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Afifa Nasar Ullah

Afifa Nasar Ullah

Multimedia journalist
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Visiting the Global Migration Institute

Fall 2026

Afifa Nasar Ullah is a Pakistan-based journalist, migration and media expert, consultant, and trainer with over a decade of experience strengthening ethical, rights-based reporting on migration, trafficking in persons, smuggling of migrants, forced displacement, and refugee issues. She is currently a Foreign Correspondent with Deutsche Welle (DW News – Urdu) and has previously worked with InfoMigrants, BBC World Service Urdu, 24 News, and City News Network.

As a consultant and media trainer for the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ), Afifa has led large-scale programs across Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, training hundreds of journalists in migration-sensitive storytelling, ethical reporting, and responsible journalism. She received the Media Fellowship on Migration and Migrant Women’s Human Rights from the Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD) in Thailand (2022–2023), and her documentaries on trafficking and migrant smuggling were screened at APWLD forums in Thailand (2024), amplifying regional migration narratives.

She founded and led a mentorship initiative under the Building Bridges: Fostering Social Cohesion between Forced Displaced Afghans and Host Communities (BBSC) project with GIZ and the Embassy of the Netherlands, training Afghan refugee girls in migration storytelling. Additionally, she has guided women-led media and storytelling start-ups through the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs, U.S. Embassy Islamabad, linking migration, entrepreneurship, and integration.

Research focus while a Bridging Divides Fellow

During her residency, Afifa's research will focus on examining how digital governance systems—such as AI-driven screening tools, biometric technologies, and data-based migration management—shape migrant experiences, particularly for women and youth from South Asia navigating pathways to countries like Canada. Through a comparative lens, she will explore how digital migration infrastructures influence access to rights, labour integration, safety, and belonging.

By engaging with researchers at the Global Migration Institute and Toronto-based migrant-serving organizations, her work will connect academic research with journalistic practice to better understand how policy, technology, and media narratives intersect in migrant lives. A key component of her research will assess how inclusive communication and participatory storytelling can bridge gaps between migrants, host communities, and institutions, countering mistrust and misinformation.

Publications and Reports

(2021) "How violence drove a transgender migrant back to Pakistan (external link) ". DW.

(2021) “Leaving Pakistan: A migrant's grueling attempt to reach Europe on foot (external link) ". InfoMigrants.

(2021) "Pakistan: Sex workers recount ordeal in Gulf countries (external link) ". DW.