The Pakistan Experience

Syed Muzammil Shah is a political scientist, youtuber and tv anchor with an interest in politics, philosophy and science.  Muzammil comes back on the podcast to discuss the current political scenario, why we don't support Imran Khan, rising fascism in Pakistan, and why this could be very dangerous.  Why is Imran Khan a ladla?  Why do women support Imran Khan?  Are Khan's politics popular or populist?  Find out this and more on this week's episode of The Pakistan Experience. The Pakistan Experience is an independently produced podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan through conversations. Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience   And Please stay in touch: https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1 https://www.facebook.com/thepakistanexperience https://instagram.com/thepakistanexpeperience    The podcast is hosted by comedian and writer, Shehzad Ghias Shaikh. Shehzad is a Fulbright scholar with a Masters in Theatre from Brooklyn College. He is also one of the foremost Stand-up comedians in Pakistan and frequently writes for numerous publications.     Instagram.com/shehzadghiasshaikh Facebook.com/Shehzadghias/ Twitter.com/shehzad89    Chapters: 0:00 Echo Chambers and Urbanized Thinking 3:30 Why is Imran Khan ladla and other people can't criticize? 10:00 Personal attacks and being called biased 17:00 Anti-Establishment Politics, Facism and Populism 23:00 Anti-Americanism 32:30 Imran Khan Supporters 38:00 Women supporters of Imran Khan 43:00 PTI's Corruption Narrative 52:00 Handsome and Strong Man politics 58:00 Use of Religion 1:05:00 Peoples Questions

Adeel Afzal is an actor and content creator. Starting from Mangobaaz, Adeel Afzal achieved fame for his hard hitting videos on social issues. Recently, Adeel starred in Parizad and Saang-e-Mah.  Adeel comes on the podcast to discuss the current climate of political polarization, troll culture,  taxing the rich, male insecurities and leaked videos.  The Pakistan Experience is an independently produced podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan through conversations. Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience  And Please stay in touch: https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1 https://www.facebook.com/thepakistanexperience https://instagram.com/thepakistanexpeperience  The podcast is hosted by comedian and writer, Shehzad Ghias Shaikh. Shehzad is a Fulbright scholar with a Masters in Theatre from Brooklyn College. He is also one of the foremost Stand-up comedians in Pakistan and frequently writes for numerous publications.     Instagram.com/shehzadghiasshaikh Facebook.com/Shehzadghias/ Twitter.com/shehzad89   Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 5:00 Aamir Liaquat 8:40 Political Polarization and Troll culture 18:00 Taxing the Rich 23:00 Journalism 28:00 Pakistan is not a ghareeb mulk 34:00 Doing dramas 36:00 Political Culture and Grooming 43:00 Dynastic politicsc 47:00 Basic Human Rights 54:30 Male Ego and Male Insecurity 1:10:00 Dananeer

Gulalai Ismail is a Pashtun human rights activist from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. She is the chairperson of Aware Girls, a global ambassador for Humanists International, and a supporter of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM). She speaks on the subject of promoting peace and women's empowerment at conferences internationally, and is the recipient of the International Humanist of the Year Award, the Chirac Prize for Conflict Prevention, and the Anna Politkovskaya Award.  Gulalai comes on the podcast to discuss PTM, Pashtun Rights, the Philosophy of Non-Violence, Separatism, Fata's inclusion, Identity based resistance, patriarchy and identities. Does Non-Violence work? What are the issues of people on the periphery?  Why did people support Drone attacks? Find out this and more on this week's episode of The Pakistan Experience. The Pakistan Experience is an independently produced podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan through conversations. Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience And Please stay in touch: https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1 https://www.facebook.com/thepakistanexperience https://instagram.com/thepakistanexpeperience The podcast is hosted by comedian and writer, Shehzad Ghias Shaikh. Shehzad is a Fulbright scholar with a Masters in Theatre from Brooklyn College. He is also one of the foremost Stand-up comedians in Pakistan and frequently writes for numerous publications. Instagram.com/shehzadghiasshaikh Facebook.com/Shehzadghias/ Twitter.com/shehzad89 Chapters: 0:00 The Philosophy of Non-Violence 5:00 Dealing with Militancy and Militant Organizations 19:00 FATA's inclusion in KP 24:00 People on the periphery and Identity based resistance 39:30 Sub-Identities and the National Identity 44:45 Separatism and Borders 1:00:50 Imran Khan called for Gulalai's release 1:05:30 Masters in International Human Rights 1:09:30 Pashtun Culture and Patriarchy 1:15:30 Patriarchy in PTM 1:18:30 Dealing with Grief 1:19:30 Afghan Taliban and the Shackles of Slavery 1:20:50 Child Marriages 1:22:50 Trans Issues in KP 1:24:30 Pashtun Politics and Women Empowerment 1:26:00 Ashraf Ghani's Government 1:27:10 Drone Attacks 1:31:40 PTM and Anti-military politics 1:38:00 Closing Remarks

