Chaat.Chai.Chatter, Hum Pakistani...UAE Se

Pakistani schools in UAE have been facing a lot of challenges over the past several years. Many of these are community schools founded in early 70s with fees ranging between AED300-600 and hasn't changed much over the years. Salaries of teachers have been below average while the infrastructure has been falling apart. Hence, the quality of education provided has also been below par.  Ratings from Dubai's Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) have been 'weak' for several years until last year when HH Sheikh Rashid Pakistani School achieved the acceptable rank which was good news for the community. This school and a couple of others in Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah are managed by the Pakistani Consulate in Dubai. Here I speak to the Consul General of Pakistan to Dubai, Ahmed Amjad Ali on what changes are being done, how much is being spent on the uplift of these schools, the impact and the future of Pakistani schools in the UAE.

A trip to Mleiha is like stepping back in time. The past few decades of excavations have turned up more and more evidence, dating back as far as the Palaeolithic age that establishes how important the region is archaeologically. Mleiha also holds a vast field of exciting discovery for the nature lover as well. The region has a plethora of flora and fauna including some rare plants and animals that are not easily found elsewhere.  The topography of Mleiha is so diverse that you will find the landscape changing every few kilometres, with the rolling sand dunes suddenly merging into alluvial gravel plains and limestone outcrops suddenly popping up to enliven the scenery. Such diversity naturally allows rare plants and animals to inhabit and thrive in this terrain. Here is trip dedicated to history and nature lovers...

Hello! Just to give you a break from interviews and hard news stories,  I am starting this new series titled "Ye Raaste"  in which I'll take all of you around UAE. We will explore sights and sounds together....there are many places that I haven't also seen and there is much to explore. In this episode, we go around an old market, a traditional souq of textile products located in Dubai's historic Bur Dubai neighbourhood along the Dubai Creek.  During this walk, we come across someone who has a very old and interesting story to tell.   Enjoy the trip!

Pakistani youngster Sitara Brooj Akbar is a child prodigy. She is a multiple academic world record holder, a biomedical scientist, youth ambassador and motivational speaker who moved to the UAE in 2015.  At the age of 11 in 2011, Sitara became the youngest person in the world to pass five subjects in O’Levels (IGCSE of the UK Education system). Years later in 2018, Sitara’s brother Qamar Muneer Akbar broke her record to become the world’s youngest person to pass an O’Level exam at the age of eight.  Here I speak to the siblings who tell me they are home schooled and how they still tower above others in academics.

In the early 2000s, not many Pakistani women were appointed as diplomats in the Middle East region. Rana Raheem was among the few...she was the Minister for Trade and Economics during her tenure here and was later appointed as Consul General to the US and went on wards to become ambassador. She is now retired and lives in the Dubai but her contributions are not any lesser now. While working with the community to uplift Pakistani schools in the Northern Emirates, she has also initiated a book bank for those who cannot afford to buy new books for their children. I talk to her on Pakistan-UAE relations, the past and what the future is like as well on her journey, her achievements and her services for the Pakistani community in the UAE. For those interested in donating books to different collection points across Dubai and Sharjah, here is a Whatsapp number only: 00971551968128

South Asian culture, especially the Pakistani society frowns upon women exercising during pregnancy considering it unsafe for the mother and unborn baby. Sadaf Majdy Khan, a Pakistani fitness trainer and nutrition coach, instead ran a marathon while she was 8 weeks pregnant! Here I talk to Sadaf who is on a mission to educate women on the benefits of exercising during pregnancy. Here I speak to her on her journey, why she ran, what happened during her marathon. Sadaf has documented her journey on her Insta page @movewithmajdy to motivate women and also gives fitness and nutrition advice.

Aleema Khan is the sister of the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan. She is also member Board of Governors of Namal Educational Foundation which is Imran Khan's vision and concept.   Here she talks to me on what Namal offers Pakistani students, about Imran Khan's involvement, his vision for Namal as well as future collaboration with UAE on agri-research.  Listen to the episode to hear what she says about her brother and a whole lot more.

A big chunk of the Pakistani workforce in Dubai are taxi drivers. Almost everyone who has ever travelled in a taxi in Dubai has come across a Pakistani driver. Pakistani drivers are well known for their honesty and are often rewarded for these actions. In this video I talk to one such Pakistani who has been in the UAE for 8 years on how his typical day looks like, what irks him about passengers and ofcourse, a little bit on Pakistani politics and Imran Khan.

While there is no difference between girls and boys taking over the kitchen at home nowadays, our Pakistani society still has specifically fixed  and assigned cooking to the female gender unless of course the boys grow up and choose cooking as their love for the profession. After all the best chefs in the world are men!   However, habits develop and the best cooks learn at a young age, for both genders.  I speak to one such amazing boy Rehan Khurram who started baking at the age of 6 after being inspired by his mother's cooking. And there is no doubt that he was encouraged by his mother who tells me why it is important to treat boys and girls equally.   Slowly but surely we are getting there!