Karachi is a confluence of diverse cultures and ethnicities. The picture illustrates a Sheedi ritual at a hot spring near Saint Manghopir’s shrine. Brought originally as slaves from Africa, the community venerates crocodiles they believe emerged from the lice of the Saint’s spiritual master, Baba Fareed. Amid dances and chants in a mix of Balochi, Sindhi, Urdu, and Swahili, crocodiles adorned with Sindur (red pigment) and rose garlands are offered the meat of a sacrificial goat.
Foreword by Farhat Moazam*
From Krokola, Kalati Bunder, Kurrachee to Modern Day Karachi
“The past is never dead; it’s not even past.”
William Faulkner, American writer (d. 1962)
The primary theme of the December 2025 edition of CBEC’s biannual newsletter is the city of Karachi. Situated on the Arabian Coast, a port known to the ancient Greeks as Krokola, it has undergone innumerable stages of metamorphosis (including in its name) to what it is today; Karachi, a bustling megapolis of 20 million people, a microcosm of culturally and ethnically diverse Pakistan.
The history of Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh, spans many centuries. Its heritage is rich – varied peoples that have called it home, a place where diverse cultures, religions, and languages melded, the site of manifold architectural styles still discernible in its buildings and cemeteries. It is a city believed to be protected from cyclones by Sufi saint Abdullah Shah Ghazi who lived here (8th century CE), and whose spirit supposedly resides in his shrine that faces the Arabian Sea.
Our newsletter features essays and photographs highlighting some aspects of the multifaceted heritage that have left indelible marks on the city of Karachi. We hope you will enjoy getting to know the city of the Centre of Biomedical Ethics and Culture, SIUT.
*Chairperson and Professor, CBEC-SIUT, Karachi
Whispers Beneath the Sand
Durriya Kazi
Much like the waves of Karachi’s coastline – sometimes overwhelmed by Monsoon seas and sometimes stretched out alongside winter’s gentle ripple, the stories of this city appear and disappear with few traces.
Lamenting the Decay of Karachi’s Cemeteries
Farid bin Masood
Seventeenth-century philosopher Giambattista Vico considered respectful disposal of the dead to be one of the three foundational rituals at the core of every human civilization.
Hindu Temples: Adding to Karachi’s Historical Diversity
Murli Dhar
Prior to 1947, Karachi was a Hindu-majority city, but large numbers of Hindus emigrated to India following partition of the subcontinent. Many emigrated overseas over time.
Transplant Ethics at Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute
Faheem Khan
October in Lahore often marks the transition from bright, sunny days to more subdued, overcast skies. It was during this period of seasonal change that CBEC–SIUT conducted a 2 day workshop (2-3 October) on Clinical and Research Ethics at the Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute & Research Center (PKLI & RC).
CBEC-SIUT Internship for High School Students
Organized by CBEC faculty members, Mr. Farid Bin Masood and Dr. Nida Wahid Bashir, this year’s internship received an overwhelming 87 applications. Ten students were ultimately selected, with 9 participants completing the internship,
Strengthening Research Capacity through CK-BTI
In an exciting new development for the CBEC–KEMRI Bioethics Training Initiative (CK-BTI), a hybrid practicum was conducted this year.
Global Ambassadors: Impact of CBEC-SIUT’s Alumni
Since 2011, CBEC has been following alumni activities in bioethics through annual feedback. These Alumni Reports capture alumni involvement in activities across different domains.
From our Archives
Female Friendships and Pakistan Cinema
Kamran Asdar Ali
“Scholarly literature on gender in Pakistan has traditionally ignored the everyday experience of women, especially the domestic experiences of women within the household.”
CBEC Events
“Depiction of Gender Roles in the 1960s Cinema of Pakistan” December 18, 2025
“Depiction of Gender Roles in the 1960s Cinema of Pakistan” with Dr. Kamran Asdar Ali, Professor of Anthropology, University of Texas, Austin on December 18, 2025, during Module 4. This session was not only attended by the PGD and MBE students, but also attracted a large on-site and online audience.
Inauguration of the International Islamic
Bioethics Association (IIBA)
December 10-11, 2025, Doha, Qatar
Dr. Farhat Moazam (first, left) at the IIBA inaugural event with its founding president, Dr. Mohammed Ghaly (third, left), Professor at the Research Center for Islamic Legislation and Ethics. IIBA aims to enhance Islamic contributions to global ethical dialogue. Dr. Moazam is a member of the IIBA Advisory Board, which includes international scholars such as Dr. Mohammad Ahmad Aljarallah (Kuwait, sixth, left), and Dr. Nancy Jecker (USA, third, right) among others.
33rd International Conference: Association of
Pediatric Surgeons of Pakistan (APSP)
December 4-7, 2025, Karachi
Dr. Moazam gave a keynote address at the association’s conference. She is seen here with Dr. Muhammad Arshad, President APSP (second right) and Dr. Saleem Islam, pediatric surgeon and Chair, Department of Surgery, AKU, Karachi (far right). Her talk, “Ain’t nothing small about operating on little humans: Reflections of an erstwhile pediatric surgeon,” included empirical data from an ongoing CBEC study about male and female representation in different surgical subspecialties in Pakistan.
