Dr. Farooq Sulehria slass - BNU

Dr. Farooq Sulehria is an Assistant Professor at Beaconhouse National University (BNU), Lahore, and an Affiliated Researcher at Södertörn University, Stockholm. As a scholar of media imperialism, political economy, and global development, his academic interests focus on media dynamics in South Asia, post-colonial state structures, global media flows, and the intersections of political Islam, gender, and social movements.

Dr. Sulehria brings over two decades of international experience bridging academia and mainstream journalism across Pakistan, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Prior to joining BNU in 2018, he served as a Senior Teaching Fellow and Teaching Fellow at SOAS University of London, and as a Visiting Lecturer at the University of East London. Over his career, he has taught an extensive range of undergraduate and postgraduate modules on global media, comparative politics, development studies, and international relations.

He completed his PhD in Development Studies at SOAS, University of London, with a doctoral dissertation titled “Media Imperialism in the Age of Globalization: The Case of India, Pakistan.” He also holds an MA in Global Media and Post-National Communication from SOAS and an MA in Mass Communication from the University of the Punjab, Lahore.

Dr. Sulehria is the author of Media Imperialism in India and Pakistan (Routledge, 2018) and editor/co-editor of several major volumes, including Media Subimperialisms and the Rise of Global South (Palgrave Macmillan, 2026), Pakistan's Foreign Policy and Strategic Relations in the Twenty-First Century (Palgrave Macmillan, 2026), and 75 Years After Partition: India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh (Routledge, 2025). His research is published in leading academic journals such as India Review, Journal of Asian and African Studies, Journal of Demographic Economics, and Asian Journal of Communication.

In addition to his academic research, Dr. Sulehria has an extensive career in journalism, having served as an op-ed columnist for The News International, co-editor for Jeddojehad, and contributor to international platforms such as Counterpunch, teleSUR, and Le Monde diplomatique. He is also a frequent media analyst on global news networks including BBC Urdu, Deutsche Welle, and Swedish National Radio (SR).

• PhD in Development Studies, SOAS University of London, UK (2011–2016)
  • Dissertation Title: Media Imperialism in the Age of Globalization: The Case of India, Pakistan
• MA in Global Media and Post-National Communication, SOAS University of London, UK (2010–2011)
  • Dissertation Title: Jihad on Screen: The Role of Jihadi Drama, Film and their Press Coverage 1979-99, in Islamising Pakistan
• MA in Mass Communication, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan (1993–1995)
  • Dissertation Title: Crime Coverage in Lahore’s Urdu Press

Academic Experience

• Assistant Professor, Beaconhouse National University (BNU), Lahore, Pakistan (2018–Present)
  • Modules Taught: Mass Media and Popular Culture; Mass Media: Global, National, Local; Op-Ed Writing; Problems of Development in Pakistan; Self, World, God; Introduction to the Middle East; Introduction to South Asian Histories; Globalization: Economic, Political, Cultural; International Security in Globalized World; Intro to Social Thought; Debt and Development.
• Affiliated Researcher, Södertörn University, Stockholm, Sweden
• Visiting Lecturer, University of East London, UK (2017–2018)
  • Module Taught: Political Economy of Crises (BA)
• Senior Teaching Fellow, SOAS University of London, UK (2016–2018)
  • Modules Taught: NGOs, Development & Change (BA); Govt and Politics of South Asia (BA); Govt and Politics of Modern South Asia (MA); Critical Reasoning in Contemporary Development Studies (BA).
• Teaching Fellow, SOAS University of London, UK (2015–2018)
  • Modules Taught: International Politics of the Middle East (MA); Introduction to Comparative Politics (BA); International Relations: Foundations of World Politics (MA); Comparative Politics of the Middle East (MA).