Mariam Shafqat Goraya and Sajeer Shaikh join us for our TPE Eid Milan Party, where audience members join us! The Pakistan Experience is an independently produced podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan through conversations.       Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience     And Please stay in touch: https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1 https://www.facebook.com/thepakistanexperience https://instagram.com/thepakistanexpeperience     The podcast is hosted by comedian and writer, Shehzad Ghias Shaikh. Shehzad is a Fulbright scholar with a Masters in Theatre from Brooklyn College. He is also one of the foremost Stand-up comedians in Pakistan and frequently writes for numerous publications.      Instagram.com/shehzadghiasshaikh Facebook.com/Shehzadghias/ Twitter.com/shehzad89

Pervez Amirali Hoodbhoy is a Pakistani nuclear physicist and activist who serves as a professor at the Forman Christian College and previously taught physics at the Quaid-e-Azam University. Hoodbhoy is also a prominent activist in particular concerned with promotion of freedom of speech, secularism, scientific temper and education in Pakistan.  Pervez Hoodbhoy comes on for a special episode of The Pakistan Experience where he answers all your questions and addresses all the controversies.  Find out this and more on this week's episode of The Pakistan Experience.   The Pakistan Experience is an independently produced podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan through conversations. Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience        And Please stay in touch: https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1 https://www.facebook.com/thepakistanexperience https://instagram.com/thepakistanexpeperience        The podcast is hosted by comedian and writer, Shehzad Ghias Shaikh. Shehzad is a Fulbright scholar with a Masters in Theatre from Brooklyn College. He is also one of the foremost Stand-up comedians in Pakistan and frequently writes for numerous publications.                  Instagram.com/shehzadghiasshaikh Facebook.com/Shehzadghias/ Twitter.com/shehzad89  Chapters: 0:00 Dr Atta ur Rehman and Bentham Science Publishers 10:30 Why are you not writing articles anymore? 12:00 String Theory 13:40 Advice on becoming a physicist  14:30 How to stop teaching pseudoscience 16:00 Advice to young people on the place of religion in their lives 21:30 Responding to Dr Zaheer at LUMS 24:30 The debate with Dr Asad: Islam and Science 37:00 SNC 41:00 The problems with our students 46:00 The Pakistani diaspora 50:00 The Hijab Controversy 54:00 Banning of interest 55:30 How do we encourage scientific thinking in Pakistan 1:05:50 James Webb Telescope and the Inflationary Theory of the Universe 1:07:30 Why doesn't he move abroad? 1:08:00 If you are made head of HEC? 1:10:30 Dr Abdus Salam 1:14:30 Curbing Religious Fundamentalism 1:18:30 Cults, Conspiracy Theories and Imran Khan 1:25:30 Gravitational Waves 1:27:00 Black Holes 1:28:00 Theory of Relativity 1:29:00 Mathematical Education in Pakistan 1:31:30 Why are Pakistanis not getting admissions in Ivy Leagues 1:34:40 Kya ye mulk Science kee importance samjhay ga? 1:36:00 Education Content 1:38:10 Eqbal Ahmed 1:40:00 What led you away from Marxism 1:42:00 Elite Capture 1:43:50 Why can't Pakistan make IIT? 1:45:30 Electricity from Jihns 1:46:00 BJP reviving Vedic Sciences 1:48:30 Home Schooling 1:50:20 How do you stay fit!1

