Stories by Afiya S. Zia

What will it take for Pakistan to break through the glass ceiling?

Decades of stalled reform, donor dependency, and feminist fragmentation have left Pakistan’s women structurally excluded — and the Global Gender Gap Report simply holds up the mirror.

Published 06 Aug, 2025 12:36pm

What makes Bushra Bibi such a polarising figure in Pakistani politics?

Figures like Bushra bibi, with her Sufi persuasion, complicate politics — shrine or secular — by unsettling male dominance.

Published 06 Dec, 2024 01:45pm

Piety paradox: How iddat became the casualty of a turf war over Pakistan’s family laws

Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi's iddat case is an example of how men can use religious laws for personal and political vendettas.

Published 04 Sep, 2024 12:00pm

No country for children: The not-so-hidden horrors of child sexual abuse in Pakistan

Are religious institutions shielding predators? Delve into the harrowing truth of systemic child abuse in Pakistan, where clerical influence and misguided donor efforts perpetuate a cycle of silence and impunity.

Published 24 Apr, 2024 11:19am

Pride and prejudice

State excesses against all political activists must be opposed.

Published 07 Sep, 2023 08:24am

The necropolitics of Maria B

Pakistan's minorities are unlikely to make any gains because freelancing moral crusaders like Maria B have flipped to seek redemption via social media performances and the state is fully invested in the piety-populism project.

Updated 24 Jul, 2023 04:09pm

A response to Miftah Ismail’s six pillars: Women-led growth

Policies that do not centralise women as autonomous citizens guarantee failure and missed opportunities in all sectors.

Published 03 Jan, 2023 04:54pm

Worthy victims

All victims of sexual abuse must be equally trusted.

Updated 13 Dec, 2022 08:26am

Where is the Aurat March heading?

The Aurat Marches have brought forth an entirely young leadership and a rude breaking of the silence on sexuality. But what next?

Updated 18 Mar, 2022 12:32pm

Ecosystem of hate

Simply outlawing hate crime is futile.

Updated 27 Feb, 2022 09:34am

Economy, not culture

What makes the women’s movement weak?

Published 28 Feb, 2021 06:30am

Causes and allies

Celebrity activism is a misnomer in Pakistan.

Published 24 Jan, 2021 06:43am

Enacting consent

Courts often align with majoritarian religious sentiments.

Published 21 Nov, 2020 07:23am

Colonial collusion

Why do South Asian states cling to anti-democratic laws?

Published 15 Oct, 2020 06:57am

Fake respectability

Gender-based abuse has become a virtual form of violence.

Published 06 Sep, 2020 07:13am

New landscapes

Simple outrage will echo aimlessly.

Published 09 Aug, 2020 06:51am

Ending stigma

‘Honour’ crimes are not crimes of passion.

Published 04 Jun, 2020 06:59am

Political morality

There are no structural changes — just deflection and pious talk.

Published 09 Feb, 2020 06:57am

The contrite gender formula of Meray Paas Tum Ho and the portrayal of women in cultural scripts

We need to widen the canvas of cultural narratives and constantly engage in critical feminist appraisals of productions.

Published 03 Feb, 2020 10:56am

Violent capitals

Vulnerable bodies serve as a battleground for men’s wars.

Published 20 Dec, 2019 07:04am