Fahad Shah

Fahad Shah (Arabic: فهد شاه) is a Kashmiri journalist and writer.

He is the founder and editor of The Kashmir Walla, and anthology editor Of Occupation and Resistance: Writings from Kashmir (Tranquebar, 2013), which was listed by Hindustan Times among "ten most thought-provoking and intellectually satisfying books" of 2013, calling it "a remarkable book."

Shah was born in Srinagar, Kashmir. After studying journalism from University of Kashmir, he was one of the six Felix Scholars at SOAS, University of London to study critical media and cultural studies in 2013. In 2017, Shah was selected by the United States Department of State for its prestigious Legislative Fellowship Program and spent four weeks at Georgetown University.

In October 2018, in the wake of Me Too movement in India, Fahad Shah was accused of sexual harassment by some women in separate claims. Shah later apologized but labelled the allegations a "concerted vilification campaign".

In 2009, Shah started his career as a trainee reporter in Jammu and Kashmir's leading daily, Greater Kashmir and worked for several other newspapers and magazines. After two years, he launched an online magazine, The Kashmir Walla, which has been internationally acclaimed for credibility and courage.

He has written for Time, The Nation, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, VICE, The Atlantic, The Diplomat, The Christian Science Monitor, TRT World, Al Jazeera, South China Morning Post, Hindustan Times, Scroll, Tehelka, Dawn, Firstpost, among several other publications worldwide.

Shah has delivered lectures at several universities worldwide, including University of Iceland, University of Warwick, University of Westminster, and Humboldt University of Berlin.

He is the director of the documentary film, Bring Him Back, which was released in London in 2015.

He launched a website called The Kashmir Walla in 2010, during the 2010 Kashmir Unrest and later turned it into an online magazine in April 2011.

Shah has been featured in Al Jazeera, BBC, NDTV, The Indian Express, The Sunday Guardian, and several other publications for starting The Kashmir Walla. While talking about the magazine, in 2011, Shah told an Indian national newspaper, The Sunday Guardian: "We wanted a breathing space, wherein the reality of Kashmir and the incidents that occur in the valley would get honestly reported."

In 2011, Fahad Shah was finalized for the South Asia's Manthan Award 2011 for his contribution in media by laying down the foundation of The Kashmir Walla magazine.

On 18 June 2017, Shah was questioned/detained for eight hours by Jammu and Kashmir police for his work. He had left from home at 11 am for work when a group of policemen stopped his car close to his house. He was put into a police vehicle and taken to a local police station. After a few hours, he was told that he needed to be questioned for something and asked to bring his laptop and iPhone also. Later he was taken to a Special Operations Group of the police infamously known as "Cargo" where a group of officers questioned him for several hours.

As per a news report, City Police Chief Imtiaz Ismail Parray said they were verifying certain things. He said there was no question of arresting a journalist and admitted the computer is with police and will be returned. Shah was later released at around 7:30 pm, and his belongings were returned next day. Shah later told a news agency that the police were questioning him about his recent travels and work.

On 8 July 2018, a tear gas shell was fired inside Shah's room but he was at his office. A few weeks before, his parent's car was also broken by paramilitary forces in the same area. Condemning the tear gas shell attack, Amnesty International in a statement said, "The attack on journalist Fahad Shah’s residence has once again brought to the fore the challenges faced by journalists working in Jammu and Kashmir."

A statement issued by Reporters Without Borders Asia-Pacific desk read: "We firmly condemn this new attack on the journalist Fahad Shah and we urge the local authorities to conduct an independent investigation in order to identify those responsible. Everything possible must be done to guarantee the safety of journalists and stop the attempts to intimidate them."

• Of Occupation and Resistance: Writings from Kashmir (Tranquebar, 2013)