Pakistanis’ hopes amid conflict shine in photos
dubai — Beyond headlines of conflict in Pakistan are people who — although thrust into harsh conditions — live a life of resiliency, punctuated with hopeful smiles. And British-Pakistani photographer Sa’adia Khan was able to capture such tender moments.
“In going to these internal, remote areas you have to be impassioned. And this was my way of giving back to society and doing my bit,” Khan told Khaleej Times during the recent ‘Pakistan Behind the Headlines’ exhibition, hosted by the Médecins Sans Frontières/ Doctors Without Borders (MSF) for the first time in the UAE. It was held in collaboration with the Pakistan Dubai Association.
Khan’s 34 photos told the “forgotten” stories of Pakistanis, who were forced to flee violence, give up their homes and live in far-flung areas with hardly any facilities.
“At times you see some compelling stuff and you want to just jump and click, this is not the right approach. It is the calmness and connection that one needs to establish to get the right frame.
“One needs to understand the sensitivity of the area, the code of conduct, and just have your heart in the right place and it will all come together,” said Khan, a self-taught photographer who has been living in Pakistan for over a decade now.
Among the scenes featured in the photos were that of a teeming bazaar in Peshawar; the biggest slum area of Karachi where the Bengalis, Burmese and Pashtoon people live together; and women and children walking long distances to fetch clean water. Families that had to leave their homes during the Taliban conflict can also be seen staying in makeshift camps.
Although the pictures showed the harsh situations that people of rural Pakistan are facing, what stood out were their smiles, their resilience, hope and positivity to keep going and move forward.
Thomas Balivet, country representative of MSF Pakistan, said: “The purpose of the exhibition is to show that beyond the headlines of insecurity and violence in Pakistan, are real people trying to carry on and live their daily lives.”
Balivet said they wanted to celebrate the Pakistanis’ resilience and courage but, at the same time, highlight “the difficulties they face in accessing basic needs such as healthcare”.
Khan had captured the images between 2014 and 2017, as she travelled to Balochistan, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, meeting MSF’s patients.
In going to these internal, remote areas you have to be impassioned. And this was my way of giving back to society.”
Sa’adia Khan, photographer