Why did Sarwat Gilani walk away from TV dramas at the peak of her career?

In this conversation, Sarwat opens up about her aristocratic roots, artistic childhood, and the code of ethics she carries into every room. From turning down regressive roles to calling out the hypocrisy of performative activism in entertainment, Sarwat takes us deep into the politics, power dynamics, and quiet courage it takes to stand alone in an industry that doesn’t reward resistance. She also shares the story behind Churails, her rejection of Cake, and the friendships in the media industry.

This episode is about values, voice, vision, and the cost of staying true to them all.

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Maria Memon has been on your screen for nearly two decades, as a journalist, anchor, and one of the few female faces who held her ground in a polarising media landscape. But behind the screen presence is a story of constant evolution.

In this episode, she opens up about her complicated love-hate relationship with the media industry. She talks about how growing up under societal pressure shaped her, how propaganda now poisons digital storytelling, and what it means to be a woman constantly navigating scrutiny, online abuse, and impossible expectations. She calls out media giants and shares how therapy saved her from emotional burnout.

If you’ve ever questioned the media, felt suffocated by social noise, or needed permission to slow down, this episode will hit home.

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They left Pakistan. Built new lives. Created companies. Found stability. But no matter where they go, Pakistan keeps showing up in the guilt, in the pride, in the conversations that never really end.

In this roundtable, three diaspora voices, Saad Hashmani, Chaudhry Ayaz, and Uzair Hasan, sit down not just to talk about business or identity, but about what it means to still care about a country that keeps pushing you away. They question the weight of patriotism, the emotional tax of caring, and what it means to succeed abroad while still being rooted to home.

This is about the invisible thread that ties every Pakistani back to the land they thought they left behind.

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Is journalism still journalism when it’s bought and sold?

Behind the glitz of primetime lies a broken system: unpaid staff, Syed Talat Hussain collapsing newsrooms, and journalists struggling to survive. ‪gives a raw, insider look into the structural collapse of Pakistan’s media landscape. We talk about financial insecurity, political interference, and why truth-telling has become a luxury.

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Why are Pakistan’s most promising founders giving up and moving out?

This week, we sit down with Mubariz Siddiqui, founder of Carbon Law and legal advisor to some of Pakistan’s biggest startups, to discuss the country's broken startup ecosystem. From regulatory loopholes and crypto bans to policy failures and the brain drain, Mubariz shares the inside view on how the startup wave rose after 2016, and why it’s crashing hard now.

He talks about:

➡️ The flawed obsession with "hustle culture"

➡️ Why smart talent is leaving Pakistan, and he can’t blame them?

➡️ The missed opportunities in crypto, AI, and tech.

➡️ Why governments that don’t understand information-era economies will keep failing their people?

If you’ve ever wondered why it feels so hard to build something in Pakistan, this one’s for you.

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“Do I love Pakistan enough to die for it? No.”

Shehzad Ghias‬ has been called everything: traitor, atheist, sellout, hero. In this week’s episode, the host of The Pakistan Experience‬ joins us to talk about the mental toll of cancel culture, the loneliness behind viral fame, and why he’s no longer sure if it’s safe to live or speak freely in Pakistan.

He opens up about public backlash, blasphemy accusations, and the terrifying reality of being targeted online. In a country where jokes can land you in jail, Shehzad asks what’s left when humour becomes a liability, and whether it’s even possible to do political comedy in a place where artists must choose between truth and survival.

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Fame, ego, and the grind behind the camera. What really goes into making it as a creator in Pakistan, and why it’s harder than it looks.

In this episode, Irfan Junejo and Kazi Akber get honest about gatekeeping, mainstream egos, chasing perfection, and surviving a world where numbers matter more than craft. From awkward encounters with celebrities to finding meaning in a noisy digital space, this conversation goes where most don’t.

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What does it take to build an empire when no one gives you a roadmap?

In this episode, Sultana Siddiqui, the force behind ‪HUM, talks about starting from scratch, fighting nepotism, and carving out space for women when the industry refused to make room.

From working in a garage to launching one of South Asia’s biggest entertainment channels, she reflects on loss, resilience, and why teaching the next generation is her biggest mission. We also explore the state of Pakistani media, its obsession with saas-bahu sagas, and why she still believes in creating stories that matter.

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What if the biggest battles weren’t fought with guns, but with whispers?

In this episode of the Talha Ahad Podcast, Ali K. Chishti, counter-terrorism expert and author, takes us into the unseen corridors of intelligence. From the tangled roots of Al‑Qaeda and the Taliban, to the covert games of RAW and ISI, Ali exposes how espionage shapes borders, politics, and perceptions.

If you’ve ever wondered how intelligence, terror, and statecraft collide, this is the episode you can’t miss.

Disclaimer: This episode was recorded on 22nd February 2025.

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More than fame, Saad Hashmani wants to be understood.

In this week’s podcast, the Pakistani-American businessman opens up about the illness that changed his life, the trap of online fame, and why he walks out of award shows but shows up at funerals.

We talk power, ego, influencer silence on Palestine, and how Pakistan is losing the war of narratives to India. Saad breaks down toxic motivation culture, the politics of money, and what he’d do as a “dictator” to fix the youth.

He weighs in on the establishment, Shahid Anwar, and what it really means to have influence in today’s Pakistan.

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