Journalistic & Professional Experience

• Co-Editor, Daily Jeddojehad (Urdu Online Non-Profit Platform) (2018–Present)
• Op-Ed Columnist, Daily The News International (Lahore, Karachi, Rawalpindi) (2005–Present)
• Contributor / Freelance Journalist, Znet, teleSUR (Eng), Counterpunch, Links, Green Left, Svenska Dagbladet, Arbetaren, Diagonal (1993–Present)
• Co-Editor, Weekly Viewpoint Online (2009–2015)
• Reporter, Weekly Internationalen, Stockholm, Sweden (2005–2009)
• Sub-Editor, Daily The Nation, Lahore, Pakistan (1997–2001)
• Sub-Editor, Daily Frontier Post, Lahore, Pakistan (1996–1997)
• Magazine Editor, Daily Pakistan, Lahore, Pakistan (1993–1995)

Monographs & Edited Books

1. Sulehria, F., & Spencer-Churchill, J. (Eds.). (2026). Pakistan's foreign policy and strategic relations in the twenty-first century. Palgrave Macmillan.
2. Sulehria, F. (Ed.). (2026). Media subimperialisms and the rise of Global South. Palgrave Macmillan.
3. Amit, R., & Sulehria, F. (Eds.). (2025). 75 years after Partition: India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Routledge.
4. Abbas, Q., & Sulehria, F. (Eds.). (2019). Terrorism to television: Dynamics of media and society in Pakistan. Routledge.
5. Sulehria, F. (2018). Media imperialism in India and Pakistan. Routledge.

Special Journal Editorships

• Guest Editor, Revista EPTIC. Special Issue on Imperialism in the 21st Century.
• Guest Editor, India Review. Special Issue on 75 Years of India-Pakistan's Partition (Vol. 21, Issue 3, August 2022).

Peer-Reviewed Research Papers

1. Sulehria, F. (2024). Lollywood, blasphemy, and lynching: An analysis of Pakistani media. Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 32(1), 51–64.
2. Sulehria, F. (2024). Between fundamentalist anvil and red hammer: How the 1980s sculpted Afghan women movement? Studies in Indian Politics. | Link
3. Sulehria, F., & Sulehria, S. (2023). Pakistan: A client in search of patronising Ummah. Journal of Asian and African Studies, 58(4), 570–589.
4. Sulehria, F. (2022). Lollywood on Partition: Surprise departures, anticipated arrivals. India Review, 21(3), 373–392.
5. Ranjan, A., & Sulehria, F. (2022). Special issue on Partition – Guest editor introduction. India Review, 21(3), 277–285.
6. Tasciotti, L., Sulehria, F., & Wagner, N. (2022). Fertility, electricity and television: Is there a link? Evidence from Pakistan, 1990-2018. Journal of Demographic Economics, 1–28. | Link
7. Sulehria, F. (2022). Pakistan as an ‘Islamic Zion’. South Asian Survey, 29(1), 61–80.
8. Sulehria, F. (2020). Washington Post scribe Orientalises Afghanistan. Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies, 22(1), 156–174.
9. Sulehria, F., & Saba, S. (2017). Afghan women: Beyond binaries. South Asian Survey, 24(1), 20–36.
10. Sulehria, F. (2017). Globalisation of media marginalising workers: The case of India and Pakistan. Marxism 21, 14(1), 335–365.
11. Sulehria, F. (2016). DD and PTV as victims of globalisation. Asian Journal of Communication, 27(1), 97–112.

