NEW YORK: Kashmiri photojournalist Masrat Zahra on Thursday received the Peter Mackler prize for courageous and ethical journalism, for her coverage of women impacted by decades of unrest in Indian-administered Kashmir.
"To work in this industry is to bring the truth," the 26-year-old journalist said during a virtual ceremony.
The Muslim-majority Himalayan region is mainly divided between India and Pakistan, and plagued by years of conflict that has left thousands dead, many of them civilians.
Zahra's work shines a light on the stories of women who would otherwise likely be forgotten in deeply patriarchal South Asia.
"My pictures offer a glimpse of the everyday struggle of the people in Kashmir," said the 12th journalist to receive the Peter Mackler prize, distributed by the Global Media Forum in partnership with Agence France Presse and Reporters Without Borders.
"It gives a voice to the ones silenced by the conflict," she continued.
For her work Zahra has faced mistrust from some Kashmiris who accuse her of working for Indian intelligence, as well as harassment from Indian authorities who accuse her of spreading disinformation.
And in June, the government for Jammu and Kashmir instituted a "New Media Policy" that rights groups say allows the censorship and persecution of journalists.
Zahra said that being a Muslim woman "amplifies" her anxiety as a journalist working in such conditions -- but her identity also drives her work.
The award was established in 2008 to recognize courageous and ethical journalism. It honors the memory of longtime AFP journalist Peter Mackler, who died of a heart attack that year.
"Masrat Zahra exhibits the very qualities that my late husband, Peter Mackler, fostered in the new generation of reporters whose path he crossed," said Catherine Antoine, president of the Global Media Forum Training Group and founder of the award.
"Masrat's complete dedication to reporting the story, no matter the risks, along with her mental fearlessness and creative approach to use any medium at her disposal to bear witness to the world made our choice easy."
Kashmiri photojournalist Masrat Zahra wins Mackler prize
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Kashmiri photojournalist Masrat Zahra wins Mackler prize
- India recently instituted a 'New Media Policy' that rights groups say allows the censorship and persecution of journalists
- Zahra says being a Muslim woman 'amplifies' her anxiety as a journalist in Kashmir, though it also drives her work
Pakistan to send over 10,000 workers to Italy over three years after securing employment quota
- Government says Italy will admit 3,500 workers annually under seasonal and non-seasonal labor schemes
- It calls the deal a 'milestone' as Italy becomes the first European country to allocate job quota for Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has secured a quota of 10,500 jobs from Italy over the next three years, an official statement said on Saturday, opening legal employment pathways for Pakistani workers in Europe under Italy’s seasonal and non-seasonal labor programs.
Under the arrangement, 3,500 Pakistani workers will be employed in Italy each year, including 1,500 seasonal workers hired for time-bound roles, and 2,000 non-seasonal workers for longer-term employment across sectors.
The Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development said Italy is the first European country to allocate a dedicated labor quota to Pakistan, describing the move as a milestone in Pakistan’s efforts to expand overseas employment opportunities beyond traditional labor markets in the Middle East.
“After prolonged efforts, doors to employment for the Pakistani workforce in Italy are about to open,” Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Chaudhry Salik Hussain said, calling the quota allocation a “historic milestone.”
The jobs will be available across multiple sectors, including shipbreaking, hospitality, healthcare and agriculture, with opportunities for skilled and semi-skilled workers in professions such as welding, technical trades, food services, housekeeping, nursing, medical technology and farming.
The agreement comes as Pakistan seeks to diversify overseas employment destinations for its workforce and increase remittance inflows, which remain a key source of foreign exchange for the country’s economy.
The ministry said a second meeting of the Pakistan-Italy Joint Working Group on labor cooperation is scheduled to be held in Islamabad in February 2026, where implementation and future cooperation are expected to be discussed.