Shuja Nawaz, a South Asia Policy analyst, was made the first director of the South Asia Center at the Atlantic Council in January 2009. Shuja Nawaz comes on the podcast to discuss his book, "The Battle for Pakistan: The Bitter US Friendship and a Tough Neighbourhood"  Is the US not interested in Pakistan anymore?  What happened at Salala in 2011?  What is the current state of Civil-Military relations in Pakistan?  Find out this and more on this week's episode of The Pakistan Experience.   The Pakistan Experience is an independently produced podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan through conversations. Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience        And Please stay in touch: https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1 https://www.facebook.com/thepakistanexperience https://instagram.com/thepakistanexpeperience        The podcast is hosted by comedian and writer, Shehzad Ghias Shaikh. Shehzad is a Fulbright scholar with a Masters in Theatre from Brooklyn College. He is also one of the foremost Stand-up comedians in Pakistan and frequently writes for numerous publications.                  Instagram.com/shehzadghiasshaikh Facebook.com/Shehzadghias/ Twitter.com/shehzad89  Chapters: 0:00 Lettergate: Conspiracy and US-Pak Relations 6:00 US-Pak Relations: History and the Future 22:00 Pakistan's investment in Taliban 24:30 Ex-Intelligence Officers 27:00 American Military Aid 31:00 Salala 42:30 Perception of General Kiyani 51:30 Thoughts on Qamar Javed Bajwa and Neutrality 57:30 Did Nawaz Sharif kill General Asif Nawaz Janjua? 59:00 Current Civil-Military Relationsips 1:07:00 Thoughts on Balochistan 1:10:00 Peoples Question and Answers

Reham Khan comes on the podcast to have a candid chat about Pakistan, Imran Khan, "the book" and dealing with hate.  Reham Khan is a British-Pakistani journalist, author, and filmmaker. She is a former wife of Imran Khan and the author of her self-titled book, Reham Khan.  The Pakistan Experience is an independently produced podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan through conversations. Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanex...        And Please stay in touch: https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1 https://www.facebook.com/thepakistane... https://instagram.com/thepakistanexpe...        The podcast is hosted by comedian and writer, Shehzad Ghias Shaikh. Shehzad is a Fulbright scholar with a Masters in Theatre from Brooklyn College. He is also one of the foremost Stand-up comedians in Pakistan and frequently writes for numerous publications.                  Instagram.com/shehzadghiasshaikh Facebook.com/Shehzadghias/ Twitter.com/shehzad89     Chapters: 0:00 Facing Hate Online 5:30 Why were you in the Parliament 10:00 Why did you support PTI? 14:30 Why did you marry Imran Khan? 21:30 Skipper's Game 26:30 Portrayal of Imran Khan in the book 38:30 Why are more people not in your corner? 45:30 Unnecessary Sensationalist elements in the book 1:00:00 Going to Waqar Zaka's show 1:10:00 The Second Film 1:15:00 Peoples Question and Answers

Everyone talks about having no alternative in politics in Pakistan but does anyone actually bother looking at all the options?  Ammar Ali Jan is a young politician providing that alternative that many are looking for; a Pakistan that is equal, progressive and sovereign.   Ammar comes on the Pakistan Experience to lay down his vision for the Haqooq-e-Khalq movement. On this week's episode we discuss, the Pakistani Left, Anti-Imperialism, Elite Politics and Elite capture, Lettergate and the Left's vision for Pakistan.  Ammar Ali Jan is a Pakistani historian, activist, youth leader and academic. He is founder and president of Haqooq-e-Khalq Movement, also a member of Progressive International.  The Pakistan Experience is an independently produced podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan through conversations. Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience        And Please stay in touch: https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1 https://www.facebook.com/thepakistanexperience https://instagram.com/thepakistanexpeperience        The podcast is hosted by comedian and writer, Shehzad Ghias Shaikh. Shehzad is a Fulbright scholar with a Masters in Theatre from Brooklyn College. He is also one of the foremost Stand-up comedians in Pakistan and frequently writes for numerous publications.                  Instagram.com/shehzadghiasshaikh Facebook.com/Shehzadghias/ Twitter.com/shehzad89     Chapters: 0:00 Why the Left is not supporting Imran Khan 5:30 Military Intervention 19:00 Imran Khan's anti-imperialism vs the left's anti-imperialism 25:00 Lettergate and US Involvement 34:30 The right co-opting the left's narrative 39:30 The entire elite system is the problem 50:00 How the Left can fix Pakistan 58:30 How do you see the future of the Left? 1:00:00 Joining a Mainstream Party 1:04:20 Is the left anti-religion? 1:07:00 Messiah Complex of leaders on the Left 1:10:30 Left's weakness 1:13:00 Fracturing in the Left 1:16:30 When is HKM coming to Karachi? 1:18:00 Mohajir Politics 1:22:00 Common Critique of the Left 1:23:30 Ideology as Ahistorical - Althusser 1:26:30 Conclusion and how to join

