POWER BOOK PAK

FINAL POWER 100 BOOK 2.59 TUE_Layout 1 14/02/2017 13:55 Page 70
NASREEN REHMAN
Academic & writer
nasreen is chair of British muslims for Secular
democracy, an organisation she co-founded
with the journalist Yasmin alibhai-Brown, who
was its first chair. She has served on the
runnymede national commissions on anti-
Semitism and islamophobia. She values her
association with nece (networking european
citizenship education).
Born in pakistan, nasreen rehman lives between england
and South asia. She believes in challenging political
borders that separate people and countries, as well as the
disciplinary boundaries between the arts and academic
disciplines. She believes in the power of the arts and
dialogue to understand the human condition and
transform lives.
nasreen is an award-winning screenplay writer who has
worked with the canadian deepa mehta on the
screenplay and dialogue of earth 1947, and wrote the
tele-films, marhoom colonel ki Betiyaan; maya; rehmat;
Jazba-e-dil; panchi and the serial aur Zindagi Badalti hai
for the pakistani director mehreen Jabbar. She co-wrote
with aditya chopra the screenplay and dialogue of the
director Yash chopra’s Veer Zara.
her intellectual debt to the great economist
mahbubul haq, who steered her towards
development, took her to islamabad, to work
as the director of his human development
centre. She continues to work at the grassroots
with development projects in india and
pakistan.
her translation from Urdu into english of kaifi
and i, the autobiography of Shaukat kaifi was
published to critical acclaim in 2010. her book
on m.S Sathyu’s film Garm hava is due towards
the end of this year. nasreen’s biography of,
nur Jahan, melody Queen will be published by
penguin, india and oxford University press,
pakistan, in 2013.
nasreen has two daughters, mariam fazal
faruqi, a lawyer, and nasheed Qamar faruqi, a
filmmaker and teacher.
She is artistic director of the Grand trunk road, a
performing arts and literature organisation, linking artists
and writers between afghanistan, pakistan, india and
Bangladesh. She serves on the Board of akademi, the lead
organisation for South asian dance, in the U.k.
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