Shumaila Jaffery

Profile

I am a PhD researcher and White Rose scholar at the School of Media and Communication. My research focuses on diasporas and nationalism, examining how media practices shape the identity of diasporic publics and the extent to which this identity aligns with the ethos of their adopted countries. My current project explores Leicester—recognized as the UK’s first plural city—as a case study to analyse the diaspora information sphere.

Before academia, I spent two decades as an award-winning journalist, primarily with the BBC, where I served as a frontline correspondent and later led the Indian Languages team. My work included coverage of Pakistan’s Hindu and other religious minorities, extremism and radicalization linked to blasphemy laws, and India-Pakistan relations. Throughout my career, I reported on pivotal developments in post-9/11 Pakistan, covering the years of escalating violence, including suicide bombings, targeted killings, sectarian conflict, and kidnappings. Alongside this, I also documented some of the country’s most devastating natural disasters, such as the 2005 earthquake that claimed nearly 75,000 lives and the catastrophic floods of 2010 and 2022.

My journalism has been widely recognized, particularly for my investigative reporting on gender issues, women’s mental and reproductive health, and human rights. My long-form story, “Asia Bibi: Pakistan’s Notorious Blasphemy Case,” gained global recognition and won a national award in the human rights category. I was also a key contributor to the BBC’s award-winning project, “Sex, Honour, Shame, and Blackmail in an Online World,” which examined honour-based violence and won the British Media & Online Media Award in 2017. In 2021, I covered the fall of Kabul to the Taliban from the Pakistan- Afghanistan border and was named Reporter of the Year for my coverage of Afghan children smuggling goods across borders for survival.

Beyond reporting, I have extensive leadership and mentoring experience. I managed the BBC’s Lahore Bureau and was among the pioneering cohort of the BBC’s prestigious Women’s Leadership Development Scheme. I have mentored women journalists and supported their professional growth. I have taught television journalism as a visiting faculty member at leading universities in Pakistan. I am also an International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) Fellow and a Chevening South Asian Journalism Fellow.

My journalistic experience has always centered on amplifying peripheral voices—a perspective that deeply informs my PhD research on diaspora media and identity.

Research interests

• Nationalism

• Diasporas

• Political Communication

• International Communication

 

Qualifications

• MA in Mass Communication – Islamia University Bahawalpur
• BA in Journalism – Lahore College for Women Lahore