Nine Pakistanis Make Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia

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Updated 28 March 2018
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Nine Pakistanis Make Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia

ISLAMABAD: Late last year when six Pakistanis made Forbes magazine’s 30 Under 30 in the US, Pakistan was pretty ecstatic. Last night, however, news erupted that for the Asian rendition of the listicle whose spots are the most coveted for young rising stars ... we scored nine spots!
Pakistan has the sixth-largest population in the world, and within that population 60 percent fall in the 18-40 demographic. In other words, we have a large number of young people who can potentially change the world.
Forbes’ list includes a singer who uses her platform for activism, tech and business-savvy individuals, social entrepreneurs and people looking to revolutionize health care in the South Asian country.
Perhaps the most recognizable name on the list is one of Pakistan’s leading singers, Momina Mustehsen. The 25-year-old was catapulted into the spotlight after she performed a record-breaking (we are talking hundreds of millions of views on YouTube, the highest of any from Pakistan) duet to “Afreen Afreen” with Rahat Fateh Ali Khan on the musical production platform Coke Studio. Mustehsen took her platform in stride, using it for a number of awareness campaigns, including one with UN Women.
Sadia Bashir had a mission to help women break into the world of tech and design by way of video game production — and she did just that. She co-founded Pixel Art Games Academy, which provides training in game design, production, gaming programming, digital art and animation targeted at young women. The program is directly responding to the gender gap in the gaming industry. Thirty-three percent of their students are (and always must be) women, a roster Pixel Art Games Academy keeps up through the scholarships Bashir created to encourage women to join.
Brothers in real life and in business, Adnan and Adeel Shaffi, 28 and 29 respectively, are the masterminds behind PriceOye, a price comparison website which they launched in 2015.
Many online shopping websites do not cater to cities outside Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi — a mistake that not only costs retailers but costs the people living outside the big cities as well.
PriceOye does price comparisons for electronics and uses data analytics to help retailers in their own marketing. With website numbers in the hundreds of thousands per month, PriceOye addresses the gaps that traditional e-commerce in Pakistan is not, a gap which leads smaller cities out of the running for great deals.
The singer-activist has been highlighted for her work on women’s issues, cyberbullying, human rights and also for being honored as one of the BBC’s 100 Most Influential Women of 2017.
Neurostic is a health care startup launched by 24-year-olds Muhammad Asad Raza and Abrahim Saha. Neurotstic aims to provide high-quality prosthetics and medical devices (such as cochlear implants) — without the astronomical associated costs. It also addresses clinical decision support, fitness and health monitoring, with a focus on data analytics for health care needs.
Raza and Saha are answering the call of a dire need in Pakistan where health care and resources can be sought to come by. Their prosthetic and implantable devices not only cater to the population in Pakistan but Afghanistan, Iran and Syria as well.
Another Pakistani named for his work in health care is also the youngest of the honorees. Muhammad Shaheer Niazi, 17, is the first to photograph the movement of ions. Forbes named him for the impressive science feat that depicted charged ions creating a honeycomb. This level of research is indispensable to biomedical research. Niazi has also been published in the Royal Society Open Science journal.
At 23, Syed Faizan Hussan is the founder of startup Parihelion Systems. With a mission to use tech-backed products for the improvement of the highest volume of lives, Perihelion Systems is addressing a number of Pakistan’s health issues. Products it has produced include One Health, a tracking and surveillance system used to predict outbreaks of disease, an invaluable resource for a country with a massive population and limited health care resources. Another product is the Edu-Aid, a sign language translating software.
The ninth name to make the list is Hamza Farrukh, 24, a portfolio solutions strategist at Goldman Sachs in London, who in his spare time has embarked on a fantastic social venture helping out in Pakistan. Farrukh is the founder of Bondh E Shams, a solar water project aiming to respond to areas in Pakistan with limited, scarce or no water access. Bondh E Shams, which translates as “droplets of the sun,” comes at a time when certain regions of Pakistan are affected not only by drought but also water that is not safe to drink.
Farrukh’s project has set up two solar-powered wells which provide safe, clean water to 1,500 residents of a small village in Pakistan. One of these wells has the capacity to supply clean water to an estimated 5,000 people every day.


