PROFILES

A Writer and Their World: Audrey Truschke

Rana Saadullah Khan

Apr 24, 2026

Audrey Truschke, is an award-winning historian of South Asia and author of four books, with a focus on medieval South Asian communal relations, especially those during the Mughal Empire. Her book Aurangzeb was hotly contested by Hindu fundamentalist organisations and even led to a libel suit against her. She recently sat down with Rana Saadullah Khan, following the publication of her latest book India: 5000 Years of History on the Subcontinent, for a conversation on history, censorship, translations and more.

A Writer and Their World: Dur e Aziz Amna

Rana Saadullah Khan

Mar 16, 2026

Rana Saadullah Khan sat down with Dur e Aziz Amna, author of 𝘈 𝘚𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘍𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳, during her recent trip to Lahore, for a conversation on craft, literary inspirations, writing philosophy and the worlds her protagonists inhabit.

Between Two Worlds: the Artistic Practices of Maryam and Marjan Baniasadi

Ameera Khan

Nov 27, 2025

Born in 1993, Iranian artists and sisters, Maryam and Marjan Baniasadi, work in different mediums, but share the same impulse: preservation. For Marjan, it’s the threadbare nature of Persian carpets; for Maryam, the fragile persistence of plants in the city. Ameera Khan charts their decade-long artistic practices, both individually and as a sister-duo.

A Writer and Their World: Zubair Ahmad

Rana Saadullah Khan

Nov 24, 2025

Rana Saadullah Khan sat down with Zubair Ahmad — Punjabi language writer and poet, and two-time Dhahan Prize winner — at Trinjan (a bookstore run by the author to promote the Punjabi language), to talk about his journey as a writer, his interest in the Punjabi language, realism, dreams and more.

Beauty Has No Shortcuts: The Zain Ali Way

Tehmina Khan

Nov 05, 2025

33-year old Zain Ali runs a slow-fashion label, ZN ALI, inspired by his style icons: 20th century architects, his own family, and friends. His focus is on versatility, ease and excellent fabric. He, like his label, transcends the typical binaries: he’s British and Pakistani, a lover of craft as well as innovation, a preserver of heritage as well as a savvy millenial, an artist with proven social impact, a ‘party girl’ and an intellectual. Tehmina Khan speaks to him about his practice and curating the ‘Sustainable Fashion and Textile Symposium’ in Lahore.

Navigating Arundhati Roy’s Retractions

Rana Saadullah Khan

Oct 27, 2025

Arundhati Roy’s latest offering, Mother Mary Comes To Me, is an unflinching look at a difficult childhood and a fraught mother-daughter relationship, and its effects on a life lived in service of truth and justice. But, the author wonders if this memoir is a “safe” version of a trailblazing, resistant life.

Khadim Ali: Of Demons and Utopias

Tehmina Khan

Jun 05, 2025

At his mid-career retrospective at COMO museum, the artist’s work speaks to his personal and ancestral pain and imagines a way out of it

BUILDING A SWEET EMPIRE: A Profile of Rina Mohsin

Nijah S. Khan

Apr 21, 2025

From the cake wali aunty on speed dial for birthdays, weddings and Eid to the proud owner of a lovingly built and sprawling restaurant business, Rina Mohsin’s is a story of persistence and a commitment to excellence

The Unspoken Mission of Zia Mohyeddin

Umar A. Riaz

Apr 20, 2025

Universally recognised as the unofficial voice of Pakistan, it was his desire to instil the deep richness of our cultural heritage in the public imagination that will be his enduring legacy

The Irrepressible Natasha Noorani

Saba Imtiaz

Mar 05, 2025

She knows how to make her way onto our playlists, and to make absolute earworms out of songs. The question is: are we ready to have her soundtrack — and art-direct — our lives? Because she certainly is.

Playing With A City: Imran Qureshi’s Lahore

Tehmina Khan

Jan 19, 2025

Laborer or connoisseur, preschooler or retiree, Imran Qureshi’s two latest solo shows in Lahore (his first since 2013), will surprise, captivate, uplift and ultimately take root in your psyche