Innovationis truly a 21st century phenomenon. Experienced television broadcaster FasiZaka, and policy expert Mosharraf Zaidi, got together and decided to take anew-age approach to disseminating information on the electronic media withoutthe cacophony and hysteria that are the hallmark of the Pakistani broadcastmedia today. With the mostly English, bi-monthly podcast How To Pakistan, theyput on air their relatively measured views about current events in a decidedlymore sedate — even if sometimes cynical, sometimes humorous — manner.
A Rhodesscholar from Oxford University and a graduate of Edwardes College in Peshawar,Fasi Zaka has enjoyed a prominent career in the Pakistani media. In the 2000she hosted On The Fringe, a TV show that examined Pakistan’s music scene. Hethen moved on to the satirical quiz show, News, Views and Confused. After thatended, he started writing a newspaper column and hosted various radio shows. Hethen moved on to hosting a show on career and educational advice on PTV. Here-emerged in the public eye in 2016, with the How To Pakistan podcast.
Zaidi is awell known policy expert, newspaper columnist and development consultant. Hewas amongst the first graduating class of LUMS and did his MPA from BaruchCollege, NYC. He became well-known for his work on Alif Ailaan, an educationalinitiative raising awareness in the public about out-of-school children.
At thebeginning of 2016, Zaidi and Zaka recorded their first conversation, whichbecame the podcast’s pilot episode. Immediately after, they did their firstofficial episode on the Charsadda attacks. After a solemn first episode, Zakaand Zaidi started interspersing their serious policy discussions with lighterfare, by interviewing people from Pakistan’s cricket, music and cultureindustries.
How toPakistan has a different and more informed style than the breathless din ofPakistani television, and it is a stylistic departure the two wanted toachieve. The fact that both Zaidi and Zaka can civilly agree to disagree evenon issues on which they hold completely divergent political views, is part oftheir objective.
And sinceJanuary 2016, Zaka and Zaidi’s radio “voice” has given listeners seriouscurrent affairs analyses, light episodes on cultural phenomena, and interviewswith interesting Pakistanis.
Thepodcasters took a hiatus between April 2016 and May 2016 due to Zaka’s mother’spassing. When they returned in May, Zaidi’s policy background began to emerge,as How to Pakistan began to interview journalists and, later, researchers fromthink-tanks. The interviews with Ejaz Haider (of Bay Laag), Saleem Safi (ofJirga) and Zarrar Khuhro (of Zara Hat Kay), each started out on a serious note,but then Zaka’s sly humour and very Pakistani sense of irreverence, came intoplay and introduced an element of fun to the segments. Aqil Shah, who writes onPakistan’s army, democracy and drone warfare, and their respective roles inPakistan’s long war, brought a breath of fresh air to the discussion.
The audiencenumbers for How To Pakistan shot up during the Indo-Pak crisis of September andOctober as the podcast interviewed the hawkish Indian researcher, SadanandDhume, the more moderate Shashank Joshi and US-based Pakistani academic, AhsanButt. Dhume and Joshi provided the Indian view on Pakistan, India and Kashmir,with Dhume making the case for Indian aggression. This drew in a lot of Indianlisteners and expanded the presence of How To Pakistan on the internet andamong the South Asian podcast-listening public.
Zaka sayshaving an aggressive Indian like Dhume on the podcast changed his view on peacebetween the two countries: the realisation hit that his hitherto easy-goingpeacenik thinking was fast becoming obsolete.
How toPakistan provides a more intelligent, factually sound, and measured electroniccurrent affairs programme than anything appearing on television today.
Link - https://newslinemagazine.com/magazine/how-to-be-heard/