Saudi artist Mawadah Muhtasib collaborates with Harrods for Ramadan and Eid

Updated 28 February 2025
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Saudi artist Mawadah Muhtasib collaborates with Harrods for Ramadan and Eid

DUBAI: London’s luxury department store Harrods announced on Friday its collaboration with celebrated Saudi calligrapher Mawadah Muhtasib for its Ramadan and Eid campaign. 

This is the third year in a row that Harrods has collaborated with an Arab calligrapher. 

Muhtasib is known for her Arabic calligraphy, using Muthana (mirror writing) and reverse script. Her work modernizes traditional calligraphy while keeping its original essence.

“Ramadan Kareem,” Mawadah Muhtasib. (Supplied)

For this collaboration, Muhtasib created two bespoke artwork pieces that blend Islamic floral motifs with her distinctive style. 

The first, featuring the message “Ramadan Kareem,” is set against a deep-blue backdrop, reflecting the spiritual ambience of Ramadan. 

The second design, adorned with “Eid Mubarak,” embraces a vibrant pink palette, symbolizing the joy and festivity of Eid celebrations. 

“Eid Mubarak,” Mawadah Muhtasib. (Supplied)

“I am thrilled to collaborate with Harrods to mark Ramadan and Eid this year,” Muhtasib said. “Arabic calligraphy holds a profound power beyond artistic beauty — it is a true reflection of heritage, culture and design that transcends all generations.

“For this collection, it was important for me to capture the harmony between the elegance of Arabic script and the beauty of nature. The floral illustrations of the design showcase the versatility of Arabic calligraphy, affirming its place in the world of luxury and design,” she said. 

Muhtasib’s creations will be showcased throughout Harrods’ Ramadan and Eid campaign, including their in-store displays, digital greetings, social content and in the iconic Knightsbridge food halls. 

Additionally, Muhtasib’s artwork will feature on Harrods’ Eid gifting packaging. 


Georgina Rodriguez visits children’s cancer center in Saudi

Updated 28 February 2025
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Georgina Rodriguez visits children’s cancer center in Saudi

DUBAI: Argentine model Georgina Rodriguez visited the King Fahd National Centre for Children’s Cancer this week to support young patients.

During her visit, Rodriguez hugged and spoke with the children, and joined in their play with the dolls. (Supplied)

She was joined by Monica Esteban, president of the Spanish charity, the Juegaterapia Foundation, as they distributed Baby Pelones dolls featuring a scarf designed by Rodriguez.

During her visit, Rodriguez hugged and spoke with the children, and joined in their play with the dolls.

She was joined by Monica Esteban, president of the Spanish charity, the Juegaterapia Foundation, as they distributed Baby Pelones dolls featuring a scarf designed by Rodriguez. (Supplied)

The visit is a part of the foundation’s efforts to create a supportive hospital environment through therapeutic play, which helps improve the emotional well-being of children with cancer.


Review: ‘Zero Day’ — Robert De Niro brings his star power to the small screen

Updated 28 February 2025
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Review: ‘Zero Day’ — Robert De Niro brings his star power to the small screen

  • Iconic actor is as good as he’s ever been in taut political thriller

LONDON: Despite his lauded career, Robert De Niro, arguably our greatest living actor, has, for the most part, steered clear of TV roles. So the news that he was to not only appear in, but also executive produce, new Netflix thriller “Zero Day” was noteworthy. And what’s even better? This taut, tense, six-part political thriller is every bit as captivating as you’d hope — a relief, given that De Niro’s more recent output has featured more than a few… let’s call them duds.

De Niro is perfectly cast as George Mullen, a universally respected former US President who confounded the political world by not seeking a second term, choosing instead to focus on his family after a personal tragedy. When the US is targeted by a nationwide cyberattack, which freezes all electronic devices and kills thousands of people, sitting President Mitchell (Angela Bassett) asks him to head up a new division tasked with finding and punishing the people behind the attack.

On paper, Mullen is the obvious choice — he’s a former prosecutor and hails from a time when politicians could still command bipartisan respect. But he’s also a man out of step — caught out by the speed of the modern media landscape, still struggling with his own grief, and suffering from a range of hallucinations.

