Zuha Siddiqui
Born 1994 · Age 31
Pakistani journalist focused on labour, tech and environment reporting; Rest of World fellow and 2023 Thomson Foundation Young Journalist Award finalist.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born (Pakistan, likely Karachi)
Estimated birth year based on profiles stating she was 29 in 2023. Sources place family and upbringing in Karachi.
Sister Zunairah ("Zuni") born
Zuha's younger sister Zunairah (nicknamed Zuni) was born eight days after 9/11; appears multiple times in Zuha's memoir essay.
Photographed in Karachi with sister (2006)
Photo of Zuha with sister Zuni in Karachi (image used in her later essay).
First published fiction ('Escape')
Zuha's story 'Escape' cited as her first published piece of fiction; discussed in The Missing Slate interview.
Undergraduate at LUMS (documented)
Profile/interview states Zuha was an undergraduate at Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) at time of the 2015 interview.
Featured as The Missing Slate Author of the Month
Interview/profile: Zuha Siddiqui named 'Author of the Month' and interviewed about her fiction and writing practice (The Missing Slate).
Started two-year graduate programme (New York)
Zuha states she spent two years in graduate school while living in New York (2017–2019). Institution not specified.
Moved to New York (for graduate school)
Zuha reports moving to New York in 2017; context indicates for two years of graduate study.
Began professional journalism career (approx.)
Profiles note Zuha had worked as a journalist for five years as of 2023, implying a career start around 2018.
Moved back to Pakistan after graduate study
Zuha states she moved back home in 2019 after spending six years away (four years undergraduate, two years graduate school).
Sister diagnosed with anorexia nervosa
Zuha writes that her sister was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa (binge-eating/purging type) in 2019; symptoms dated earlier.
Sister began therapy (June 2019)
Zuha reports her sister started therapy in June 2019 amid a long struggle with anorexia nervosa.
Death of sister Zunairah (Sept 14, 2021)
Zuha's sister died in mid-September 2021; Zuha's essay notes she died five days short of her 20th birthday (birth 19 Sept 2001).
Sister declared dead and buried same day
Essay recounts timeline: doctors declared her dead at 1:00 pm, she was buried at approximately 6:30 pm on the same day.
Investigation for VICE into pollution-linked deaths (published)
Profiles and citations credit Zuha with an investigation published by VICE News into links between environmental pollution and the deaths of 16 children and three adults in Karachi; exact publication date not specified in source profile.
Published personal essay 'Lilies' (Medium)
Published 'Lilies' on Medium — a long-form personal essay about her sister, grief and family, dated March 19, 2022.
Labour & tech reporting fellow (Rest of World)
Described as a labour and tech reporting fellow for Rest of World by Thomson Foundation profile (role active by 2023).
Named Thomson Foundation Young Journalist Award finalist (profiled)
Zuha was one of three finalists nominated for the Thomson Foundation's Young Journalist Award 2023; profile published on Thomson Foundation's site.
Recognised for reporting on pollution, internet shutdowns and tech labour
Judges praised Zuha for humanising impacts of air pollution, internet shutdowns and tech/labour issues in Pakistan.
Profile summary: Human-centred investigative reporting (career milestone)
By 2023 Zuha was described as focusing on stories that humanise macroeconomic and policy impacts—pollution, internet shutdowns, tech labour.
Professional milestone: recognised as one of Rest of World’s Labour x Tech fellows
Participation in a named cohort of fellows focusing on labour and technology reporting, producing multiple collaborative pieces in 2024.
Published: 'Pakistan’s aggressive EV goals hit a roadblock' (Rest of World)
Article covering Pakistan's EV goals and engineer shortage, published Jan 29, 2024 (by Zuha Siddiqui).
Published: 'They wanted careers in tech. They're stuck as TikTok moderators' (Rest of World)
Feb 15, 2024 article about Pakistani content moderators stuck in low-status moderation roles.
Published: 'Riders in the smog' project findings (cohort reporting)
Findings showed extremely high pollution exposure among riders; project included equipment distribution and data collection.
Field-research milestone: equipped gig riders with pollution monitors
Operational milestone in her reporting: distributing pollution monitors to gig riders across South Asia for research published Feb 27, 2024.
Published: 'Riders in the smog' (data-driven milestone)
Project measured pollution exposure of gig riders across South Asia; represented a substantive reporting project milestone.
Published: 'Riders in the smog' (Rest of World)
Feb 27, 2024 feature equipping gig riders with pollution monitors; readings were very high; co-authored.
Published: 'This cab startup helped 100,000 drivers survive Sri Lanka’s economic crisis' (Rest of World)
Mar 6, 2024 regional champions piece on PickMe and impact during Sri Lanka's crisis; co-authored.
Published: 'Catching a break: How gig workers find rest' (Rest of World)
Mar 19, 2024 article based on interviews with over 100 gig workers across 10 cities about rest breaks.
Published: 'Portraits of gig workers in rare moments off the clock' (Rest of World)
Mar 19, 2024 In Frame photo-feature giving intimate looks at gig workers' breaks across multiple cities.
Published: 'Bangladesh tech park becomes a ghost town' (Rest of World)
Apr 18, 2024 feature on an underused tech park in Bangladesh partly funded by the World Bank.
Published: 'Forget retirement. Older people are turning to gig work to survive' (Rest of World)
May 20, 2024 story co-authored as part of 'The Graying Gig Workers' series profiling older gig workers globally.
Published: 'What we learned in a year of reporting on labor and technology' (Rest of World)
May 20, 2024 reflective piece by Rest of World's four Labor x Tech fellows (including Zuha) summarising key learnings.
Published: 'The Graying Gig Workers — Aches, pains, and no health insurance' (Rest of World)
May 20, 2024 piece on older gig workers in Pakistan and lack of healthcare/social protections.
Published: 'How Careem fell from dominance in Pakistan' (Rest of World)
Jun 4, 2024 analysis of Careem's changing position in Pakistan's ride-hailing market; co-authored.
Published: 'Pakistan’s mass transit is failing. BusCaro thinks it has the solution' (Rest of World)
Dec 16, 2024 innovation piece on BusCaro stepping in after failures of Airlift and Swvl; co-authored.
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