) media organisations and writes about issues that touch her heart. She can be reached at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter at @zofeen28.

Photo Essay: Pakistan’s Shigar Fort, From Shambles To Chic Sustainability

A 400-year-old fort undergoes a major facelift, and in the process, an impoverished town gets much-needed opportunities.

Zofeen Ebrahim
Par Zofeen Ebrahim
Shigar

SHIGAR, Gilgit-Baltistan -- Adeel Ammacha, 29, knows the 17th century Shigar Fort like the back of his hand. Growing up, young Ammacha spent his summer vacations exploring every nook and cranny of “the Fort on Rock,” located in the Shigar Valley in the Pakistan-administered part of Kashmir known as the Gilgit-Baltistan region. "We didn't live

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Media Ethics: The First Casualty In Conflict

In the race to be the first to break the story, speculation and sensationalization were the priorities for reporters covering the recent terrorist attack at a Karachi airport.

Zofeen Ebrahim
Par Zofeen Ebrahim

KARACHI, Pakistan --- The recent terrorist attack on one of the terminals in Karachi’s international airport highlighted a number of issues -- the militants’ strength, intelligence failures among Pakistan's agencies, security lapses and the weak response of the government's machinery in the face of an emergency. It also illustrated the

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What Has Been Lost In The Conversation About Bowe Bergdahl

Why were Qatar, Turkey and Saudi Arabia competing to host an office for the Afghan Taliban? And what was Pakistan’s role in Bergdahl’s release?

Zofeen Ebrahim
Par Zofeen Ebrahim
Bowe Bergdahl

KARACHI, Pakistan --- The release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the U.S. Army soldier held by a Taliban-aligned group in Afghanistan for five years, has met with a growing chorus of criticism. His controversial release also came at a price, as the Obama administration had to swap five senior Afghan Taliban leaders who had been detained at Guantanamo

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Brazuca Ball Bounces From Pakistan To Brazil

When China couldn’t meet demand, Adidas sent World Cup ball production to an industrial city in Pakistan once known for its hand-stitched soccer balls.

Zofeen Ebrahim
Par Zofeen Ebrahim
Pakistan

KARACHI, Pakistan --- On June 12, the world will be tuning into the much-awaited FIFA World Cup in Brazil, but Hassan Masood Khwaja will be focusing on just one thing: the balls. After a 14,000-kilometer journey, the 32-year-old Pakistani man will be at the stadium in Sao Paolo, following the Adidas AG World Cup balls, some of which were made at

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Nepalese Women Workers Know The Costs Of Working Abroad

Despite widespread physical and sexual abuse and slave-like working conditions, Nepalese women long to go abroad to boost their earning power.

Zofeen Ebrahim
Par Zofeen Ebrahim
Nepal Labor Day

KATMANDU, Nepal --- Frail and weak, 21-year-old Pasan Shelpa had hoped that if she went abroad to work -- as her three older sisters did -- it would help better the family’s lot. "I saw how it had helped families in my village," Shelpa told MintPress News. "I wanted to make my parents happy." According to the International Labour

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Polio Exporter: Pakistan Slapped With Travel Restrictions

Strains of the polio virus found throughout the world have been traced back to Pakistan, so it was only a matter of time before the country’s travelers would face travel restrictions.

Zofeen Ebrahim
Par Zofeen Ebrahim

Naeem Sadiq, a Karachi-based businessman, was set to travel to London, Vancouver and Baltimore, last week to visit his children, but then he heard about possible travel restrictions to be imposed on Pakistanis. With just two days before he was scheduled to leave, he rushed to find out from various hospitals, government health departments and

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Chasing The Truth In Pakistan Is Risky Business

Who is behind the violent and sometimes fatal attacks on the media in Pakistan?

Zofeen Ebrahim
Par Zofeen Ebrahim
Pakistan

KARACHI, Pakistan --- In an example of what is increasingly becoming the new normal for people working in media in Pakistan, a popular television presenter and commentator was seriously wounded in an attack by armed gunmen on Saturday. Based in Islamabad, Hamid Mir works for Geo TV, a private television network, and is known for being the first

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