What I Do
Consultation
I leverage technology and innovation to solve complex challenges, guiding businesses to adopt scalable solutions and achieve growth. As a tech entrepreneur, I specialize in web development, SaaS deployment, and resource augmentation, transforming ideas into actionable strategies for success.
Story Writer
A published novelist and short story writer, I craft narratives that inspire and resonate. With a passion for storytelling, I bring characters and worlds to life, blending creativity with insight to connect with readers on a profound level.
Digital Strategist
I design and implement data-driven digital strategies that elevate brands and optimize online presence. From SEO to WordPress development, I align digital tools with business goals to drive measurable results and sustainable growth.
My Projects
Awesome Brands
My Journey
Startup Experience
Business Analyst & Managing Partner
KTOWN IO DMCC - (2021 - Present)Lead client communication, Project scoping, and Project Management for GCC based clients. The startup was possible due to special arrangements from Astrolabs Dubai and DMCC freezone during Covid lockdown.
Communication Lead & Cofounder
PEEPU - (2019 - 2020)Led creation of digital platform for agriculture trade, and onboarded farmers. Startup was incubated in NIC Karachi.
Product Manager & Cofounder
ReadUp - (2017 - 2020)Led creation of an ebook marketplace and ebook reader for Pakistani audience. We were probably the first startup to integrate Mobicash for payment acceptance in a mobie app. Received pre-seed funding of $10,000/- from 10xC and was also incubated there.
Product Manager & Cofounder
Siasatdaan (2015 - 2017)Created a political accountability/fact-check portal (Laravel) to analyze political statements. This was made possible due to $10,000/- grant from P@SHA Social Innovation Fund. Startup was incubated at The NEST I/O.
Content Manager
SmartChoice.pk (2015)Led content creation efforts by writing at least one blog each day and experimented with other forms of content creation, including one unboxing and product testing video.
Web Content Manager
TimeSvr (2008 - 2010)Joined as a Virtual Assistant and got promoted to Web Content Manager to lead the company's blogging and article writing wing.
Professional Experience
Visiting Faculty
Bahria University (2025 - Present)Teaching undergraduate students of BBA 'Entrepreneurship' course.
Visiting Faculty
KSBL - (2025 - Present)Teaching undergrad students of Marketing 'E-Commerce and Web Services' course.
Visiting Faculty
SZABIST Karachi - (2024 - Present)Taught students Digital Project Management at Masters level (for MS in Project Management)
Technical Project Manager
Rholab - (2023 - 2024)Led the IT team to deliver several WordPress and PHP projects within a short span of 7 months.
Marketing Executive
TPS Worldwide - (2013 - 2015)Led the company's Marketing department for internal and external branding, including international participation in Banking events across Asia and ME.
HR Internship
Damco (2012)Joined Damco's HR department to streamline their HR processes and conducted two learning sessions across the company.
Literary Publishing
Amateur Short Stories
Blogging DaysWhile exploring blogging and covering events, I turned my attention to short stories. Tried my hand on a few and ended up publishing a couple on the blog. If I read them now, I would likely be horrified how bad a writer I was in the start.
Chance Meeting with Aamer Hussein
While covering literary event of Desi Writers LoungeAs active part of DWL literary group, I attended their author meetup where they interview Aamer Hussein. I wrote about the event on my blog, and that blog led to conversation with Aamer Hussein that triggered my literary journey.
The River and the Tree
Critical MuslimThe River and the Tree was the first short story influenced by Aamer Hussein's writing (Another Gulmohar Tree), and he played a key role in improving the story. In 2018 the story found its home, getting published in the British magazine Critical Muslim. The earlier draft of this story was also responsible for securing admission at University of Southampton for MA in Creative Writing in 2015, an opportunity I missed due to visa issues. The same story secured me admission in Kingston University for the same program, but once again I could not go due to same visa issue.
The Hunter
Amazon KindleThe Hunter was a novel that came out of NaNoWriMo 2015 where I wrote 50k words of the story in the month of November. I soon completed the story, had it edited, sat on it for sometime before self-publishing it on Amazon Kindle.
Adab Festival Creative Writing Workshop
Aamer Hussein and Sheheryar SheikhThis workshop was held before Covid lockdown entraped the whole world. My short story 'Closing Door' helped me get accepted for the workshop.
