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tHe tRutH #nighatdad dOeSn't wAnt yOu tO kNoW... a thread.
Okay now that you're reading. This is truth. Pura sach. Mein @nighatdad ko 2013 se jaanti hoon. I first got in touch with her when I was setting up @ChaynHQ. Since then, we've become close friends and I've seen her through both tough, happy & uncertain times. I know her.
My friends have probably heard me say this so many times and I will keep saying it. I feel like it such an honour for me to call her my friend. I'm so gutted we didn't know each other when I was in Pakistan but any chance I get to see her when she's in the UK, I make it happen!
There are only a handful people in this world who I would trust with my life and she is one of them. She does the right thing - all the time. She has no hubris for someone who is so accomplished and internationally renowned.
She built up these credentials on her own - without any help from an Ivy league education or family influence. Jinka khandaan ameer ya siasi ho, unkay liye human rights pe kaam kerna phir bhi comparatively easier hota hay. As a single mother, ye sab kerna - bohat bohat mushkil.
When you read rumours about people and disinformation (sach jantay huay jaan boojh k ghalat baat kerna) or misinformation (anjanay mein ghalat baat kerna), you...
...can not only damage the reputation someone has spent decades building but also the safety of their life. Nighat is an activist in Pakistan despite all the issues activists can face. I know for a fact that it would have been near impossible for me to have run @chaynhq there.
The security threat & family pressure. The way society talks about activists (foreign agents, pimps) and the financial disincentive (very little local funding). Constant death & rape threats. The way people invalidate your work as "NGO wali sasti feminists".
Nighat chahti tou Pakistan se chali jati. Europe ya North America mein kaam ker leti. Human rights issues tou poori jahan mein hain par apnay mulk mein ye kaam kerna bohat mushkil hay per utna hi eham hay. Nighat ne logon ko apnay ghar mein panah di hay.
24/7 log usay contact kertay hain. She responds to them. I'm not going to talk about foreign funding because whoever thinks receiving money from outside your country is irregular obvs knows nothing about how organisations work. US-based non-profits also apply for funding from EU.
Charities, business & GOVERNMENTS around the world apply for funding from everywhere. How do you think most development projects in Pakistan are run? Schools, bridges, roads & animal shelters require it.
When you work in a country like Pakistan where govt & philanthropic funding ecosystem is extremely limited and weak, you HAVE to apply abroad so you can PAY your staff & provide services.
It's so easy to buy into crap that makes you angry. Remember this is what those who spread false information (disinformation) want. They want you to be angry. To believe everyone is corrupt. Esp about women who are defying norms to stand up & speak to power.
As an ex-corruption fighter, I can tell you that for large donors to give money, they do extensive due dilligence. This means they will look at an org policies, work, financial statements, tax records etc. The fact that someone receives foreign funding is a sign of trust!
Before you press hit or like on false rumours - remember you only see someone's name and not their decades of hard work, struggles and relentless effort to help others. Activism sirf hashtags or TV interviews nahi hotay. Aik tanzeem chalana bohat hi jid o jehad ka kaam hay.
Irrespective whether you believe Ali Zafar or Meesha Shafi, remember that Nighat's career is not defined by this case and she was there helping women you've never heard of, years before and even now - everyday she helps people you will never hear from.
When you share disinformation, you put the lives of activists and their families at risk. Ye kerna na sirf ghair qanooni hona chahiye balkay apkay zameer k khilaaf bhi hona chahiye.
Apkay RTs, likes aur forward messages apki ZIMEDAARI hain. Aur inkay liye ap jawab de hain, is duniya pe aur dusri duniya mein bhi.
I hope there are millions of little @nighatdad's around the country, thinking of a fairer and equal world that they can create - whether they decide to become an actor, musician, lawyer, doctor, housewife, activist or journalist. She inspires me every day.
