Fasi Zaka

Fasi Zaka[1][2] is a television host,[3] satirist,[4][5] political[6] columnist,[7][8] radio talk show host,[9] music critic,[10] academic[11] and Rhodes Scholar[12] in Pakistan. He is recognized for being one of the few media polymaths in Pakistan with a successful presence in print,[13][14] television and radio, he is a public intellectual[15] who employs humour[16] from a political and democratic perspective[17] in his media forays.[18] Because of this extensive presence[19] he was declared one of Pakistan's newsmakers of the year in 2006.[20] Fasi Zaka also occasionally comments on the Pakistani media[21] and politics to National Public Radio (NPR).[22]

Contents

Background

Born on 9 October 1976 to a Pakhtun family from Charsadda, Zaka received his elementary schooling in Peshawar where he stayed until he acquired his Bachelor's degree from Edwardes College in Peshawar and Master's degree from the University of Peshawar. Zaka is also a University of Oxford postgraduate funded as a Rhodes Scholar[23] in the session 2001 – 03 from Somerville College where he was elected President of the MCR for Graduates and subsequently elected life member.[24] He is a member of the Mohammadzai tribe. Fasi Zaka Married Uzma Yousuf, a Cambridge University executive, on 30th of July 2011.

Work in television

On The Fringe

He rose to prominence in 2004 as the host of the off-beat program called On the Fringe[25] which he also scripted for Indus Music and later MTV Pakistan. It was a collaboration with his friend and cousin, Zeeshan Parvez. The show received critical appeal and is the only programme of Indus Music that MTV Pakistan kept in its original format once Indus Music was shelved to become MTV Pakistan. On The Fringe was thematically based as a guerilla interview programme that asked Pakistan's politically powerful entertainment figures counter culture, political questions and challenged prejudices. Fasi Zaka, already known to the public through On The Fringe, first came to the entertainment industry's attention after hosting the 3rd Annual Indus Music Awards, an event marked by mismanagement that became the material of Zaka's adlibbing.[26]

News, Views and Confused

On 11 April 2007, Zaka started to host and script a political and social satire show[27] on one of Pakistan's leading TV channels, AAJ TV.[28] The show News, Views & Confused was co-hosted by Nadeem F. Paracha and Mohsin Sayeed, with scripting by Zaka. The show received significant international attention[29] through The Washington Post[30] and other publications[31] for its programmes during the second emergency declared during President Musharraf's rule in 2007 amidst a severe clampdown on press freedom. The show ended its run in 2008

Columns in print

Zaka is currently a weekly opinion editorial writer for the Express Tribune,[32] the paper which also brings out the International Herald Tribune in Pakistan. He used to write as a columnist[33][34] for the leading Pakistani newspaper, The News International, where he wrote the weekly political[35] opinion[36] editorial column[37] The Pakistan Report Card[38] and the pop culture criticism column titled His Bigness[39] in the Instep segment of the Sunday edition. He also wrote a bi-weekly light humour diary column in the weekly magazine The Friday Times under the heading, Man Friday.[40] His columns about branding and branding strategy are also an occasional feature of the advertising magazine Aurora. As a writer some of his prominent themes have included bringing back rationality into civil dialogue,[41][42] political satire,[43][44] debunking conspiracy theories that affect the national discourse[7] in Pakistan,[45] and taking on right wing conspiracy theorists[46] and hate mongerers in the press[47][48]

Radio

Zaka headlines[49] one of Pakistan's most listened to radio[50][51][52] shows,[53] The Fasi Zaka and Friends Show, on the Pakistani FM radio station Radio One FM 91, which is aired nationally. It has been the subject of features in the LA Times, and AFP[54] noting how it dispenses mass therapy and questions accepted truths.[55] The show is aired three times a week, and is known for its absurdist humour and liberal politics[56][57] embedded in the jokes. It was because of the show and its appeal that the British Council Pakistan linked up with Fasi Zaka to create Ace Encounter, an edutainment programme that used his appeal with the youth to send out educational advice.[58]

Professional

Previously, outside Fasi Zaka's media work, he was the "Head of Ideas" for ADCOM based in Islamabad. ADCOM is a Pakistani advertising agency that bagged the most Aurora Awards for Advertising.[59] He also consults, and has done work for the World Bank, ACCA,[60] ICRC and the British Council.[61] He first worked for several years as an academic[62] at the Institute of Management Sciences in Peshawar, Khyber Pukhtoonkwa

