A social democrat and believer in secular values, Marvi Sirmed is an Islamabad based Journalist and blogger, theatre artist, political worker and student of International Relations. She is also a political commentator, freelance
Marvi Sirmed
A social democrat and believer in secular values, Marvi Sirmed is an Islamabad based Journalist and blogger, theatre artist, political worker and student of International Relations. She is also a political commentator, freelance columnist, human rights activist and secularist.
Marvi Sirmed started her career as a journalist in 1990. She began working as an article writer in different national dailies, such as Daily News, Daily Jang, Khabrein. She has also taught chemistry and English linguistics at a public school. Sirmed has covered wars in the Palestinian Territories, Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Chechnya, Bosnia, Azad Kashmir and Sri Lanka.
She has also worked as the National Project Manager of a parliamentary development project for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Strengthening Democracy through Parliamentary Development (SDPD) in Pakistan.
In addition, she worked as an Institutional Development Specialist with the Ministry of Women Development (Government of Pakistan) and as a Policy Advocacy Specialist with National Commission on the Status of Women, as a UNDP expert.
Marvi joined the Pakistan South Asia Partnership and has established many organizations for women working in Punjab and Sindh. In 2000, she joined the Institute of Overseas Pakistanis and contributed in Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency. She also joined the Aurat Foundation's Legislative Watch Programme in 2001, working for the betterment of women. She is affiliated with the South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA).
Marvi Sirmed was the part of International Visitors Leadership Programme (IVLP) run by the State Department of the United States of America, in 2004. She is a member of the Women's Initiative for Peace in South Asia (WIPSA), Women’s Action Forum, Insaani Haqooq Ittehad, Pakistan India Peoples Forum, South Asian Free Media Association, and Pakistan Forum for Social Democracy. She has been visiting the SAARC region as member of high profile delegations.
Marvi has been part of various advocacy campaigns and movements in Pakistan for human rights and restoration of democracy. She was once arrested under Musharraf regime for raising voice against unconstitutional step of enforcing Emergency in November 2007.
For her services, Marvi Sirmed was awarded National Human Rights Award by the President of Pakistan in 2010. In 2012, she was shot at by unidentified gunmen, but escaped unhurt.
Born on 11th June 1970, Marvi is the daughter of Chaudhary Anwar-ul-Haq and has also used the name Shazia Anwar. She is married to journalist Sirmed Manzoor and has a daughter named Rohail Sirmed.