Sabeen Mahmud

Sabeen Mahmud
سبین محمود
Died 24 April, 2015
Karachi, Pakistan
Cause of death
 Shot by armed gunmen
Nationality Pakistani
Occupation Human rights activist, social activist, NGO worker
Home town Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan

Sabeen Mahmud (Urdu: سبین محمود‎) was a Pakistani human rights activist and social NGO worker. She was founder and director of the Karachi-based cafe The Second Floor (T2F) and president of the Karachi branch of TiE.[1] On 24 April 2015, she was shot dead by unidentified gunmen on her way home after hosting a seminar at T2F.[2]

Life

Mahmud wanted to challenge injustice and discrimination; she told Dawn that her biggest dream is to "change the world for the better through the Internet."[3] She founded Peace Niche, an organisation that provides a "social platform" for public good.[4][5]

Mahmud founded a small tech company called bitsonline, and hosted a hackathon in Karachi.[6] In 2006, she founded The Second Floor, a cafe modelled after the Pak Tea House[7] that hosted public forum discussions, film screenings, poetry writing, stand-up comedy and live theatre.[8] Her hackathon was designed to bring together people from different disciplines to brainstorm ways to solve civic problems.[9] Mahmud hosted public figures, including Ayesha Siddiqa who authored a controversial book on military financing, leading to the Inter-Services Intelligence contacting The Second Floor.[10]

In 2013, she told Wired magazine that she didn't want an armed security guard in The Second Floor “I said, that’s the price you pay for having a public space. I’m not having people checked and a military guy there because of a pervasive fear.” She went on to state “Read Chomsky. Things are dangerous and bad things happen. But you can’t let fear control you, you’ll never get anything done.”[6][11] Her work received coverage in international media.[12][13][14][15]

Death

During the late hours of 24 April 2015, Mahmud was fatally shot by gunmen near the DHA library on her way home after hosting a seminar. According to a police official, the murder was a direct target killing[2] and was booked by the police under the Terrorism Act. Her mother was also critically wounded in the attack and taken to the Aga Khan Hospital for treatment. [2] The seminar, titled 'Unsilencing Balochistan (Take 2)', was held at the T2F cafe and focused on Balochistan. Among the guest speakers was the Baloch activist Mama Qadeer.[2]

According to Mama Qadeer, Sabeen and her mother left shortly after the event ended. The event had been rescheduled from 21 April to 24 April, and at a different venue, as organisers had received threats earlier.[2] The Chief Minister of Sindh Qaim Ali Shah condemned the killing and called an inquiry into the incident. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif extended his condolences to the family and sought a report from investigating authorities.[2] The activist's death was also met with shock by prominent media and civil society members on social media.[2] Nasreen Jalil, Mosharraf Zaidi, Altaf Hussain, Fasi Zaka, Raza Rumi, Hamid Mir, Arif Alvi, Fatima Bhutto, Taimur Rahman, Kamila Shamsie, Malala Yousufzai[16] and Sharmila Farooqi, among others, poured condemnations over the incident.[2][17][18] General Asim Bajwa, director general of the Inter-Services Public Relations, strongly condemned the killing and assured that intelligence agencies would provide assistance in capturing the perpetrators.[19] The Taliban denied responsibility for the attack.[20] A panel in memory of Mahmud was held at the 2015 Islamabad Literature Festival.[2]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Sabeen Mahmud Director T2F gunned down in Karachi". TheNews.com.pk. 25 Apr 2015.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 "T2F director Sabeen Mehmud shot dead in Karachi". The Express Tribune. 24 April 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  3. ↑ Saad Shafqat (18 Sep 2008). "PROFILE: ‘SABEEN MAHMUD’: Striving For Better" (PDF). Dawn.
  4. ↑ "T2F: A pursuit of the heart". Tribune blog. 7 Aug 2010.
  5. ↑ Mahmud, Sabeen (2013). "Creative Karachi: Establishing an Arts & Culture Center for the World's Most Rapidly Growing City (Innovations Case Narrative:PeaceNiche and The Second Floor)". Innovations: Technology, Governance, Globalization 8 (3-4): 27–41. doi:10.1162/INOV_a_00185. ISSN 1558-2477.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Meet the Woman Behind Pakistan's First Hackathon". Wired. 15 May 2013.
  7. ↑ "Second helpings at a model tea house". The Independent. 27 Nov 2012.
  8. ↑ "Sabeen Mahmud — a profile". DAWN. 24 Apr 2015.
  9. ↑ "Meet Sabeen Mahmud, a Woman Trying to Change Pakistan One Line of Code at a Time". The Mary Sue. 15 May 2013.
  10. ↑ "Pakistani Cafe Is Oasis In Desert Of Civil Discourse". NPR. 5 Jan 2013.
  11. ↑ "Tech Guru Sabeen Mahmud: 'Fear Is Just a Line in Your Head'". Inc. 15 May 2013.
  12. ↑ "Pakistani activist Sabeen Mahmud shot dead in Karachi". BBC. 24 April 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  13. ↑ "Pakistani rights activist Sabeen Mahmud shot dead". Al Jazeera. 25 April 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  14. ↑ Saifi, Sophia; Brumfield, Ben (25 April 2015). "'Bravest woman,' free speech activist Sabeen Mahmud killed in Pakistan". CNN. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  15. ↑ "Pakistan activist, Sabeen Mahmud, who said fear is just line in her head, shot dead in Karachi". The Indian Express. 25 April 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  16. ↑ "Malala Condemns Tragic Killing Of Pakistani Human Rights Activist Sabeen Mahmud". Malala Fund Blog. 26 April 2015. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
  17. ↑ "Director T2F Sabeen Mahmud shot dead in Karachi". Dawn. 25 April 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  18. ↑ "Sabeen Mahmud Director T2F gunned down in Karachi". The News. 24 April 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  19. ↑ "Intelligence agencies to assist in investigation of Sabeen Mahmud's murder". Express Tribune. 25 April 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  20. ↑ "TTP deny involvement in Sabeen Mahmud’s murder". The Express Tribune. 26 April 2015. Retrieved 26 April 2015.

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