Women Media Center

Women Media Center (WMC) is a non-profit organization based in Karachi, Pakistan promoting Gender Equality in Pakistani Mass Media. Its core functions are to conduct research trainings and educate women in various professions of media. Another objective of the WMC is to promote creativity among the Pakistani women, train them with latest facilities, equip them with modern journalistic approaches and assist them in being a productive part of Pakistani and International Journalism Fraternity.

Ms. Fauzia Shaheen felt the dire need of Women Journalists representing in the mainstream media, weak democratic structure of Pakistan, lack of resources, insignificant number of women representation in mainstream media contributed in establishing Women Media Center. Ms. Fauzia Shaheen serves as the Founder and the Executive Director Women Media Center Pakistan.

Projects

The Women Media Center organizes projects, seminars and workshops that encourage women journalists to work in an enabling professional environment. Women Media Center has organized workshops to improve the skills of women journalists in:

Television Reporting

Camera Work

Editing

Story Making

Article Writing

Storyboarding

To add up to the credentials of WMC it has conducted ten-day training workshops on a National Platform for female journalists on television reporting and has organized two National Conferences on the role of Women Journalists in Pakistan. Currently situated in the largest metropolis of Pakistan i.e. Karachi, the WMC aspires not only to reach all areas of Pakistan but also to expand its operations in whole of South Asia.

Board of directors

Shaheena Sultana - President

Is a senior writer; through her writing she has promoted the ideas of good governance and transparent electoral process. She is a dedicated activist for Peace, democracy and civil liberties.

Nazir Ahmed Leghari

Is a well-known journalist and political analyst who covers national and international political issues. He is the founder editor of Daily Awam, Karachi, (The largest circulated Evening Urdu Daily of Pakistan). He has interviewed many national and international figures including Benazir Bhutto, King Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz, V.P Singh, Ahmed Shah Masood, Begum Shaikh Hasina Wajid, and Mother Teresa etc.

Dr. Huma Baqai Is an Assistant Professor at IBA. She has been teaching International Relations since 1995 and has authored a number of articles including “Globalization and Unemployment: Impact on South Asia, The Role of ethnicity in South Asia, The Role of Media in the Politics of South Asia.

Beena Qayyum Khan Beena has been associated with CNBC Pakistan as a reporter. She is a law student specializing on human rights. She has participated in various seminars and workshops organized by various UNDP, FHRI (Fazaldad Human Rights Institute), FNF (Friedrich Naumann Foundation), LFP (Liberal Forum of Pakistan) and WISCOMP-India.

Atiq-ur-Rehman Khan

Is a well-known journalist in Pakistan, who is a committed advocate of Peace, Democracy and Liberalism. Atiq has contributed in many articles on socio political developments in South Asia, Central Asia, and Middle East and especially in Pakistan.

Riaz Bhatti

Is very senior and competent journalist works in Daily Awam. He obtained Master degree in Siraiki Language & literature (The ancient language of the Indus Valley) from Islamia University Bahawalpur (Punjab). He has expertise in current affairs, economics, human rights, good governance and conflict resolution.

WMC Team

Fauzia Shaheen - General Secretary & Executive Director

She is the Founder President of Women Media Center Pakistan and internationally acclaimed Pakistani journalist. She is also the founding editor of “Dastak” a well-reputed monthly news magazine and Quarterly Liberal Pakistan. She also contributes articles to BBC online Urdu service. Ms. Shaheen has also worked for the largest newspaper of Pakistan Daily Jang .

Ms. Shaheen won the best Feature writer award on the prisoners’ condition of Pakistan with special reference to Central Jail Karachi in 1990. She also won the PPF-UNESCO Gender award in 2005.

Over the span of 20 years she has interviewed prominent national and international politicians and dignitaries including Asif Ali Zardari ( Current President of Pakistan), Ms. Benazir Bhutto (former Prime Minister of Pakistan), Begum Sheikh Hasina Wajid (Ex. Prime Minister of Bangladesh), Mr. Sher Bahadur Dueba and Mr.K P Bhatta Rai (Ex. Prime Ministers of Nepal), Mr. Tyranne Fernando, (Ex. Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sri Lanka), and Mr. Don McKinnon, Secretary General of Commonwealth Association.

Ms. Shaheen has served twice as the Executive member of the All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) and member of the International Relation Committee, Sindh Committee and Periodical Committee of Council of Pakistan Newspapers Editors (CPNE).

She is the founding member of South Asian Editors Forum and has the honor of being a member of International Women Media Foundation, Commonwealth Journalists Association, Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists, Karachi Union of Journalists and Karachi Press Club.

Her career in journalism spanning over more than two decades she has participated in various international workshops and seminars in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal, Afghanistan and Germany organized by International Center for Peace Initiatives (India), Institute for Media, Policy and Civil Society (Canada), The International Academy of Leadership, Gummersbach (Germany), Friedrich Naumann Stiftung, Commonwealth Journalists Association and United States Information Agency (The International Visitor’s Program).