Book Chapters

1. Sulehria, F. (2026). Introduction: Military-hub-civilian-spooks paradigm defines Pakistan’s foreign policy. In F. Sulehria & J. Spencer-Winston (Eds.), Pakistan's foreign policy and strategic relations in the twenty-first century. Palgrave Macmillan.
2. Sulehria, F. (2026). Introduction. In F. Sulehria (Ed.), Media subimperialisms and the rise of Global South. Palgrave Macmillan.
3. Sulehria, F. (2026). Conclusion. In F. Sulehria (Ed.), Media subimperialisms and the rise of Global South. Palgrave Macmillan.
4. Abbas, Q., & Sulehria, F. (2026). Hybrid democracy and shrinking space patterns of media in postcolonial Pakistan. In N. T. Langah (Ed.), Critical debates on marginality, identity, and diversity in Pakistan. Bloomsbury.
5. Sulehria, F. (2025). Lollywood on Partition: Surprise departures, anticipated arrivals. In A. Ranjan & F. Sulehria (Eds.), 75 years after Partition: India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Routledge.
6. Ranjan, A., & Sulehria, F. (2025). Introduction. In A. Ranjan & F. Sulehria (Eds.), 75 years after Partition: India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Routledge.
7. Abbas, Q., & Sulehria, F. (2023). How Hindutva’s ‘other’ views ‘otherification’: Pakistani response to Saffron myth making. In S. Gopinath & R. Deshmukh (Eds.), Historicizing myths in contemporary India: Cinematic representations and nationalist agendas in Bollywood (pp. 163–183). Routledge.
8. Sulehria, F. (2023). Pakistan’s climate migrants beyond mediatized fictions. In A. Ranjan, R. Kharat, & P. Devika (Eds.), Environment, climate change and migration in South Asia. Routledge.
9. Sulehria, F. (2020). Jihad on screen. In Q. Abbas & F. Sulehria (Eds.), Terrorism to television: Dynamics of media and society in Pakistan (pp. 39–60). Routledge.
10. Abbas, Q., & Sulehria, F. (2020). Introduction. In Q. Abbas & F. Sulehria (Eds.), Terrorism to television: Dynamics of media and society in Pakistan (pp. 1–25). Routledge.
11. Sulehria, F. (2019). From overdeveloped state to praetorian Pakistan: Tracing the media's transformation. In A. Zaidi & M. McCartney (Eds.), New perspectives on Pakistan’s political economy: State, class and social change (pp. 241–255). Cambridge University Press.
12. Sulehria, F. (2019). India as soft power. In A. Ranjan (Ed.), India in South Asia (pp. 217–233). Springer.
13. Sulehria, F. (2018). Kashmir as Partition’s ‘unfinished agenda’. In A. Ranjan (Ed.), Partition of India: Postcolonial legacies (pp. 193–208). Routledge India.
14. Sulehria, F. (2009). Pakistan, protest and rebellion. In I. Ness (Ed.), International encyclopaedia of revolution and protest. Wiley-Blackwell.

Working Papers & Policy Publications

• Sulehria, F. (2024). Social protection in Pakistan: Scant, sparse, and sketchy. In Poverty and Vulnerability Report 2024. South Asian Alliance for Poverty Alleviation (SAAPE).
• Tasciotti, L., Sulehria, F., & Wagner, N. (2019). Fertility, electricity and television: Is there a link? Evidence from Pakistan, 1990-2012 (SOAS Department of Economics Working Paper No. 220). SOAS University of London.
• Sulehria, F. (2019). Minimum wage policies in Pakistan: An analysis of their present status (SAAPE Working Paper Series, Working Paper 4.4). | Link
• Hoodbhoy, P., & Sulehria, F. (2011, January 29). Miracles are needed to rescue Pakistan. Economic and Political Weekly, 46(05).
• Sulehria, F. (2011, February). Whither Egypt? An interview with Gilbert Achcar. Le Monde diplomatique (English Edition).

• Delivered talk, “Media Imperialism in the Age of Globalization: The Case of India and Pakistan,” Higher Seminars in Media and Communication Studies, Södertörn University, Sweden, December 5, 2023.
• Presented paper, “Media in Transition: Class and Power,” Conference on Pakistan: Political Economy of a Transforming Society, Wolfson College, University of Oxford, February 25, 2016.
• Presented paper, “Globalization and Corruption: The Case of Indian Television System,” FSAS Conference 2015: Paths to the future for India and Pakistan, Uppsala University, Sweden, May 4, 2015.
• Presented paper, “The Kashmir Cauldron: Complexities facing the nationalistic political project,” Seminar on Fragile Peace in Kashmir: Is there any way forward?, Lund University, Sweden, November 14, 2013.
• Presented paper, “The Rise of Political Islam,” Asia-Europe Peoples Forum (AEPF 7), Beijing, China, October 14, 2008.