That De Niro manages to convince with all of the above within the first episode is testament not only to the strength of his performance, but also to the skill of creators Eric Newman, Noah Oppenheim, and journalist Michael Schmidt. Though costars Jesse Plemons, Lizzy Caplan, Matthew Modine and others are all superb, none comes close to De Niro. George is simultaneously frighteningly fierce and alarmingly frail, possessed with a sense of naïve optimism that makes him either a fool or the smartest person in the room.

“Zero Day” is not perfect – there’s a lull around episode three, and some budget-chewing grandstanding before the finale. But the last two episodes are as tense and thrilling as any show from the last couple of years.


‘A Thousand Blows’ — immersive period crime drama with star power

Updated 28 February 2025
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‘A Thousand Blows’ — immersive period crime drama with star power

  • ‘Peaky Blinders’ creator Steven Knight focuses on all-female crime gang in Disney+ show

DUBAI: If you need someone to create a historical drama based on a real-life notorious crime gang, who better than “Peaky Blinders” showrunner Steven Knight? And if you need someone to play a shady operator vibrating with pent-up menace that threatens to explode into violence at any time, who better than the always-compelling Stephen Graham?

So Disney+’s “A Thousand Blows” has two huge pluses in its favor — great showrunner and great lead (or co-lead, to be fair). But that also means great expectations that can be tough to match.

The show is set in London’s East End in the 1880s and the notorious gang is the Forty Elephants — an all-female crime syndicate led by Mary Carr (played by Erin Doherty) whose main focus was shoplifting. Carr has close ties with Henry “Sugar” Goodson (Graham), self-styled king of the area’s popular-but-illegal bare-knuckle boxing scene, but their alliance is on shaky ground as her schemes threaten to bring unwanted attention from the police to the neighborhood.

Into their orbit comes Hezekiah Moscow (Malachi Kirby), newly arrived from Jamaica and in need of money. Moscow is a phenomenally gifted fighter, and the ageing Sugar quickly comes to see him as a threat to his fearsome reputation. Carr, meanwhile, sees him as both potential love interest and an asset she can exploit in her daring plot for a major heist. All three share a common goal: to rise above the low expectations society has of them.

Graham, impressively beefed up for the role, is customarily excellent as Sugar, a man whose behavior no-one — not the viewer and not even himself — can easily predict. Kirby is equally compelling, balancing confidence and vulnerability in his portrayal of a man sure of his own abilities, but unsure of those around him. And Doherty convinces as Carr — outwardly as tough as Sugar, but it’s clear that the façade of emotionlessness and ruthlessness that has made her such a respected and feared adversary is a hard one to maintain.

The story reels you in quickly. The East End of the late 19th century is brought vividly to life, and there’s plenty of action from the start, but the latter has perhaps come at the cost of character development. The rest of the Elephants, for example, feel one-dimensional (in the four hours we’ve seen so far, anyway), with little backstory to flesh them out. Still, “A Thousand Blows” is hugely enjoyable — though perhaps not for the squeamish; the violence is constant and realistic — and Graham once again shows he’s one of the finest actors of his generation.


Lebanese artist Lana Khayat discusses her first solo show in Saudi Arabia

Updated 28 February 2025
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Lebanese artist Lana Khayat discusses her first solo show in Saudi Arabia

  • ‘I would like show how Arab heritage is evolving,’ says Lana Khayat

DUBAI: Lebanese artist Lana Khayat is currently staging her first solo show in Saudi Arabia. “The White Lilies of Marrakech: Women as Timeless Narratives” runs at Riyadh’s Hafez Gallery until March 25, and is, according to the press release, an homage to the titular city’s Jardin Majorelle, which celebrates its centenary this year, “as well as Lana’s enduring narrative on the strength and resilience of women.” 

Khayat says the exhibition also marks a significant step forward in her work, which blends influences from nature with abstraction and calligraphy.  

