Sabeen’s T2F

I was saddened to read an article, published in an international newspaper, which talked about the possible closure of The Second Floor, commonly known as T2F, in Karachi. T2F was owned by Sabeen Mahmud – a progressive Pakistani who was shot dead six years ago. She was on her way back home after she had successfully hosted a talk that was originally supposed to be held at a local university. In 2015, when Sabeen was shot, I was a student at the same university that had cancelled that event. Then, I realised that some spaces hold immense power. If you eliminate spaces of dissent, you will automatically kill the voices of dissent. Sabeen’s T2F provided a much-needed space to people to discuss dissent.

The phenomenon of constricting spaces of dissent is disturbing. We should allow spaces of dissent to expose people to opposing viewpoints and encourage them to engage with each other and have a meaningful conversation. This will help us create a tolerant and just society for our future generations.

Mariam Khan

Lahore