Ben Farmer’s Journalist Portfolio

A Professor's Killing Sends a Chill Through a Campus in Pakistan

The New York Times — BAHAWALPUR, Pakistan - Prof. Khalid Hameed's devotion to teaching often led him to arrive early for work, and the day he was killed was no different. Professor Hameed, a senior English lecturer at Government Sadiq Egerton College in the Pakistani city of Bahawalpur, parked at about 8 a.m.

Sept. 17, 2019

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Cast out by HIV: How hundreds of children have been infected

The Telegraph — More than 800 children in Pakistan face a potential death sentence after being infected with HIV. This article has an estimated read time of seven minutes Ben Farmer meets families at the centre of an unprecedented outbreak. Pictures by Saiyna Bashir One-by-one Irshad Khatoon points out the children in her family who have tested positive.

Aug. 8, 2019

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Pakistan's Tribal Areas Are Still Waiting for Justice as Army Tightens Grip

The New York Times — PESHAWAR, Pakistan - With the Pakistani military's crackdown on protesters in the northwestern tribal belt in recent days, the security forces have asserted themselves as the true masters of justice in the region. Commanders have said that an alternative antiterrorism court system will be used to prosecute leaders of an ethnic Pashtun protest movement that witnesses insist has stayed peaceful.

June 11, 2019

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Why Pakistan lets Arab bigwigs set falcons on rare birds

The Economist — THE ASIAN houbara is an unlikely diplomatic asset. An elusive, desert-dwelling bird, its expression suggests bad temper rather than entente. Yet the migratory, chicken-sized fowl, also known as the Macqueen's bustard, is considered prized sport by Arab falconers. Its meat is also thought to be an aphrodisiac.

April 17, 2019

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Afghans worry about the return of Shia fighters from Syria's civil war

The Economist — ALIREZA QANBARI has still not told his parents the truth about what he did when he left Afghanistan for Iran. The 23-year-old is happy for his father to believe he worked as a labourer. In fact, he fought with an Afghan militia recruited by Iran to help prop up the government in Syria's civil war.

March 14, 2019

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Women in Afghanistan fear a return to oppression as they are left out of peace talks with Taliban

The Telegraph — The Taliban extinguished Kamila Sidiqi's hopes of becoming a teacher the day she graduated from training college. As she proudly received her qualification in September 1996, Taliban militiamen entered her home city of Kabul to begin their forbidding five-year-long rule. Overnight, a place at university or a job were out of the question for the 18-year-old.

Feb. 18, 2019

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Village of widows: the volleyball playing town devastated by a suicide bombing

The Telegraph — The hard rural life in Shah Hassan Khel affords few moments of escape, but the village could once always rejoice in volleyball. A team sport with little equipment or space needed, the sport became a favourite among the village's menfolk. With this popularity came dedication and success.

Feb. 5, 2019

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America and the Taliban are edging towards a deal

The Economist — COULD THERE be a ray of hope for Afghanistan? After 17 years of fighting, America and the Taliban may be ready to lay down their arms. The adversaries have agreed in principle on a framework for ending their war, says Zalmay Khalilzad, America's point man on Afghanistan.

Jan. 31, 2019

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The 'tanker mafia' using illegal hydrants to sell drinking water on the black market in parched K...

The Telegraph — The dripping scaffold of industrial piping looked anything but temporary and was barely hidden from the street, but the men in charge were still edgy. As they kept an eye out, tanker lorries queued to be pumped full of liquid cargo and then cruise through Karachi's streets delivering to thirsty customers.

Jan. 1, 2019

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Fake vaccine video almost stalls drive to rid Pakistan of polio

The Telegraph — As health workers last week picked their way through the grimy lanes of one of Karachi's poorest slums, the virtual world of social media platforms would at first glance appear to pose little threat to their work. Five years ago the women going door-to-door to distribute vaccines in a bid to eradicate polio defied the real physical threat of motorbike-riding militants who gunned down health workers across Pakistan.

July 7, 2018

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Kabul: survival in a suburban war zone

The Sunday Telegraph — Goodbye to Kabul after five years as Afghanistan correspondent

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Attaboy

The Economist — A profile of Atta Mohammad Noor, one of the most important power brokers in Afghanistan.

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Helmand's most senior policewoman: 'My brother tried to kill me three times' - Telegraph

The Sunday Telegraph — The challenges of being a policewoman in Helmand, one of Afghanistan's most conservative and violent provinces.

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The big retrograde

The Economist — The Americans are attempting what they are calling the greatest feat of military transport in modern times, as they pull out of Afghanistan.

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