Other Writing
Blogging
BloggerMy blogging experience began with introduction to Blogger. It was a small community that was highly engaging, and I learned a lot interacting with other writers.
Article Writing
CorporateAfter completing my BBA I entered corporate world. My job responsibility included generating content for client's websites and blogs, and there I honed my article writing skills (which were above average already when I took up the responsibility, and they improved more with time).
Press Release
CorporateAfter completing MBA, I joined more established corporations where my responsibilities increased. One of them was dealing with media, therefor writing Press Releases to be published on compay's website and also in newspapers was my responsibility. Also, I was required to submit expert opinions and articles to magazines and newspapers on behalf of the company (which were authored by me after extensive technical input from relevant coworkers).
Snapshot of Professional Life
University Level Education
MBA in Business Administration
SZABIST Karachi (2011 - 2013)Specialized in Marketing with added courses of Entrepreneurship and starting a business.
BBA in Information Technology
Bahria University - Karachi (2005 - 2009)Specialized in MIS, the first for Bahria University, and focused SDLC as well as web technologies. Notable Achievements: Captained university teams for Table Tennis, Badminton, and E-Sports. Also led Sports Society as Vice President.
Achievements
Table Tennis
SZABIST Karachi - (2011 - 2013)Among the top players of Table Tennis in the university. Selected to lead the team at LUMS in 2012.
Cricket
SZABIST Karachi - (2011 - 2013)Member of SZABIST's Cricket Team as Leg Spinner and participated in several matches/tournaments with the team.
MIS Graduate
Bahria University (2008 - 2009)Part of first batch of Bahria University that graduated with MIS majors (BBA - IT).
Vice President Sports Club
Bahria University - (2008 - 2009)Got elected as Vice President of Sports Club and led efforts to successfully hold the largest sports festival to date.
Captain
Table Tennis (2006 - 2009)Led Bahria University Karachi Campus's team to several tournaments in Karachi, and brought first trophy in this sport at Intervarsity Sports Festival at FAST University.
Startup Experience
Business Analyst & Managing Partner
KTOWN IO DMCC - (2021 - Present)Lead client communication, Project scoping, and Project Management for GCC based clients. The startup was possible due to special arrangements from Astrolabs Dubai and DMCC freezone during Covid lockdown.
Communication Lead & Cofounder
PEEPU - (2019 - 2020)Led creation of digital platform for agriculture trade, and onboarded farmers. Startup was incubated in NIC Karachi.
Product Manager & Cofounder
ReadUp - (2017 - 2020)Led creation of an ebook marketplace and ebook reader for Pakistani audience. We were probably the first startup to integrate Mobicash for payment acceptance in a mobie app. Received pre-seed funding of $10,000/- from 10xC and was also incubated there.
Product Manager & Cofounder
Siasatdaan (2015 - 2017)Created a political accountability/fact-check portal (Laravel) to analyze political statements. This was made possible due to $10,000/- grant from P@SHA Social Innovation Fund. Startup was incubated at The NEST I/O.
Content Manager
SmartChoice.pk (2015)Led content creation efforts by writing at least one blog each day and experimented with other forms of content creation, including one unboxing and product testing video.
Web Content Manager
TimeSvr (2008 - 2010)Joined as a Virtual Assistant and got promoted to Web Content Manager to lead the company's blogging and article writing wing.
Professional Experience
Visiting Faculty
Bahria University (2025 - Present)Teaching undergraduate students of BBA 'Entrepreneurship' course.
Visiting Faculty
KSBL - (2025 - Present)Teaching undergrad students of Marketing 'E-Commerce and Web Services' course.
Visiting Faculty
SZABIST Karachi - (2024 - Present)Taught students Digital Project Management at Masters level (for MS in Project Management)
Technical Project Manager
Rholab - (2023 - 2024)Led the IT team to deliver several WordPress and PHP projects within a short span of 7 months.
Marketing Executive
TPS Worldwide - (2013 - 2015)Led the company's Marketing department for internal and external branding, including international participation in Banking events across Asia and ME.
HR Internship
Damco (2012)Joined Damco's HR department to streamline their HR processes and conducted two learning sessions across the company.
University Level Education
MBA in Business Administration
SZABIST Karachi (2011 - 2013)Specialized in Marketing with added courses of Entrepreneurship and starting a business.
