Sabeen Mahmud

{{Short description|Pakistani human rights activist (1974–2015)}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Sabeen Mahmud

| native_name = {{Nastaliq|صبین محمود}}

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1974|06|20|df=y}}

| birth_place = Karachi, Pakistan

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2015|04|24|1974|06|20|df=y}}

| death_place = Karachi, Pakistan

| death_cause = Assassination (gunshot wounds)

| nationality = Pakistani

| occupation = Human rights activist, social activist, NGO worker

}}

Sabeen Mahmud (20 June 1974 – 24 April 2015) ({{langx|ur|{{Nastaliq|صبین محمود}}}}) was a progressive Pakistani human rights activist and social worker who founded the Karachi-based cafe The Second Floor. She also presided over the Karachi branch of TiE.{{cite web|url=http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-182592-Sabeen-Mahmud-Director-T2F-gunned-down-in-Karachi|title=Sabeen Mahmud Director T2F gunned down in Karachi|date=25 Apr 2015|work=TheNews.com.pk}}

Born and raised in Karachi, Mahmud was educated at Karachi Grammar and later at the Kinnaird College. She later founded an interactive media and technology consulting firm and worked to establish the Citizens Archive of Pakistan.{{Cite web|url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1178106|title=Sabeen Mahmud — a profile|last=Siddiqui|first=Maleeha Hamid|date=2015-04-25|access-date=2016-09-06}} She set up The Second Floor (T2F) in 2007 aimed at providing a community space for open dialogue.{{Cite web|url=http://www.t2f.biz/|title=T2F {{!}} A Project of PeaceNiche|website=www.t2f.biz|access-date=2016-09-06}} Under Mahmud's leadership, T2F arranged a series of liberal social activities.{{Cite web|url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1178157/sabeen-the-one-who-never-backed-down|title=Sabeen, the one who never backed down|last=Zaidi|first=Hassan Belal|date=2015-04-25|access-date=2016-09-06}} She also co-led protests against the Red Mosque in Islamabad, and also took part in Pakistan for All, a campaign to end sectarianism and religious intolerance in Pakistan.

On 24 April 2015, Mahmud hosted a debate on the Balochistan conflict featuring activists such as Mama Qadeer.{{Cite web|url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1178050/t2f-hosts-the-balochistan-discussion-that-others-shy-away-from|title=T2F hosts the Balochistan discussion that others shy away from|last=Rafi|first=Haneen|date=2015-04-25|access-date=2016-09-06}} Later that day, she was shot and killed by a gunman while returning home from the seminar at T2F. By 20 May 2015, Pakistani authorities had arrested the individual responsible for her murder. Mahmud is widely regarded as a prominent figure within 'Pakistan's liberal, urban, and globalised civil society'.{{Cite web|url=http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/PkJpppMet5HfH8WLAqeHrN/Death-of-a-liberal.html|title=Death of a liberal|last=Soofi|first=Mayank Austen|work=mint |date=2015-04-25|access-date=2016-09-06}}

Life

Mahmud wanted to challenge injustice and discrimination, and to encourage critical thinking; she told Dawn that her biggest dream is to "change the world for the better through the Internet."{{cite web|url=http://www.t2f.biz/wp-content/uploads/sabeen_dawn_profile.pdf|title=Profile: 'Sabeen Mahmud': Striving For Better|author=Saad Shafqat|work=Dawn|date=18 Sep 2008}} She founded PeaceNiche, an organisation that provides a "social platform" for public good.{{cite web|url=http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/985/t2f-a-pursuit-of-the-heart/|title=T2F: A pursuit of the heart|date=7 Aug 2010|work=Tribune blog}}{{cite journal|last1=Mahmud|first1=Sabeen|title=Creative Karachi: Establishing an Arts & Culture Center for the World's Most Rapidly Growing City (Innovations Case Narrative:PeaceNiche and The Second Floor)|journal=Innovations: Technology, Governance, Globalization|volume=8|issue=3–4|year=2013|pages=27–41|issn=1558-2477|doi=10.1162/INOV_a_00185|s2cid=57565549|url=http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/INOV_a_00185|url-access=subscription}}