Husain Haqqani is a Pakistani journalist, academic, political activist and former ambassador of Pakistan to Sri Lanka and the United States.  Hussain Haqqani joins us on this week's episode to discuss Lettergate, Foreign Relations, Memogate, Dynastic politics and the role of the Establishment in politics in Pakistan.   Haqqani has written four books on Pakistan, and his analyses have appeared in publications including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Foreign Affairs, and Foreign Policy.Haqqani is currently a Senior Fellow and Director for South and Central Asia at the Hudson Institute in Washington, D.C. and co-editor of Hudson's journal Current Trends in Islamist Ideology.   The Pakistan Experience is an independently produced podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan through conversations. Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience    And Please stay in touch: https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1 https://www.facebook.com/thepakistanexperience https://instagram.com/thepakistanexpeperience    The podcast is hosted by comedian and writer, Shehzad Ghias Shaikh. Shehzad is a Fulbright scholar with a Masters in Theatre from Brooklyn College. He is also one of the foremost Stand-up comedians in Pakistan and frequently writes for numerous publications.          Instagram.com/shehzadghiasshaikh Facebook.com/Shehzadghias/ Twitter.com/shehzad89   Chapters: 0:00 Lettergate 6:30 American Conspiracy vs Interference 13:30 Value of Personal Relationships in Foreign relations 31:30 Memogate 40:00 Dynastic politics and Interference in politics 53:00 Vote of No Confidence and Parliamentary Democracy 59:00 Memogate Evidence 1:02:00 US Military Industrial Complex 1:06:00 Hussain Haqqani's journey 1:12:00 Meeting the Establishment

We often talk over each other, rather than talking to each other.  We don't even bother listening to the other side, we read/watch to argue, not to understand, not to see where they are coming from.  Social media makes enemies out of all of us. This is why I invited a staunch PTI Supporter, a staunch PML-N supporter and a public policy expert to actually debate the things we are all talking about on social media with some actual nuance as opposed to calling each other biased, youthiyas and patwaris.  Uzair younus is director of the Pakistan initiative at the Atlantic council, a dc-based think tank, and host of the podcast pakistonomy.  Bilal Lakhani is a columnist for Express Tribune and a recipient of the James A Wechsler Award for International Reporting. Supports PTI.  Mustafa Bajwa is a public sector strategy and operations consultant. Supports PML-N. The Pakistan Experience is an independently produced podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan through conversations. Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience  And Please stay in touch: https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1 https://www.facebook.com/thepakistanexperience https://instagram.com/thepakistanexpeperience  The podcast is hosted by comedian and writer, Shehzad Ghias Shaikh. Shehzad is a Fulbright scholar with a Masters in Theatre from Brooklyn College. He is also one of the foremost Stand-up comedians in Pakistan and frequently writes for numerous publications.      Instagram.com/shehzadghiasshaikh Facebook.com/Shehzadghias/ Twitter.com/shehzad89 Chapters: Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 2:00 Why you should vote for PML-N 7:00 Why you should vote for PTI 15:00 Uzair Younus weighs in: The problems with PTI 23:00 Imran Khan refusing to engage with his opponents 30:00 The role of the Establishment in politics 54:00 What did PTI do in the 3.5 years? 1:07:00 The journey of PTI and lessons to be learnt 1:18:00 What should the future look like? 1:38:00 Creating narratives online 1:51:00 Conclusion