Hostwriter Honors Pakistani Journalist

Our Correspondent

Islamabad: Umar Bacha, a Pakistani journalist hailing from Shangla, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, received the prestigious Hostwriter Award 2023 for his collaborative story focusing on the plight of Kashmiri brethren.

Published in Dawn’s EOS magazine in July of this year, Umar co-wrote the piece with an Indian journalist, marking a rare cross-border collaboration.

With 12 years of journalism experience, Umar Bacha’s repertoire spans human rights, climate change, environment, social issues, and art and culture. He currently works for a leading newspaper and co-founded The Northern Post. His partnership with Puja, an Indian journalist, took root during a 2022 conference in Nepal organized by ICFJ.

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They embarked on a challenging yet compelling cross-border story, delving into the struggles faced by families split between Pakistan-administered Kashmir and India. Umar’s familial ties added a personal dimension, particularly his cousin’s separation from his Indian wife and children due to diplomatic hurdles exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Umar’s motivation stemmed from a conviction that the Kashmiri narrative, overshadowed by the longstanding India-Pakistan conflict, deserved greater attention. Having traversed Kashmir’s bordering areas and engaged with divided families, Umar felt compelled to illuminate their stories of sorrow and helplessness.

“Peering into the deeply personal tales of sorrow and helplessness, we felt a responsibility to do justice to these narratives,” Umar expressed. “Working on Kashmir-related topics was both challenging and adventurous,” he added.

Receiving the Hostwriter Award is a significant honor for Pakistani journalism, and Umar Bacha pledged to persist in investigative journalism, shedding light on the core issues faced by marginalized communities within the country.

Among the Hostwriter Award’s other winning teams are journalists from Ukraine, Europe, and Nigeria, along with Pakistan’s Faisal Rehman, securing recognition with the pitch prize in this annual event.