ABOUT ME
"Rubina is the esteemed recipient of the 2016 Khalid Ahmad Award for her book, Khawab Say Lipti Kahanian"
Timeline of Achievements
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Immigrated to Canada 2000 - presentImmigrated to Canada from Lahore, Pakistan, in 2000.
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Education 2002Completed a Bachelor of Commerce, a BA in Journalism, Punjabi Literature, and Persian, and a Master’s in English Literature from Forman Christian College Lahore
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Roti Khati Moortiyan 2010Published her first book, Roti Khati Moortiyan (Wheat-Eating-Caricatures), a compilation of her political columns
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250 episodes 2010Hosted 250 episodes of her weekly television program on Rawal TV, covering a range of topics including Pakistani and Canadian politics, human rights, and social issues.
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Khawab Say Lipti Kahanian 2016Released her second book of short stories, Khawab Say Lipti Kahanian (Tales From Dreams), in 2016, which was critically acclaimed in Pakistan, India, Canada, the USA, and Europe.
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Awarded 2016Awarded the 2016 Khalid Ahmad Award for her book Khawab Say Lipti Kahanian.
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Poetry 2018Released her second book of short stories, Khawab Say Lipti Kahanian (Tales From Dreams), in 2016, which was critically acclaimed in Pakistan, India, Canada, the USA, and Europe.
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First Novel 2023Published her first novel, Narsai, and directed her first short film, Kawwa
She has hosted 250 episodes of her weekly television program on Rawal TV (Mississauga). Her programmes have covered Pakistani and Canadian politics, the South Asian diaspora in Canada, human rights violations globally and in the South Asian context, history, foreign policy, special programs on Iran, Palestine, Egypt, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Kashmir. She has done bold and groundbreaking programmes on purdah, marital issues, divorce, conflicts arising out of differing social values and social conflict. Dastak also covered issues central to Pakistan and its history – pre and post the country’s partition, blasphemy, world peace, gender discrimination, minority rights and state terrorism.She has interviewed several celebrities and political figures including Imran Khan, Usman Peerzada, Abrar Ul Haq, Lord Nazir, Aysha Jalal, Amjad Islam Amjad, Aftab Iqbal, Sahar Ansari, Mahmood Sham, Satya Pal Anand, Zafar Bangash, Asif Ali Pota Fauzia Qasuri and Dr. Tahir Ul Qadiri. The show has reached a large viewership across the world.
She has written hundreds of weekly political columns for Pakistan’s “NawaiWaqt.” Her columns traverse geographical boundaries from urban and rural Pakistan and India to issues faced by the South Asian community in Canada and North America. Her first book, a compilation of published columns, was published in June 2010, Roti Khati Moortiyan (Wheat-Eating-Caricatures) During this time, she was actively writing short stories and presenting them in several literary gatherings.
In March 2016, Rubina’s second publication of short stories, Khawab Say Lipti Kahanian (Tales From Dreams) was released. The book was launched in several major cities; Abu Dhabi, Lahore, Barcelona, Mississauga and Thorncliffe Ontario, and received critical acclaim in Pakistan, India, Canada, USA and Europe. These short stories showcased conflict from religion, social culture and domestic issues. The emotional and psychological fallout of these conflicts is shown through the well crafted characters in her stories.
- A collection of Rubina’s free verse poetry was released in 2018 as “Aisa Zarrori to Nahee” (It Is Not Necessary).
- Another book of her short stories “Gumshuda Saaiay” (Lost Shadows) was published in 2019.
- Academy of letters of Pakistan asked Rubina Faisal to translate the stories of esteemed Canadian writers from English to Urdu in 2021, and published those translations under the title “Canada kee Kahanian” (Stories of Canada).
As of 2023 Rubina has published her first Novel “Narsai ” and has written and directed her first short film: “Kawwa “. Rubina has been recognized for her candid and expressive writing style. Her short stories boldly captivate a diverse audience in Canada and abroad, bringing to light many cultural and social issues impacting today’s South Asian/Muslim communities. Her stories have been described as profound, transcending deep into the hearts and minds of her characters as they live their seemingly normal lives. This nuanced depiction of everyday life, conveyed through her well crafted characters and situations, not only resonates emotionally with readers, but leaves them questioning what is right and what is wrong. The affect broad cultural and social issues have on everyday people and the nuanced look at morality is a central theme to the work of Rubina.