people
A DISTINCTIVE
APPROACH
FARAH
IQBAL
F
By Melissa Y. Herrera, iF Magazine Director Of Business Development
arah Iqbal is no
stranger to the Pakistani community in
Houston, but I wanted to introduce her to
the rest of the international community and to our readers all over
the world. I believe that what she
has to say about her life experience,
philosophy on raising her daughters,
career and the changes taking place
in Pakistan will be both enlightening and inspirational.
Located in the heart of the International District is TV One, a Pakistani
Television Station that broadcasts
live in the US and Canada. Much
to my great delight it is in the building next to my office in the Interna-
42 iF Magazine | September 2016
tional Trade Center. Upon entering the station’s new facilities, I see
a relatively small space that has been
beautifully and recently decorated.
There are three distinct sets for various live programming. Farah Iqbal
is a gracious hostess helping us get
set up for our interview. I have been
looking forward to speaking with
Farah whom I met during the Pakistani Independence Day Celebration
at the Pakistan Center in Houston.
She is warm and inviting. Farah’s set
is a perfect reflection of her personality with beautiful, plush, white sofas decked with comfortable pillows.
We begin our conversation not too
unlike old friends who are catching
up on everything after a long time
apart over a cup of coffee.
Farah is originally from Lahore, the
capital of Punjab and second largest
city in Pakistan. Lahore is considered to be a cultural and educational
hub with many industries such as
tourism, film, music, and technology.
Its cultural influence on the rest of
the country is unmistakable as it is
one of the most liberal cities in the
country.
While growing up she recalls moving a lot and the influence her father
had on her. “My father was working
in the Ministry of Information and
he was all about media, newspapers
and documentaries, so I grew up
in that environment.” They moved
almost every two or three years to