Reflections by The Mirror: Volume 5 - Inclusivity

Page edited by: Maryam Nadeem and Zoha Fatima
C O N T E N T S B A R
PAGE 3:
'EVERY
INDIVIDUAL
COUNTS'
BY IQRA SAQIB
PAGE 4:
INTERNSHIP
HIGHLIGHTS
AND
'A CASE OF
WORRYING
PREJUDICE
AGAINST
WOMEN'
BY SAAD SAQIB
PAGE 5:
'WHAT DOES
INCLUSIVITY
MEAN TO
YOU?'
GALLERY
CURATED FROM
SUBMISSIONS BY
ZOHA FATIMA
PAGE 6:
'BREAKING
THE GENDER
BARRIER'
AN INTERVIEW WITH
ZULFIQAR
BY INJEEL ABDUL
AZIZ
S P O T I F Y
P L A Y L I S T

'
INDIVIDUAL COUNTS
'
In Picture: Nadeem Kashish
The mere mention of women's empowerment under the
Islamic Republic would have made Pakistani men chuckle;
regrettably, some still do! In nearly every sector and sphere
of life, the formation of Pakistan essentially served men's
supremacy over women. Even the notion of an
independent woman would have brought heart attack to
the 'safeguards' or 'protectors' of our society. The tables
have now turned. ' Women are no longer restricted to the
confines of their homes; they, like any other person in the
world, have the right to a name, a voice, and sexuality that is independent of the
employment or profession they choose. This article is dedicated to all the females out
there who have broken free from society's standards and become who they want to be
- not just in terms of their
career, but in their own skin,
where embracing one's true
self to the world is no longer a
disgrace.
Pakistani women, such as Mariam Nusrat, the GRID
founder, have carved their way into the Forbes List. There
has been a dramatic growth in the number of women-owned companies. More and
more businesses are opening their arms to a diverse selection of people, Bunker Cafe
in LUMS is now publicly employing transgender individuals. The desire to accomplish
something on their own is still alive and well, flaming fiercely. Women have amazingly
stood on their own feet and are progressively breaking through the roof with baby
steps and courage.
In Picture: Nayyab Ali
After years of struggle and arduous effort, women are more included in public spaces
than ever in Pakistan. However, the most essential point to emphasize here is how
women elegantly accept their sexuality and have no regrets about the so-called society.
God made us men, women, or 'other,' don't be afraid to designate yourself as such on
your Nadra citizenship card's gender choice! Accepting truth and discovering oneself
without guilt is the first step toward change. Over time, doors will open for all those
who have been kept outside for most of their lives.
By Iqra Saqib

Internship
Credits: The Mirror Photography Dept.
Following its phenomenal success and the addition
of more incredible individuals this summer, The
Mirror's Annual Summer Internship 2021 has
become a flagship event. This 6-week internship
was unique in that it includes a variety of sessions
with speakers from across the world on various
critical subjects such as self-defense, mental health,
sexual harassment, financial knowledge and more.
And along with that the fun
component was evident throughout
the internship, with different
gatherings and in-person projects
held following the SOPs. Here's a
sneak peek into our internship!
' Representing
4 week Closing Ceremony
in Pakistani Dramas '
By Saad Saqib
Pakistani dramas affect viewers on the subconscious level. Storytellers believe that
the sole purpose of a woman is to get married. No matter what her age ambition, or
desire be, in the end, she has to get married. This culture is completely normalized in
our plays. A woman is forced to marry, she then accepts her circumstances and
starts living happily with her husband. Why is she doing it? Because as a woman she
has the 'duty' to save the “izzat of the Khandaan.” Almost every other working woman
is by default shown as a shady sly fox. She is either flirting with the very righteous
boss, coercing a married man for nikaah or is greedy for money.
It doesn’t end there. The working woman of our dramas is also rude, lacking empathy
and incapable of maintaining a happy household (solely her responsibility to begin
with). Sadly, not only wrong in all its totality but brutal and demeaning on the part of
those who conveniently approve of such biased portrayals. Our TV screen has for
most part failed at bringing to screen the powerful life that the modern Pakistani
working woman is leading. Such sad, rugged and archaic screen writing needs to be
told off our screens for the sake of our upcoming generations and can only be done
if we stop, notice and respond to such dangerous stupidity.
Read the full article on The Mirror's Facebook page.

Internship
Following its phenomenal success and the addition
of more incredible individuals this summer, The
Mirror's Annual Summer Internship 2021 has
become a flagship event. This 6-week internship
was unique in that it includes a variety of sessions
with speakers from across the world on various
critical subjects such as self-defense, mental health.
The theme for this issue is inclusivity, we reached out to the community for external
submissions on what pictures that captured moments of inclusivity in their eyes.
Hamdan Athar
And along with that the fun
component was evident throughout
the internship, with different
gatherings and in-person projects
held following the SOPs. Here's a
sneak peek into our internship!
Ansa Asif
' Representing
in Pakistani Dramas '
Maham Rehan
Shavaiz
Full article at: https://www.facebook.com/themirrorpk
Hira Nadeem
Maham Rehan

'
BREAKING THE
BARRIER'
‘Mystical Shayari’ is a Pakistani musical duo based
in Lahore on a mission to spread glam-art-pop
music and redefine the notion of gender. Zara Sher
Khan also known to their fans as Zulfism or Zulfi
and their bandmate Casey started as two solo
individuals. Casey, talented in keyboard but
amateur in song-writing paired up with Zulfi who
was amateur in keyboard but talented with songwriting,
together in Yale university they went on a
journey of exploration attempting to find their
name, their sound and their purpose. Growing out
of their own solo acts, they found comfort and love
in each other’s friendship and company thus
solidifying their commitment as a duo act.
Together, they were able to bare their soul, have
fun and shout their ‘dil ki baat’ (the content of
their hearts) for miles through Mystical
Shayari. It hadn’t always been this way,
however. They tried making a difference and a
statement through protests and activism but
frustrated that neither medium gave personal
satisfaction they turned to the creative outlet
of music and performance. The raw process
begun as a homage to a class they had shared
together called ‘Mysical Poetry of Judaism and
Islam’ and simultaneously their selfencouragement
to explore androgyny. Casey
and Zara found freedom in genderless selfexpression
but were adamant on not being
gender blind because of the state of the
world. The political and social climate as it
stands defines and separates very clearly
masculinity and femininity, through real
symbols and identification, they believe real
battles have been fought on the undertone of gender. Gender and the nuance of
their characteristic is hard to forget in this world, and that is something Zara is
constantly reminded of again and again. Zara identifies as non-binary and identifies
through the pronouns they/them as well as she/her but does not have a preference.
Exploring these nuances of the truth is the defining aspect of Mystical Shayari and
how each song is part of an artistic movement all whilst ‘honouring and respecting
the intelligence of pop culture’. And in the words of the duo themselves, it's about
waging a 'Gender Jihad' and defining Pakistan through their point of view.
Follow the duo at @mysticalshayari and Zara at @zulfism
By Injeel Abdul Aziz