ICON 2026: The Indus Hospital and Health
Network (IHHN)
November 27, 2025, Karachi
Dr. Aamir Jafarey was invited as a panelist on a panel, “Ethics in Biorepositories: Challenges and Solutions.” The discussion provided insights into various misconceptions surrounding biobanks, not only among the public but also among healthcare professionals. Dr. Aamir features in the group photo with other panelists, including Dr. Abdul Bari Khan (IIHHN), Dr. Tania Bubela (Aga Khan University), Dr. Jamshed Akhter (National Institute of Child Health, Karachi), and Dr. Nasim Salahuddin (IIHN).
Korean Society for Medical Ethics Conference:
Global Health Ethics for the 21st Century
November 26-27, Seoul, South Korea
Dr. Moazam seen here with conference participants and Professor Ilhak Lee, Chair, Medical Humanities and Social She gave a talk about “Doing Bioethics in Pakistan: An Insider’s Perspective.” In this, she used local cases to highlight contextual ethical issues related to practicing medicine in Pakistan. She also attended the concomitant annual meeting of WHO Collaborating Centres for Bioethics and presented CBEC’s activities of the past year.
Global Forum on Bioethics in Research (GFBR):
Reimagining research partnerships
November 18-19, 2025, Accra, Ghana
Ms. Sualeha Shekhani (right) attended the GFBR as a Planning Committee member, which explored how global health research collaborations can be made just and equitable by addressing power imbalances. She co-chaired a plenary session, “Futures: reimagining health research partnerships” with Dr. Jospeh Ali (North America, second from right). Speakers on the panel included Dr. Nadia Tagoe (Ghana, first right) and Dr. Pamela Cajilig (Philippines, second right).
6th Asia Pacific Bioethics Education Network
(APBEN) Conference
October 31-November 1, 2025, Hong Kong, China
Organized by the Centre for Bioethics, Chinese University of Hong Kong, the event featured plenary sessions, workshops and symposiums. CBEC faculty, Mr. Farid bin Masood (right) presented findings from his MBE thesis on medical decision-making whereas Saima Saleem (left), PGD alumnus (Class of 2023) and Communication Consultant at SIUT, presented her PGD project on patients’ rights. Both seen here with their Best Presentation Awards.
Symposium: The Wounded Storyteller
Lahore University of Medical Sciences
October 31, 2025, Lahore
Dr. Aamir Jafarey (front left) was invited to this symposium due to his background in clinical medicine and bioethics. His talk, “(Un)Silencing Narratives through Bioethics: Using Humanities to Examine the Human Condition,” critiqued the limitations of a medical education system narrowly focused on ‘disease’ at the expense of the fuller experience of ‘illness.’ He then demonstrated how CBEC’s curriculum uses literature, art, and film to provide health professionals with a deeper analytical framework.
Second Annual Surgical Conference:
Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS)
October 16-17, 2025, Karachi
During this conference, Dr. Nida Wahid Bashir gave a talk titled “Transparency in Surgical Errors: An Ethical Perspective.” Her talk highlighted the importance of embedding ethical values within the healthcare system to maintain accountability when dealing with surgical errors. Dr. Nida emphasized the role of healthcare organizations as moral agents responsible for ensuring better reporting and disclosure systems. The highlight of the plenary was that it was well attended by the student body at DUHS.
“Re-imagining Vaccination as a Public Health Priority: From Polio to HPV” October 4, 2025
On October 4, 2025, with Dr. Natasha Anwar, Assistant Professor, AKU and MBE alumnus (online) and Dr. Asma Nasim, Professor, SIUT and PGD alumnus (third, left). They addressed systematic failures in vaccination programs in the country.
Obituaries
CBEC-SIUT Loses a Benefactor, Supporter and Friend
Farhat Moazam
Dr. Manzoor Ahmed, philosopher, renowned scholar and educator par excellence, died on December 22, 2025, after an illustrious career that spanned several decades.
Dr. Arfa Syeda Zehra
(1943-2025)
Dr. Arfa (seen, teaching at the head of the table in December 2023) was a dedicated teacher and a beloved friend of CBEC. A Professor Emeritus at Forman Christian College, Lahore, she was renowned for her mastery of Urdu literature. For over a decade, Dr. Arfa taught humanities at the Centre, sharing fascinating stories with her characteristic wit.
Ms. Zubaida Mustafa
(1941-2025)
One of the first female journalists in Pakistan, she was a long-term supporter of the Centre and attended most of its events. She wrote about the importance of including ethics in the national curriculum. The picture shows her (center) attending one of CBEC’s events, with Dr. Adib Rizvi (left) and Dr. Anwar Naqvi (right).
Dr. Tashmeem Razzaki
(1940-2025)
Dr. Tashmeem Razzaki, a microbiologist at SIUT, was an alumnus from CBEC’s first PGD Class of 2006. She played a pioneering role in establishing the Department of Biotechnology at the University of Karachi. She is seen here (third from left) with CBEC faculty and alumni at the Asian Bioethics Conference in Tehran, Iran in 2009.
CBEC Shots
Impressions of PGD Alumni
In this series of short videos, recent graduates of the CBEC-SIUT Postgraduate Diploma (PGD) program in Bioethics share their personal journeys, insights, and reflections providing a glimpse into their experiences, challenges, and growth during the one-year program.
Atif Mahmood
Asif Jan Muhammad
Abubaker Ali Saad