BBA in Information Technology
Bahria University - Karachi (2005 - 2009)Specialized in MIS, the first for Bahria University, and focused SDLC as well as web technologies. Notable Achievements: Captained university teams for Table Tennis, Badminton, and E-Sports. Also led Sports Society as Vice President.
Achievements
Table Tennis
SZABIST Karachi - (2011 - 2013)Among the top players of Table Tennis in the university. Selected to lead the team at LUMS in 2012.
Cricket
SZABIST Karachi - (2011 - 2013)Member of SZABIST's Cricket Team as Leg Spinner and participated in several matches/tournaments with the team.
MIS Graduate
Bahria University (2008 - 2009)Part of first batch of Bahria University that graduated with MIS majors (BBA - IT).
Vice President Sports Club
Bahria University - (2008 - 2009)Got elected as Vice President of Sports Club and led efforts to successfully hold the largest sports festival to date.
Captain
Table Tennis (2006 - 2009)Led Bahria University Karachi Campus's team to several tournaments in Karachi, and brought first trophy in this sport at Intervarsity Sports Festival at FAST University.
Design Skill
PHOTOSHOT
FIGMA
ADOBE XD.
ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR
DESIGN
Development Skill
HTML
CSS
JAVASCRIPT
SOFTWARE
PLUGIN
My Pricing
Make Your Single Page
Elementor / WPBakeryAll the Lorem Ipsum generators on the Internet tend to repeat predefined chunks as necessary
1 Page with Elementor
Design Customization
Responsive Design
Content Upload
Design Customization
2 Plugins/Extensions
Multipage Elementor
Design Figma
MAintaine Design
Content Upload
Design With XD
8 Plugins/Extensions
Design Make this Page
Elementor / WPBakeryAll the Lorem Ipsum generators on the Internet tend to repeat predefined chunks as necessary
5 Page with Elementor
Design Customization
Responsive Design
Content Upload
Design Customization
5 Plugins/Extensions
Multipage Elementor
Design Figma
MAintaine Design
Content Upload
Design With XD
50 Plugins/Extensions
Customize Your Single Page
Elementor / WPBakeryAll the Lorem Ipsum generators on the Internet tend to repeat predefined chunks as necessary
10 Page with Elementor
Design Customization
Responsive Design
Content Upload
Design Customization
20 Plugins/Extensions
Multipage Elementor
Design Figma
MAintaine Design
Content Upload
Design With XD
100 Plugins/Extensions
Blog
Book Launch – The Room in the Mausoleum

Book Launch – The Room in the Mausoleum
Sheba Sultan and Rabeya Ali Faridi launched their book “The Room in the Mausoleum” at Karachi Arts Council on 17th March 2015. A collection of 7 short stories, the two authors have shared life experiences from diverse point of views. The launch was attended by around 100 people and an esteemed panel of speakers was lined up for the occasion.
Heena Jadav Sunil, author of Equinox trilogy, was the first speaker to take the podium and talk about how much the stories were written from the heart. Bishop (Rt. Rev.) Sadiq Daniel also commended the young authors and congratulated them for taking such a major step in their lives.
IBA professor Yaseen Ahmed Minai spoke about the importance of writing and telling stories, the power of observation and strength of youth to change nation’s future with their words. Haseena Moin shared her experience, much to the amusement of all in attendance, where she had lost the book and had Sheba read her the stories over the phone before coming to attend the launch. Other speakers, most prominent being Sehar Ansari, shared their experiences and stressed the importance of this achievement by the young writers.
The book has been published by Academy Bazyaft. For details about book purchase, contact Sheba Sultan on her Facebook profile or her Twitter handle @ShebaSultan.
An Isolated Incident – Review

An Isolated Incident – Review
Published in 2014, An Isolated Incident by Soniah Kamal is an English novel with incredible depth about the lives of Kashmiris, both inside Kashmir and outside, and how their plight is forgotten in the tussle between between India and Pakistan for the region. The story takes place during the 90s in Kashmir, Pakistan, Afghanistan and USA.
Synopsis
Zari Zoon, a vivacious girl from Kashmir, is looking forward to marrying her fiance when tragedy strikes. Next thing she know, she is on a plane to America to stay with distant relatives who have offered to give her a temporary home to help her stitch back the tatters of her life.
