From Pakistan to a global cultural spotlight

There are moments when culture quietly walks into spaces usually reserved for politics and changes the conversation. The UK Forum on Cultural Diplomacy 2026, held at the House of Lords in London, was one such moment. Set inside the historic Palace of Westminster, the forum brought together parliamentarians, policymakers, cultural leaders, and global delegates to explore how culture shapes diplomacy, leadership, development, and social cohesion.

The forum emphasized dialogue, inclusion, and collaboration at a time when global narratives are increasingly shaped by perception and representation. This year’s gathering also marked a significant first: a Pakistani media network participating at this level of the forum, placing Pakistan’s creative voice within an international cultural exchange.

Representing Pakistan were Green Entertainment’s Chief Executive Fasih Ur Rehman and Executive Director Tehreem Chaudhary, marking a landmark moment for the country’s media industry on a global cultural diplomacy platform.

During the forum, Tehreem Chaudhary addressed Lords, Baronesses, Members of Parliament, and international delegates, speaking on women’s representation in media and the power of storytelling to shape social norms. “Media does not simply reflect society,” she said. “It shapes what is accepted, respected, and imagined as possible.” Her words echoed through a room steeped in history, reframing media not as entertainment alone, but as influence.

CEO Green Entertainment Fasih Ur Rehman with Miguel Angel Moratinos and Tehreem ChaudharySocial Media

Speaking as a Pakistani woman, a Muslim, and a media professional, she emphasized how these identities intersect rather than compete, informing leadership, creativity, and responsibility. Her address focused on the need for stories that reflect women as decision-makers, leaders, and complex individuals rather than symbolic figures.

As a producer and executive director at Green Entertainment, she highlighted how this philosophy translates into content. The channel’s storytelling choices, seen in projects such as Working Women, Standup Girl, 22 Qadam, Jindo, Nauroz, and the recently aired Pamaal, are rooted in women’s lived realities. These are narratives where women work, struggle, negotiate power, make difficult choices, and grow, mirroring the very conversations taking place inside the House of Lords that day.

By connecting on-screen stories with real-world discourse, the emphasis remained clear: representation is not performative, it is political, cultural, and deeply personal.

Placing the present moment in historical context, Tehreem Chaudhary referenced women from Muslim and South Asian history whose leadership often goes overlooked. From Fatima al-Fihriya, founder of the world’s oldest university, to Hazrat Khadija (R.A), a respected businesswoman and leader, and Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan’s first female Prime Minister, she reminded the audience that women’s authority is not new, it has simply been underrepresented.

She also addressed a familiar gap in global conversations: women from Muslim and South Asian societies are often spoken about, but rarely spoken with. Pakistani society, she explained, is layered and complex where tradition and progress coexist, and where faith and ambition are not in conflict.

She stressed that empowerment and tradition are not opposing forces. When women are represented truthfully in the media, and supported within homes, workplaces, and communities, societies become stronger and institutions more inclusive.

Concluding her address, she noted that the question today is no longer whether women belong in spaces of influence, they are already there. The responsibility now lies with institutions, platforms, and storytellers to reflect this reality honestly and normalize women’s leadership across narratives, public life, and everyday spaces.

Green Entertainment’s presence at the UK Forum on Cultural Diplomacy 2026 reflected this broader shift, where Pakistani television storytelling moves beyond borders, carrying with it stories that are rooted in authenticity, culture, and lived experience. At Westminster, it wasn’t just a seat at the table, it was a reminder that Pakistan’s stories, when told truthfully, speak a global language.