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.

Bloody Nasreen: Pakistan’s Very Own “Tomb Raider”

She wasn’t intended as “eye candy,” but Bloody Nasreen, a sexy animated anti-hero, is making waves in Pakistan. Some say she’s hot, but others argue that she’s simply a response to a trend of “bodily empowerment.”

Zofeen Ebrahim
Por Zofeen Ebrahim
Bloody Nasreen by Shahan zaidi

KARACHI, Pakistan --- Many think she’s "hot,” with some likening her to Lara Croft, the “Tomb Raider” of Internet gaming fame who Hollywood decided should be played by Angelina Jolie in a live-action blockbuster. Others, however, have argued that she makes Lara Croft “look like a candy striper.” This woman is Bloody Nasreen, a fictional

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Is ISIS Finding A Foothold In Pakistan?

Amid domestic political turmoil and military forces already battling to push out Taliban factions, the time is ripe for the ISIS to make inroads in Pakistan. But is the militant group even Pakistan’s biggest potential threat?

Zofeen Ebrahim
Por Zofeen Ebrahim
Pakistan

KARACHI, Pakistan --- With Pakistan experiencing the worst period in its political history as well as fighting the Taliban within its borders, the Islamic State could not have chosen a better time to make inroads into Pakistan -- if it wanted to. The political squabble has refused to die down since it began on Aug. 14, when two political leaders

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Between Deadlines And Deadlocks, Life Goes On In Pakistan

Protesters calling for Prime Minister Sharif to step down and for an investigation into alleged election fraud continue their sit-in despite two weeks of severe weather and leaders whose credibility may be slipping.

Zofeen Ebrahim
Por Zofeen Ebrahim
Pakistan

KARACHI, Pakistan --- Over two weeks into their separate protests, thousands of followers of the Pakistani Awami Tehreek (PAT) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) are continuing their sit-ins outside the parliament building in the federal capital, Islamabad, to topple the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. On Aug. 14, Pakistan's day of

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In Pakistan, A Revolution May Be Brewing

Relatively new, untested political party leaders expect at least one million people to participate in marches and a sit-in aimed at ousting Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

Zofeen Ebrahim
Por Zofeen Ebrahim
Pakistan

KARACHI, Pakistan --- On Thursday, Pakistan's Independence Day, as many as one million people made their way toward the federal capital, Islamabad, to stage a sit-in that will continue until the government falls. The sit-in participants are followers of two firebrands -- Imran Khan and Dr. Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri. In the early afternoon, they set

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What Is Happening In North Waziristan?

An ongoing Pakistani military operation is flushing out militant groups in areas bordering Afghanistan — but which groups are being targeted? And why?

Zofeen Ebrahim
Por Zofeen Ebrahim
Pakistan

KARACHI, Pakistan --- On June 15, Pakistan’s military launched an offensive against various militant groups in the North Waziristan region. This military offensive came as a response to a number of incidents, including the June 8 attack on a Karachi airport that claimed 15 lives. Until recently a Taliban fiefdom, the mountainous region of North

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Military Operation Opens Immunization Window In Pakistan

The mass exodus of Pakistanis fleeing the dangers of war has a surprising bright side: polio vaccinators can finally reach previously unreachable children.

Zofeen Ebrahim
Por Zofeen Ebrahim
Pakistan Polio

KARACHI, Pakistan --- As the Pakistan army continues to flush out militants and destroy their hideouts, 1 million residents have fled North Waziristan in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas with nothing but the clothes on their backs. They’re risking their lives to escape the dangers of war, and in the process, they’ve become another source

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Pakistan Says ‘No’ To GMOs

In Pakistan, even the supporters of genetically modified seeds and plants urge extreme caution — especially when it comes to imported products.

Zofeen Ebrahim
Por Zofeen Ebrahim
Pakistan

In May, Pakistan’s Lahore High Court issued an order to stop a federal government agency from issuing licenses for genetically modified cotton and corn seeds -- including those approved for use as recently as March. The news came as a “huge relief” for Najma Sadeque, director of The Green Economic Initiative at Shirkat Gah and a long-time

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