Namal Siddiqui is a poetess, spoken word performer, and now, a mountaineer. In a conversation that was particularly close to Moe, he discussed a series of topics including creativity, writing, and poetry. Also, what caused Namal to leave a successful advertising career in the UAE to chase summits in Northern Pakistan? They discussed their shared li…

To say the tourism industry in Pakistan is a big deal is not an overstatement at all. It employs over 3.9 million people, and 80 million people travel within the country every year. But as the country pushes for growth, there are things that need to be looked at to ensure sustainability. Are the communities hosting the tourists being treated fairly…

Ehsan Saya is an old friend of The Localists, and he's also the Managing Director of Pakistan's largest e-commerce website, Daraz (you might've heard of it). We spend plenty of time reminiscing about the good old days, but we also talk about what he was up to before Daraz, and what he has planned for the future. Ehsan is a strong believer in the ab…

Dr. Rabbia Aamir is one of the co-founders, and head physiotherapist at the Physical Wellness Centre in Karachi. Her main goal is to provide people with the treatment get out of pain, and help them maintain their own bodies. It hasn't been an easy journey though. Dr. Rabbia discusses the lack of infrastructure for aspiring physios in Pakistan, and …

NOTE: This episode discusses trauma and addiction in-depth, and may feel a bit heavy. We highly recommend you listen to it in chunks to better absorb the information Aun Ali is the founder of the Trauma Release and Wellness Centre in Karachi, Pakistan. As a therapist, he specializes in treating trauma and addiction, and is on a mission to change th…

Muzaffar Bukhari is the Founder Principal of Veritas Learning Circle (VLC), as well as a practicing therapist. He sat down with us to talk about the realities of being an overachieving "checklist" kid and how he eventually decided to chart his own path, founding VLC in the process. Muzaffar talks about the failures of how education is delivered in …

Marvi Mazhar is a Karachi-based architect, urban planner, and heritage consultant. She is the principal architect at her independent architecture and design studio, Marvi Mazhar & Associates; has served as the director of Peace Niche/T2F; is the co-founder of the Architectural Design Research Lab at the Indus Valley School of Art & Architecture; is…

Karachi is home to a diverse and vibrant underground music scene. We've occasionally seen artists rise to mainstream success. Other times, it's a story of long days and nights, as artists try to strike the balance between day jobs that keep them financially stable, and chasing dreams. We caught up with Daniel Panjwaneey aka Alien Panda Jury, to tal…

It's very likely that you learned about Western literature while in school, but as time goes on, we are teaching (and being taught) less and less about South Asian literature. We all know who Shakespeare is, but some of us have never heard of Manto. That's where Qissa-Go comes in. The UAE-based collective focuses on the preservation of South Asian …

Sitting down with Hafsa, was pretty much "Fashion 101" for us. She talked to us about how and why the modest fashion movement has hit the mainstream, with some of the world's top designers making a play for the Muslim consumer's wallet. We also talked about the political and cultural implications. Beyond modest fashion, we also talked about what mo…

Trigger warning: The following episode deals with sensitive topics like mental health and suicide. Ramsha Siddiqi is an Islamabad-based advocate for mental health, and one of Pakistan's few alternative-fashion influencers. In our conversation with her, we discuss the various stigmas related to mental health in Pakistan, as well as some of the steps…

The Localist Podcast is all about finding the local heroes of Pakistan that might have otherwise gone unnoticed. Anam Tabba is a perfect example of one of these heroes. She's one of the most highly-qualified fitness professionals in the country, and holds certifications from OPEX, CrossFit, and Precision Nutrition. Anam tells us about her experienc…

In this episode of The Localist Podcast, we sat down with Akbar Chaudry a stand-up comedian, one of the key people behind LOLWalaay, and co-host of Dawn News morning show Chai Toast aur Host. Also an aerospace engineer by profession and faculty member at IoBM, Akbar explains that there is no such thing as a “conventional type” for a comedian or a m…

Pakistan's media seems to be increasingly out-of-touch with with the needs of its consumers, so we decided to talk to journalist, story-telling consultant, and teacher, Saman Ghani Khan. In our conversation she discusses the disconnect between traditional media and its audiences, the failure to innovate, and how this is all leading to exciting medi…

Pakistan's GDP to savings ratio is worse than ever. There are glaring holes in not just our nation's financial literacy, but also financial inclusion. So how do we fix it? A fintech start-up, Oraan, claims it has some of the answers. We sat down with their CEO/co-founder, Halima, as well as their Education Lead, Maya to find out how they're helping…

Why are there so many misconceptions about health and fitness in Pakistan? From misinformed doctors, to fad diets, health and fitness can be a confusing topic. The more we research, the more confused we seem to get. That's why we've got one of Pakistan's best-known trainers, Mustafa Jamshed on the show to clear up some of the noise. Mustafa is a pe…

Atif is the creative brain behind Super Savari Express, a tour operator that focused on taking pride in our country, and went viral in the process. He talks about the challenges he faced, the problems with human capital, the future of the tourism industry (with his latest start-up, Ghumo.pk), and why he believes now is a great time to be an entrepr…

Arfa Shahid flies in the face of stereotypes. She’s the first Pakistani plus-size reporter, and producer on a Pakistani TV news channel; an influential blogger; a champion of modest fashion; and most importantly, an advocate of body positivity. Along with our guest-host, Rehana Arif, we discuss body image, self-love, the challenges of Pakistani med…

Why is Pakistan’s economy so broken? Why are we constantly borrowing money to repay borrowed money? Our national economy can be a tricky subject, so we’ve brought our favorite finance guy on the show to help us figure out exactly what’s going on, how we got here, and how we get out of this mess. Financial advisor, Rizwan Khan, tells us a bit about …

Sometimes it requires a remarkable scientist/engineer to solve a city’s trash problem. Upon his return to Pakistan in 2016, Ahmad Shabbar noticed Karachi’s worsening trash crisis, and decided something needed to be done. This marked the birth of GarbageCAN! - a sustainable waste management company. In our conversation with him we uncover the extent…

In October 2018, Moe Khan and Rabia Rathore quit their cushy corporate jobs, packed up their lives, and moved to Karachi, Pakistan to help reverse the brain-drain. Their latest project is called, The Localist, a weekly newsletter created to fill the gaps in Pakistan's news media. In the first episode of the The Localist Podcast, they talk about who…