Stories by Rafia Zakaria

Rafia Zakaria is an attorney and human rights activist. She is a columnist for DAWN Pakistan and a regular contributor for Al Jazeera America, Dissent, Guernica and many other publications.

She is the author of The Upstairs Wife: An Intimate History of Pakistan (Beacon Press 2015). She tweets @rafiazakaria

Rafia Zakaria
Punishing Afghans

Punishing Afghans

Trump has been given an opportunity to reinforce his myopic stance. Updated 29 Nov, 2025 08:51am
Lost in translation

Lost in translation

American interest in the region is not tied to any narrative that Modi may want to peddle. Published 22 Nov, 2025 06:39am
Men and laws

Men and laws

This world will be even harsher for women, who will now have to fight in public realms for fundamental rights and to protect their lives. Updated 15 Nov, 2025 08:56am
Mad for Mamdani

Mad for Mamdani

The real story is also one of immigrants and of Muslims. Published 08 Nov, 2025 06:01am
Cruelty in marriage

Cruelty in marriage

A landmark judgement provides a glimmer of hope for women. Published 01 Nov, 2025 06:07am
Scam compounds

Scam compounds

Our digitised lives have spawned new forms of slavery. Published 25 Oct, 2025 05:01am
A trove of secrets

A trove of secrets

Is Ashley Tellis’s arrest part of a crackdown on experts that the Trump administration sees as having divided loyalties? Published 18 Oct, 2025 06:45am
Colonial summit

Colonial summit

Everest ascents reflect a colonial heritage. Published 11 Oct, 2025 05:11am
Greta vs Malala

Greta vs Malala

Greta has shown that humanity still exists. Updated 04 Oct, 2025 12:32pm
MAGA vs MIGA

MAGA vs MIGA

Many Indians supporting Modi believed their country would be the next superpower. Updated 27 Sep, 2025 08:50am
Immigrant and art

Immigrant and art

It’s a travesty that Anila Agha’s work hasn’t been shown in Pakistan. Published 20 Sep, 2025 05:59am
A killing in US

A killing in US

Kirk was a poster boy for Christian nationalism. Updated 13 Sep, 2025 04:08pm
Blood moon

Blood moon

Sunday’s eclipse will make for a haunting spectacle. Published 06 Sep, 2025 04:54am
The end of soft power

The end of soft power

One reason soft power may have died is that the biggest bet that the US had placed on its use failed. Published 30 Aug, 2025 05:22am
Big, bad rain

Big, bad rain

Without doubt, Karachi residents rose to the occasion. Published 23 Aug, 2025 07:21am
Luxury work visa

Luxury work visa

The anti-H-1B visa camp has swung into action. Published 16 Aug, 2025 07:13am
Common playbook

Common playbook

India and Israel are starting to feel the effects of their wrongdoings. Updated 02 Aug, 2025 09:16am
Unesco without US

Unesco without US

Contributing to Unesco reveals what soft power can do. Published 26 Jul, 2025 04:59am
Better alone

Better alone

Humaira Asghar Ali’s case is more fundamentally about how Pakistani society treats women who choose paths that diverge from Published 12 Jul, 2025 06:35am