On October 27, Pulitzer Center’s three student fellows presented their reporting project on Pakistan’s Ahmadis as part of the annual fellows weekend in Washington, D.C. The trio who are currently enrolled at the Northwestern University in Qatar were selected by the acclaimed Pulitzer Center as student fellows back in May.
Ayilah Chaudhary, Isabella Palma-Lopez, and Amna Al-Baker shared their experiences of traveling to Pakistan, and revealed the challenges they had to face in order to report on the human rights situation of the Ahmadiyya Muslims in the country. They were part of the 43 emerging journalists who traveled across the globe to shed light on some of the world’s most overlooked—and important—issues.
Chaudhary: there are roughly half a million Ahmadis in Pakistan, a persecuted minority—they are singled out in their passports and in the Pakistani constitution as “non-Muslims.” #PulitzerWeekend18
— Pulitzer Center (@pulitzercenter) October 27, 2018
The team wasn’t able to disclose the purpose of the trip to Pakistan due to hostility against journalists and Ahmadis, says Palma-Lopez. #PulitzerWeekend18
— Pulitzer Center (@pulitzercenter) October 27, 2018
Al-Baker: The Ahmadis expected Rabwah to be a refuge, but they had no purpose in the community and couldn’t leave. Even there, they weren’t free to practice their faith. #PulitzerWeekend18
— Pulitzer Center (@pulitzercenter) October 27, 2018