Unsilencing Pakistan — a Tribute to Sabeen Mahmud

Join Index on Censorship in commemorating and celebrating an extraordinary woman who lost her life working fearlessly for free expression, human rights and social change.

In May 2007 Sabeen Mahmud founded The Second Floor (now known as T2F), a coffee house and “community space for open dialogue” in Karachi, Pakistan. In April 2015, Mahmud was shot dead by unidentified gunmen. Travelling home after hosting a panel discussion on the missing people of Balochistan, a poor but resource rich province of Pakistan, armed motorcyclists surrounded her car and opened fire.

Three months after this brutal act of censorship, some of Britain’s Pakistani community are working together with Index on Censorship to commemorate and celebrate an extraordinary woman.

This event features prominent speakers, live art, music, poetry and Pakistani food.

Hosted by British-Pakistani stand-up comedian and TV presenter Aatif Nawaz. With:

• Ali Dayan Hasan, Pakistani Human Rights Activist
• Annie Zaman, Bytes for All
• Declan Walsh, New York Times
• Dr Ayesha Siddiqa, University of Oxford
• Jodie Ginsberg, Index on Censorship
• Kali Chandrasegaram, classical dancer
• Hyder Cheema, musician
• Kristiane Backer, television presenter and journalist
• Omer Tariq, DJ
• Sara Khan, Inspire
• Shaan Taseer, Pakistan for All (and son of late Salman Taseer)
• Sonia Metha, singer
• Students from City And Islington Sixth Form College
• Tehmina Kazi, British Muslims for Secular Democracy
• Ustad Roshan Abbas Khan, musician
• Yasmin Whittaker-Khan, playwright