Billy Nabi, fiercely tender-hearted, longs to help Zari but the choices he makes will jeopardize them all. An Isolated Incident is a story of haunting memories and yearnings of a home lost, of a faith continuously tested and questioned and of a love that blossoms against all odds.
Bliss Vs Knowledge
18 year old Zari Zoon is living with family in IoK (Indian Occupied Kashmir) where her sister Kiran comes to visit, bringing her son Baz as well, from Dubai. Zari remembers a time when she could move around freely, but now military and police are everywhere and it’s no longer safe. Her best friend Sonea often visits and share both good and bad times. Zari’s family gets a surprise visit during the night where they are bundled into a room by freedom fighters who leave in the morning. Few days later, when Zari’s fiance Imran comes for a visit from Australia, unknown men murder the whole family (including Imran and Sonea) and gang rape Zari.
She survives, carrying a bullet wound and lifetime’s worth of terrifying memories. She goes to her aunt’s place in Rawalpindi, Pakistan but doesn’t find peace. Finally, she is sent to distant relations place in USA, the Nabis. Amman and Shahla are very accommodating Kashmiri couple who take Zari in until she heals. Their own children, Billal and Salsabil, are close to Zari’s age with an American lifestyle; but while Billal is brooding for being denied the history of Nabi family back in Kashmir, Salsabil has wholeheartedly embraced American life. The youngest sibling is Miraag, 4 year old who reminds Zari of her nephew Baz.
The story primarily follows Zari’s perspective until she reaches USA and from there it switches between Zari and the Nabis’ a lot. Billal and Zari are the protagonist of the story, each with a history in Kashmir, and Billal tries to find that which Zari is trying to forget. Zari has memories … memories so painful she has to cut herself to bear; memories she wants to forget and get over. Billal has a peaceful life but he wants to know the truth that he is being kept from by his parents Amman and Shehla … the truth about his freedom fighter grandfather Abdullah Nabi. This ultimately takes him to Kashmir to train with the Mujahideen and the whole experience is affected by global relations between various nations.
Attention to details
Be it Kashmir, Pakistan, Afghanistan or USA, the author has clearly made efforts to make the description as realistic as possible. From Zari’s encounter with Indian army men to cultural shock in US, all have been incorporated effortlessly in the narrative. Not just the physical aspect but also philosophical, psychological, cultural and geo political elements strongly enhance the story. The following passage about freedom fighters give a good idea about author’s command over these elements:
Page 27:
She watched through the window as the intruders, having stuffed themselves with breakfast, and packed the leftovers, walked out the driveway and disappeared into the morning mist as if they were college boys stooped with books and thoughts and not weapons and a cause. Militants. Guerrillas. Insurgents. Freedom Fighters. Zari didn’t even know what to call them anymore. She remembered a time when they’d invoke safety, not terror. A time when they’d genuinely belonged to Kashmir, when they had been indigenous fighters and not men overtaken by foreign forces with agendas of their own to push. Now their knocks – whether in a remote village or in her upper-middle-class neighborhood – were met with curses and their forced recruitment with suicides. No one knew which group was knocking, native or outsides, asli or naqli, real or impostor. Which group will shoot you for sheer practice, sheer sport, sheer rage at someone or some other situation that the laws of transference had delivered to your door.
These fighters, once rising to fix what was broken in the land, now a part of the shards themselves, breaking apart as they were into different groups fighting for supremacy amongst themselves; some pro-independence, some pro-Pakistan, some under the Indian government’s counter insurgency payroll, and some neither for nor against, just that it felt good to be powerful, thanks to the gun in their hands, the gun that enabled them to bleed each other for different goals although the end results were identical: injecting misery into the lives of ordinary Kashimri citizens.
