Jugnu Mohsin

Jugnu Mohsin is a Pakistani publisher and editor of the Lahore-based "The Friday Times", Pakistan's first English-language independent newsweekly.

Background

Born of a wealthy family with shrewd business acumen – her brother and father run a family owned leading food company [http://www.mitchells.com.pk/farm/profile.htm] ; her highly successful maternal uncle was a businessmen who helped start up LUMS, now Pakistan's most prestigious management sciences university, and is a first cousin of Syeda Abida Hussain and Syed Fakhar Imam – Jugnu Mohsin was inspired by husband Najam Sethi to combine her money and cutting wit for civic purposes. She regards herself as holding "the Establishment" accountable. In 1984 Najam had been arrested under martial law for releasing books with his book publishing firm Vanguard Books. [http://www.vanguardbooks.com/cgi-local/vbl/vblmain.pl] The press hardly took notice and the couple were determined to set up their own paper.

In May 1989 the Lahore-based couple did just that, thus establishing Pakistan’s first independent English newsweekly [http://www.thefridaytimes.com] "The Friday Times" which has since been criticising successive governments with its outspoken equal opportunity criticism. "The Friday Times" was first published on 25 May, 1989.

This, allies would maintain, is what lead to one eventful May 1999 when Sethi was dragged from his bedroom in the middle of the night and imprisoned in jail, where he was held for 25 days. Sethi’s piercing criticism of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, it is alleged, what the root cause – making the matter a freedom of press issue. [http://www.media-watch.org/articles/0799/225.html]

Jugnu Mohsin rallied up support from Western allies - Amnesty International, the Committee to Protect Journalists, World Bank President James Wolfensohn, and US State Department spokesman, James Rubin – to exert pressure on Sharif’s regime for the immediate release of her husband. The sedition charges were finally dropped on June 2, but not without further government harassment, including calls for Sethi to be stripped of his status as a Muslim and have his name taken off voter lists.

In 1999 the couple were recognised for their bold contributions to journalism and both were recipients of the Committee to Protect Journalist’s International Press Freedom award. [http://www.cpj.org/awards99/Awards.html]

In addition to being the Managing Editor and Publisher of "The Friday Times", Jugnu Mohsin launched "GoodTimes" [http://www.goodtimes.com.pk] as its Publisher and Editor in January 2005.

Jugnu’s witty satirical pieces at the back page of "The Friday Times" in the form of spoofs of incumbent administration and opposition. Her current spoof columns "Ittefaq Nama" and "Mush and Bush" poke fun at ex-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Presidents George W. Bush and Pervez Musharraf. Jugnu will be soon publishing a collection of the profiles of Pakistani luminaries that she wrote for T"he Friday Times’" features section in a book. Ever tireless, the husband-wife duo are also set to launch a television network broadcasted from Dubai to the Subcontinent.

Jugnu Mohsin received her LLB degree from Cambridge University. Before partnering her husband professionally, Jugnu was a practicing lawyer and member of the Women's Action Forum.

External links

* [http://www.thefridaytimes.com "The Friday Times"]
* [http://www.goodtimes.com.pk "GoodTimes"]