Mahmud founded a small tech company called "bits" with Zaheer Kidvai, with whom she worked in 2 other companies from the age of 14, and considered him her parent and mentor. In 2006, she founded The Second Floor (T2F), a cafe that hosted public forum discussions, film screenings, poetry writing, stand-up comedy, and live theatre.{{cite web|url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1178106/sabeen-mahmud-a-profile|title=Sabeen Mahmud — a profile|work=DAWN|date=24 Apr 2015}} In 2013, Sabeen co-hosted Pakistan's first civic hackathon, held at T2F in Karachi,{{cite web|url=https://www.wired.com/2013/05/pakistans-first-hackathon/|title=Meet the Woman Behind Pakistan's First Hackathon|publisher=Wired|date=15 May 2013}} which was designed to bring together people from different disciplines to brainstorm ways to solve civic problems.{{cite web|url=http://www.themarysue.com/sabeen-mahmud-hackathon/|title=Meet Sabeen Mahmud, a Woman Trying to Change Pakistan One Line of Code at a Time|work=The Mary Sue|date=15 May 2013}} Mahmud hosted public figures, including Ayesha Siddiqa who authored a controversial book on military financing, leading to the Inter-Services Intelligence contacting The Second Floor.{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2013/01/05/168678897/pakistani-cafe-is-oasis-in-desert-of-civil-discourse|title=Pakistani Cafe Is Oasis In Desert Of Civil Discourse|date=5 Jan 2013|publisher=NPR}} Mahmud was a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum.{{cite web |last1=Butt |first1=Abid |title=Tribute to Sabeen Mahmud |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/2015/05/tribute-to-sabeen-mahmud/ |website=weforum.org |publisher=World Economic Forum |access-date=6 May 2025 |language=en |date=8 May 2015}}

In 2013, she told Wired magazine that she didn't want an armed security guard in The Second Floor: "I said, that’s the price you pay for having a public space. I’m not having people checked and a military guy there because of a pervasive fear." She went on to state "Read Chomsky. Things are dangerous and bad things happen. But you can’t let fear control you, you’ll never get anything done."{{cite web|url=http://www.inc.com/julie-strickland/sabeen-mahmud-pakistan-hackathon.html|title=Tech Guru Sabeen Mahmud: 'Fear Is Just a Line in Your Head'|work=Inc.|date=15 May 2013}} Her work received coverage in international media.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-32452760|title=Pakistani activist Sabeen Mahmud shot dead in Karachi|newspaper=BBC|date=24 April 2015|accessdate=25 April 2015}}{{cite news|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/04/pakistani-rights-activist-sabeen-mahmud-killed-150424210251526.html|title=Pakistani rights activist Sabeen Mahmud shot dead|newspaper=Al Jazeera|date=25 April 2015|accessdate=25 April 2015}}{{cite news|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2015/04/25/asia/pakistan-free-speech-activist-sabeen-mahmud-killed/|title='Bravest woman,' free speech activist Sabeen Mahmud killed in Pakistan|newspaper=CNN|date=25 April 2015|access-date=25 April 2015|first1=Sophia|last1=Saifi|first2=Ben|last2=Brumfield}}{{cite news|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/pak-activist-who-said-fear-is-just-line-in-her-head-shot-dead-in-karachi-mother-injured/|title=Pakistan activist, Sabeen Mahmud, who said fear is just line in her head, shot dead in Karachi|newspaper=The Indian Express|date=25 April 2015|accessdate=25 April 2015}}

Death

File:Sabeen Mahmud Demonstration.jpg

During the late hours of 24 April 2015, Mahmud was fatally shot by gunmen on her way home after hosting a seminar.{{Cite web|title = Anatomy of a murder|url = http://herald.dawn.com/news/1153209|accessdate = 2015-07-31|first = Naziha Syed Ali {{!}} Fahim|last = Zaman| date=31 July 2015 }} The gunmen (later identified as Saad Aziz and Aliur Rehman) shot her four or five times with a 9mm gun, as her car waited at a traffic light less than 500 metres from T2F.

