Asfandiyar is an Erasmus Mundus awardee, youngest award-winning journalist and human rights activist based in Islamabad. With extensive experience as an international correspondent, he has promoted public interest journalism with major outlets, such as Agence-France-Presse, Eurasia Review and Tolerance.ca. Previously he worked as an Editor for Kazakhstan-based social justice outlet ‘The Catalyst’.
As a founder of “Uplifting Visions,” Asfandiyar has made significant strides in advocating for refugee rights and social justice, constantly proiding opportunities to aspiring journalists and activists from least integrated communities in Northern Pakistan.
Latest posts by Asfandiyar
Children of the border: Uncovering the crisis of child labor and sexual exploitation at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border
At Torkham, a busy Pakistan-Afghanistan border crossing, young children navigate heavy traffic, carrying burdensome loads. Their presence amid bustling trade highlights stark issues of exploitation, survival, and a precarious shadow economy.
Solar power plant in rural Pakistan acquires land without consent
As the government prioritizes green energy over livelihoods, residents of Pakistan's Thal region in the Punjab province confront a heartbreaking loss of their ancestral lands.
Climate change takes toll on internally displaced women in Pakistan
The changing weather pattern dwindles hopes of building a family, forcing women to make desperate choices for survival. Women who face displacement while pregnant face unique and dangerous risks.
Faith turns fatal as blasphemy laws ignite unchecked extremism in Pakistan
The rise in lynching incidents, fuelled by political support for blasphemy laws, reveals a disturbing trend of unchecked extremism threatening lives and justice in Pakistan.
Pakistan's transgender community faces increased challenges ahead of elections
In May 2023, the Federal Shariat Court in Pakistan cancelled three sections of the the Transgender Persons Act, prompting the halting of gender-based registration of transgender people and limiting their voting rights.