References

  1. ^ Cheers and tears in Pakistan after assassination. Boston.com. Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
  2. ^ m.guardian.co.uk. m.guardian.co.uk (28 February 2011). Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
  3. ^ News Views & Confused. Aaj.tv. Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
  4. ^ Opinion / Lead : Pakistan: walking a tightrope. The Hindu (9 February 2011). Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
  5. ^ Is “fake” news more honest than “real” news?
  6. ^ Jean-François Copé se dit favorable à une loi interdisant la burqa. FRANCE 24 (8 July 2009). Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
  7. ^ a b How Pakistan views the assassination of Salman Taseer. CSMonitor.com. Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
  8. ^ minnesota.publicradio. minnesota.publicradio (27 December 2007). Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
  9. ^ FM Listening | Network shows on FM!: Sehrish Wasif. Internews.org.pk (12 May 2007). Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
  10. ^ June 2008&catId=22 The News on Sunday
  11. ^ http://jang.com.pk/thenews/jan2008-weekly/us-11-01-2008/p6.htm
  12. ^ The Saturday Post. The Saturday Post. Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
  13. ^ Could there be a liberal resurgence in Pakistan? Lawmaker Sherry Rehman says she's working on it.. CSMonitor.com. Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
  14. ^ Pakistanis worry about their international image – Los Angeles Times. Latimes.com (28 April 2009). Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
  15. ^ Existential Threat | Hillary Clinton warns of 'existential threat' in Pakistan – Los Angeles Times. Latimes.com (27 April 2009). Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
  16. ^ Who to look up to?. Bandbaji.wordpress.com (29 July 2007). Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
  17. ^ Pakistani protesters eager for Bhutto-Sharif deal. Csmonitor.com. Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
  18. ^ CLUBK. (PDF) . Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
  19. ^ Fathoming Fasi Zaka. Shemag.com.pk. Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
  20. ^ The fussy critic
  21. ^ The Big Digit Season Finale
  22. ^ Pakistan's Media Raises Its Voice. Npr.org. Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
  23. ^ Pakistan « Rebecca Conway. Rebeccaconway.wordpress.com. Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
  24. ^ [1]
  25. ^ Classics: Ali Azmat – IM on the Fringe. Micropakistan.wordpress.com (12 January 2007). Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
  26. ^ A comedy of errors
  27. ^ Funny People | Arts & Culture | Newsline. Newslinemagazine.com (13 October 2009). Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
  28. ^ Aaj TV Online – Pakistan Ki Awaz. Aaj.tv (3 October 2011). Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
  29. ^ The offensive art: political satire ... – Leonard Freedman – Google Books. Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
  30. ^ How Pakistan's Satirists Poke Fun, Politically. Washingtonpost.com (27 November 2007). Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
  31. ^ Fighting back with comedy and satire. Hindu.com (23 November 2007). Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
  32. ^ The Express Tribune – Latest Breaking Pakistan News, Business, Life, Style, Cricket, Videos, Comments. Tribune.com.pk. Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
  33. ^ Extinguishing Extremism | Society | Newsline. Newslinemagazine.com (5 November 2010). Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
  34. ^ http://indiatoday.digitaltoday.in/content_mail.php?option=com_content&name=print&id=2132
  35. ^ Topic Galleries. chicagotribune.com. Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
  36. ^ Musharraf may resign in days to avoid trial – Los Angeles Times. Articles.latimes.com (15 August 2008). Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
  37. ^ The Tribune, Chandigarh, India – Opinions
  38. ^ The Pakistan report card. Thenews.com.pk (13 October 2011). Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
  39. ^ Tuning Out the Taliban – Video Library – The New York Times. Video.nytimes.com. Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
  40. ^ The Friday Times. The Friday Times (12 October 2011). Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
  41. ^ [2]
  42. ^ Islamic International University , me and you – Chowk: India Pakistan Ideas Identities.com. Chowk (22 October 2009). Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
  43. ^ Arif, Fatima. (2009-06-18) A Thinking Mind: Fasi Zaka. Fatimaarif.blogspot.com. Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
  44. ^ No problems, no conflict, only glory. Islamabad Metblogs. Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
  45. ^ The Map Room: Redrawn Middle East Map Generates Controversy in Pakistan. Mcwetboy.net (26 December 2008). Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
  46. ^ Extremists hijack Pakistani talk shows – The National. Thenational.ae. Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
  47. ^ [3]
  48. ^ The Pakistan report card [English. PKColumnist.com. Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
  49. ^ Leading News Resource of Pakistan. Daily Times (26 October 2010). Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
  50. ^ Gjør narr av bakstreverske pakistanere – - Verden. Aftenposten.no. Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
  51. ^ Aurora: I heard him on the radio. Auroramagazine.blogspot.com (26 October 2010). Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
  52. ^ http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-pakistan-summit5-2009may05,0,3463308.story
  53. ^ The Fuzzy Fasi Zaka!
  54. ^ http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/03-pakistani-comedians-fight-taliban-with-humour-ss-02
  55. ^ Hasan Gulfaraz | Pakistani shock jock wins over young crowd – Los Angeles Times. Latimes.com (11 December 2005). Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
  56. ^ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/07/AR2011010702823.html
  57. ^ Report warns of Pakistan's younger generation losing faith in democracy | World news. The Guardian. Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
  58. ^ Career counseling fills in what some schools leave out. Dailytimes.com.pk (10 February 2008). Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
  59. ^ Pakistan Dawn Aurora Advertising awards
  60. ^ ACCA organising Talent Gymnasium 2011 from 21 January | Business Recorder. Brecorder.com (19 January 2011). Retrieved on 18 October 2011.
  61. ^ Critical thinking can help create indigenous research
  62. ^ http://www.brecorder.com/section/37/1/1118164:acca-organises-train-the-trainer-workshop.html