“In this show, you will see a bolder look, a more confident me,” she tells Arab News. “Nature was always my main inspiration, but recently I’ve added another layer of botanical forms into my work, which will be seen for the first time in this show. An obvious example is the lily. The lily is an intrinsic part of my work; it was always present. But now it is taking center stage, so it becomes more apparent. The lily, which is the symbol of women… in my earlier works, it was very shy, but in my most recent work, you can see the lily taking the foreground — big and lush, and very present. I’m very shy. I’m a big introvert, but I’ve learned that, actually, the truer I am to my work, the more people relate to it. I think women are very strong, and their strength is very silent, but at the same time very commanding — and I definitely feel more confident in my work. 

'Echoes of Ephemeral Whispers.' (Supplied)

“I even changed my signature,” she continues. “It has become more bold.” 

The inspiration for the exhibition, as the name suggests, came when Khayat was visiting Marrakech.  

“Marrakesh is a historical cultural crossroads; it embodies the fusion of tradition and modernity, which is essential to my work,” she says. “Its Berber and Arab and Andalusian influences make it the perfect backdrop to my work. And the theme of the show was born of out of my fascination with how women’s stories persist throughout time — through language, through culture, through nature. The lilies, for me, are women, standing strong. They’re there. They flourish. Lilies are among the strongest plants and flowers, and water lilies are present in the Jardin Majorelle. So it’s this interplay of my study of women, my study of lilies, and my study of languages, and I felt that Marrakesh is the perfect place to carry all of these meanings.” 

'The Vermilion Lilies of Marrakech.' (Supplied)

Given her ancestry, it’s no surprise that Khayat became an artist. Her great grandfather, Mohamad Suleiman Khayat, was a famed restorer of lavish Syrian-style Ajami rooms whose work is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, among other prestigious establishments. His son and grandson — Khayat’s father — followed in his footsteps.  

“I was raised with this,” says Khayat. “From them, I learned patience. But it was male-dominated, so I had to forge a place for myself in this artistic lineage, which wasn’t easy, but I slowly found my voice.” 

A large part of discovering that voice was moving to New York from Lebanon after completing her degree in design. “I remember in my childhood I was copying Van Gogh, you know? Vases and flowers… I had images of that in my head,” she says. “But after I was in New York, and I spent some time working at the Guggenheim, and then when I moved to Dubai, that’s when I actually had a bit of an internal struggle. ‘Should I keep (my art) to myself, or should I just show it and see where it will take me?’ And after some internal conflicts between me and myself, I thought, ‘There’s actually nothing to lose. Let’s just see where it takes me.’ And around 10 years ago, I was lucky to meet Qaswra (Hafez), the founder of Hafez gallery, who really believed in my work and supported it.” 

'Between Bloom and Form.' (Supplied)

She loves Monet’s work, she says, but her main inspirations were other female artists — though not necessarily because of their art. 

“It was more the artist’s journey and how they fought for that rather than the art itself,” she says. “For example, I love Frida Kahlo for her boldness.” A few days after our interview, she writes to add that Lebanese artist Etel Adnan’s work is also an inspiration, because “her fearless blending of disciplines — of poetry, landscape, and abstraction — encourages my own pursuit of art that honors resilience, transformation, and the enduring strength of women.” 

In her twenties, Khayat was more influenced by Western art, “but now I appreciate Arab art more and more,” she says. “My work has multiple layers. It’s both personal and universal. It’s a celebration of my Arab heritage. Also, I use language in a very meditative way — the script I use, it’s a carrier of tradition and a testament to history. My work is also very abstract. The script I use dissolves into gestures and the nature that I’m inspired by morphs into fluid shapes. You know, Arab culture is vast and diverse, but in my work, I try to reinterpret it and show how it evolves; it’s not stagnant.” 

Calligraphy is, she says, “a quiet dialogue between me and the painting, between the audience and the painting, and it’s open to interpretation. I would love for the viewer just to lose themselves in the painting and find the meaning where they want. And it’s a dialog also with history, because, as I said, I would like to reinterpret Arab heritage and show how it’s evolving.” 

That last point is one of the things she most hopes audiences will take away from the Riyadh show. “I hope it feels intimate and universal for them, and I hope they see it as a celebration of script. I hope they see the abstraction I make in my work as an evolution of Arab heritage and I hope they see how, for me, nature is a witness to history,” she says. “And I hope they enjoy it.”