• Review of Propaganda, Communication and Empire: Western Intervention in Afghanistan by S. Inukonda et al. Title: “Media and Empire in Afghanistan,” New Politics, Vol. XXI, No. 1 (2026).
• Review of Chequered Past, Uncertain Future: The History of Pakistan by T. Kamran. Title: “Pakistan through the ages,” Dawn (Nov 10, 2024).
• Review of Social and Political Concerns in India and Pakistan by A. Altaf. Title: “Arguing for Enlightenment,” Dawn (June 30, 2024).
• Review of Pak Wars: An Alternative History by T. Rehman. Title: “How Pakistan Army, by Attacking India, Feel Into Its Own Trap,” The Quint (March 27, 2023).
• Review of Turkey: The Pendulum between Military Rule and Civilian Authority by F. C. Cengiz. Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies, Vol. 24, No. 1 (2021).
• Review of Interpretation of Jihad in South Asia by T. Rehman. Title: “Jihad in South Asia,” Links (June 28, 2022).
• Review of Morbid Symptoms: Relapse in the Arab Uprising by G. Achcar. The News International (May 25, 2016).
• Review of Return to the Shadows: The Muslim Brotherhood and An-Nahda since the Arab Spring by A. Pargeter. The News International (Feb 3, 2017).
• Review of US Foreign Policy and the Gulf Wars by A. I. Malik. The News on Sunday (July 31, 2016).
• Review of Postcapitalism: A Guide to Our Future by P. Mason. The News International (August 7, 2016).
• Review of Postcolonial Theory and the Specter of Capital by V. Chibber. The News International (April 11, 2013).
• Review of Leaving the Left Behind by S. J. Naqvi. The News International (June 19, 2014).
• Review of Dilip Kumar: The Substance and the Shadow. Viewpoint Online (Dec 4, 2014).
• Review of The Pity of Partition by A. Jalal. Title: “Manto’s human psyche,” The News International (June 22, 2013).
• Review of The Garrison State by I. Ahmed. The News International (July 13, 2013).
• Review of The People Want by G. Achcar. The News International (August 23, 2013).
• Review of Marxism Orientalism Cosmopolitanism by G. Achcar. Title: “Deorientalising Marx,” The News International (Jan 20, 2014).
• Review of Sahir Ludhianvi: The People’s Poet by A. Manwani. The News International (March 29, 2014).
• Review of Punjab Bloodied, Partitioned and Cleansed by I. Ahmed. Title: “Holocaust we wrote,” Viewpoint Online (Aug 16, 2012).
• Review of Confronting the Bomb by P. Hoodbhoy. The News International (Dec 20, 2012).
• Review of The Politics of Religion in South and Southeast Asia by I. Ahmed. The News on Sunday (Nov 13, 2011).
• Review of Capitalism and Class in the Gulf Arab States by A. Hanieh. The News International (June 20, 2012).
• Review of Arabs and the Holocaust by G. Achcar. The News International (July 6, 2010).
• Review of Songs of Blood and Sword by F. Bhutto. The News International (July 18, 2010).

• BBC Urdu (London): Guest commentator on Daily Newshour and Sairbeen discussing geopolitics in Scandinavia, Pakistan, and India.
• Deutsche Welle (Berlin): Frequent political analyst for English and Urdu services on Pakistan and Afghanistan affairs.
• Swedish Radio (SR): Guest commentator analyzing developments in Pakistan and Kashmir.
• TV 4 (Stockholm): Guest political analyst on Morning News discussing political affairs in Pakistan.
• Cultural Studies Podcast: Featured guest in conversation with Prof. Toby Miller discussing media and political economy.

• Email Address: farooq.sulehria@bnu.edu.pk
• Extension Number: 309