According to a police official, the murder was a direct target killing and was booked by the police under the Terrorism Act. Her mother Mahenaz Mahmud was also critically wounded in the attack and taken to the Aga Khan Hospital for treatment by Nuzhat Kidvai.{{cite news|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/875375/t2f-director-shot-dead-in-karachi/|title=T2F director Sabeen Mehmud shot dead in Karachi|newspaper=The Express Tribune|date=24 April 2015|accessdate=25 April 2015}} The seminar, titled 'Unsilencing Balochistan (Take 2)', was held at the T2F cafe and focused on Balochistan. Among the guest speakers was the Baloch activist Mama Qadeer.

According to Mama Qadeer, Mahmud and her mother left shortly after the event ended. The event had been rescheduled from 21 April to 24 April, and at a different venue, as organisers had received threats earlier. The Chief Minister of Sindh Qaim Ali Shah condemned the killing and called an inquiry into the incident. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif extended his condolences to the family and sought a report from investigating authorities. The activist's death was also met with shock by prominent media and civil society members on social media. Nasreen Jalil, Mosharraf Zaidi, Altaf Hussain, Fasi Zaka, Raza Rumi, Hamid Mir, Arif Alvi, Fatima Bhutto, Taimur Rahman, Kamila Shamsie, Malala Yousafzai{{cite web|url=http://community.malala.org/malala-condemns-tragic-killing-of-pakistani-human-rights-activist-sabe-1110231946.html|title=Malala Condemns Tragic Killing Of Pakistani Human Rights Activist Sabeen Mahmud|work=Malala Fund Blog|date=26 April 2015|accessdate=26 April 2015|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150427231705/http://community.malala.org/malala-condemns-tragic-killing-of-pakistani-human-rights-activist-sabe-1110231946.html|archivedate=27 April 2015|df=dmy-all}} and Sharmila Farooqi, among others, poured condemnations over the incident.{{cite news|url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1177956/director-t2f-sabeen-mahmud-shot-dead-in-karachi|title=Director T2F Sabeen Mahmud shot dead in Karachi|newspaper=Dawn|date=25 April 2015|accessdate=25 April 2015}}{{cite news|url=http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-182592-Sabeen-Mahmud-Director-T2F-gunned-down-in-Karachi|title=Sabeen Mahmud Director T2F gunned down in Karachi|newspaper=The News|date=24 April 2015|accessdate=25 April 2015}} General Asim Bajwa, director general of the Inter-Services Public Relations, strongly condemned the killing and assured that intelligence agencies would provide assistance in capturing the perpetrators.{{cite news|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/875748/army-assures-assistance-in-investigating-sabeen-mahmuds-murder/|title=Intelligence agencies to assist in investigation of Sabeen Mahmud's murder|newspaper=Express Tribune|date=25 April 2015|accessdate=25 April 2015}} A panel in memory of Mahmud was held at the 2015 Islamabad Literature Festival. On 23 May 2015 an international Hackathon was organized in memory of Mahmud.{{cite web|url=https://f3mhack.org/index.php/en/|title=In loving memory of Sabeen|date=15 May 2015|accessdate=23 May 2015}}

On 20 May, Chief Minister of Sindh Qaim Ali Shah stated that the mastermind behind Mahmud's murder had been arrested. The culprit also confessed his involvement in the bus shooting against Ismailis in Karachi.{{cite news|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/889452/arrested-safoora-attack-mastermind-confesses-to-sabeen-mahmuds-murder/|title=Arrested Safoora attack mastermind behind Sabeen's murder: Sindh CM|work=The Express Tribune|date=20 May 2015|accessdate=21 May 2015}} The accused was identified as Saad Aziz.