While story in Pakistan is not that descriptive, the feel of the land and culture is good. It is rather unclear how Zari reaches Pakistan. Kashmir and USA have been described in detail and the culture of both locations oozes from the pages as the author illustrates the neighborhoods, shops, people, behavior, relations and expectations. Lifestyle is similarly covered and an illustration on media’s role provides stark image how narrative is affected the way things are described:
Page 228:
Billy sat absolutely still. If he moved, he would fall. If he looked at anyone’s face, he would crack. If he allowed himself to crack, he would die. Everyone rose for the last prayers of the day and Billy rose too, stumbling through the prayers, through the words, the motions. Nothing virulent had ever been shown at any meeting back home and even the media made sure that death and destruction were cleansed of guts and gore. A fence lined with teddy bears and ribbons and flowers represented hit and run. Shocked neighbors represented the body of a murder victim. A camera panning the outside of a house represented the lair of a serial killer. War, too, was sanitised. Soldiers returned in flag-draped coffins, while battlefields were marked with cenotaphs and bereft relatives looking away from the camera into sombre skies. Nothing like this continuous footage of carnage Billy has just been force fed.
These, and many such passages throughout the novel, exemplify the realities touched upon time and again to make sense of the world Zari and Billal were now living in. Most of these are brutally honest, holding wide spectrum of realities threaded through conflicting cultures and making sense of a mess that otherwise eludes the common person. One example is Fahad’s family when they visit Zari and bring their grandmother along. The authority of grandmother, how her approval of Zari despite knowing her background, leaves the family powerless despite an American upbringing.
Some of the areas were not so well detailed. A particular example that stands out is Billal’s trip from Peshawar into Afghanistan. Although vivid, the description of his journey lacked the x-factor which is apparent in other description of other areas.
Since the story takes place in the 90s, at one point Salsabil asks Zari to email her the grocery list. Although email systems such as Yahoo and Hotmail were becoming common, it is unclear if it was part of lifestyle to regularly check emails at work. Also, right after emailing the list, Zari searches “Rape” terms and is disgusted by the results and images she finds. It should be noted that during 90s the search engine frequently used was Yahoo and porn or rape fantasies was not something easily available over the internet. How Zari easily find them (and which search engine she used) is not explained.
Nationhood – Safety – Irrational Love
Kashmir is the central point in this novel. The love for the land and for the people has led people in various directions. It is a source of pride, nationhood as well as irrational love. Zari’s father loved the land so much it bordered on madness, and that irrational love ended up with the death of the Zoon family. Mauj Ji (sister of Amman’s father) loved the land irrationally, her own life ruined as a result. Nearly every Kashmiri experienced irrational love of one kind or the other.
Pain, loss, suffering dominate the lives of Kashmiris living in Kashmir and painful memories for those who migrated abroad. Those who moved abroad settled for a life of peace and safety, a far cry from their experiences back home. Amman’s description argument aptly sums it up:
Page 173:
“Nullify differences, ignore them, celebrate them, find a balance … this is the new trick the old dog must learn if it is not to blow itself up. I just do not believe that breaking countries up on communal or religious or ethnic lines will lead to the ultimate happiness of all those involved. I like to believe that diverse people can live together as long as law and order and justice are meted out equally. But then again,” Amman said, “I live in the United States of America; I must believe in this.”
In similar fashion Amman also deals with realities of life where idealism fails:
Page 174:
“Let me tell you!” Amman sat up. “The end of insurgency does not necessarily means a government better than the one being resisted. It does not mean an end to the bribery and corruption that are rampant in state systems; it does not mean the institution of measures to reign in poverty, or programs to teach ex-freedom fighters a profession. Instead, these unsung ‘heroes’, as I am sure you’d like to call them, are left high and dry with no education and no practical skills to support themselves and their families in the new world with its changed order. Eventually, these discontented men either turn to overthrowing the very establishment they helped put into place or else, they turn to crime because crime pays better than some menial, back-breaking, reward-less job.
“Look at me Billal,” Amman stares into Billy’s eyes. “Freedom fighters don’t get medals, they don’t get any honours. My mother made sure I understand that, and I will make sure you do too before you get caught up in romancing an exaggerated idealisation of a lie.”
Strong feelings and emotions about loss are expressed at various points and they are not limited to Kashmir alone. At one place when Shehla’s brother and his wife Barbara come to stay for a few days, Zari inquires about the loss of Barbara’s son to which she replies in heart-felt words:
Page 287:
“Children whose parents die are called orphans, but there is no such word for parents who have lost their children. Omissions like that used to frighten me. As if the world was Godless just because my language was incomplete.”
Kashmiris to the core
Most of the characters in the novel are Kashmiris, though there are sizeable number of non-Kashmiri people the reader comes across. They all share a sense of longing and belonging, cultural confusion, search for peace and safety, camaraderie and a sense of loss that has evolved with the passage of time. The people are very real with problems, aspirations, queries, opinions and stigmas.
Zari is a broken orphan girl trying to mend itself in a foreign land and culture. Billal is in love with the idea of freedom and freedom fighters. Amman has blocked out previous life in order to peacefully live in the USA. Shehla does not want her children to suffer what she and her elders suffered. Salsabil is practical and bold person who doesn’t skip a beat to call spade a spade. Various other people they interact with have their own lives and motivations and they have been meticulously described.
Amman’s character, one of the major characters, is fleshed out after nearly half the book is done. Compared to others he really has an interesting past that lends credence to his current behavior as a father and son of a freedom fighter.
Most of the perspective is through Zari eyes while Billal’s life takes dominance for the last quarter of the novel. We also get to see the world through Shehla and Amman’s perspective though not for long periods. At some places, sometimes within the same paragraph, the perspective shifts between the characters and it requires a double take to make sure which character are we looking through.
Blunt and Honest
Soniah Kamal has used simple and straight forward words to describe incidents and events, involving the reader with whatever was happening in the story. Where ideas and philosophy was used, there is a complete absence of flowery language. The words are used with brutal honesty, hitting the nail on the head at every turn. Words of Urdu as well as Kashmiri are incorporated efficiently within the narrative without breaking the flow and are followed by their meanings.
Cultural references are skilfully placed, proving the author’s knowledge and understanding of various places. The dialogues are well crafted and words spoken are authentic enough to highlight general mindset of the character. Salsabil was blunt, Billal too idealistic, Shehla being practical, Zari quite introverted and Amman conflicted.
Final Verdict
This is the first novel on Kashmir that is capable of irking everyone around the line-of-control, be they Pakistanis, Indians or Kashmiris. Perhaps there in lies the path to better understand each other. An Isolated Incident is not so isolated as it covers lives of Kashmiris across the globe. Albeit slow, it’s a must read novel to better understand the plight of Kashmir and Kashmiris.
Democracy Review
![Democracy-by-Fatima-Bhutto[1]](https://digitalsaeen.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Democracy-by-Fatima-Bhutto1-601x450.jpg)
Democracy Review
Published on 14th February 2015, Democracy by Fatima Bhutto is a short fiction set in the 90s when military coup overturned civilian government. It’s a fictional reenactment of Nawaz Sharif’s infamous folly of sacking Musharraf mid-flight and nearly getting him killed.
Infidelity and Hijacking
The story follows life of Brigadier Azad who was enjoying swimming in Sindh Club while waiting for his mistress Sharmilla, and a caravan of military vehicles under Major Jamshed arrive with emergency orders. Azad leaves to immediately secure the airport for plane’s landing while a drunk Sharmilla is news casting on national television.
Karachi of the 90s
There is a distinctive feel of 90s Karachi as the events progress, though the speed of the story and clear lack of background information causes confusion in what decade the story is set in. Airport, Sindh Club and PTV headquarters are the primary places the story takes place and their descriptions have been lightly touched. At one point the author says the capital must be now secured by 118 Brigade. It is unclear if the brigade was deliberately called 118 and not the real 111 Infantry Brigade stationed at the capital.
Infidelity (mostly)
Apart from Honor to serve their “True” Army Chief rather than the one imposed on them so suddenly, infidelity is dominant theme of the story where Brigadier Azad is keeping himself unavailable to his wife Kiran while trying to find every reason to be with Sharmilla. Throughout the whole story he is worried about missing his date with her and thinking about ways to make up for it in the next few days, unaware of her own doings until he sees her on television drunkenly reading the news.
Crisp Language, Worldly People
Most characters seems to be following their instincts. Major Jamshed, trying to avoid becoming an imposter like his father under Zia; Kiran, screaming to look for her husband; Brigadier Azad, worried about both securing airport and pleasing his mistress; Sharmilla, trying not to look so drunk while reading the news to the applause of politicians. There are some formatting issues and script errors, such as “its tyres” written as “itstyres” which are aplenty for a fiction of such short length.
Final Verdict
Democracy is an interesting but pointless fiction on the 90s coup. It seems to be a writing exercise that was published as an afterthought rather than a real work of fiction as it ought to be.