A documentary on the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa bomb disposal squad has won Emmy Award. The documentary won the accolade at the News and Documentary Emmy Awards ceremony in New York earlier this week.
Asad Faruqi’s Armed With Faith received an Emmy in the category of Outstanding Politics and Government Documentary. The documentary takes a comprehensive look in the precarious jobs of the bomb disposal unit, and life-risking mission undertaken to protect Pakistan against the Taliban and Al Qaeda militants.
The six-time Emmy Award winner, Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, also co-producer of the documentary congratulated Faruqi on Facebook.
“We witness firsthand the dangerous struggle undertaken by the men of the KP BDU to protect their country against the Taliban threat in the land they both call home,” reads a description given on the film’s official website.
Asad Faruqi and Geeta Bandhbir, the co-director of the documentary were present to receive the accolade at 40th edition of the ceremony. In his acceptance speech, Faruqi shared his outlook on watching movies on the war in Afghanistan, but rarely from a Pakistani perspective.
So proud of a fellow Szabist graduate and friend Asad Faruqi winning an Emmy. God bless you and we are very happy for you 😊 https://t.co/hs6q83MWdw
— Ali Gul Pir (@Aligulpir) September 25, 2019
“It was always that I was on the other side of the lens and not represented, which is one of the reasons why we went out and ventured and wanted to tell the story of this incredible bomb disposal squad whose determination to save humanity was very inspiring and it was a story I felt had to be shared.”
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The six-time Emmy Award winner, Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, also co-producer of the documentary congratulated Faruqi on Facebook. “Asad Faruqi came to work with me many many moons ago as a photographer at The Citizens Archive of Pakistan he was passionate and eager to learn and the best kind of student! In 2009 we smuggled ourselves into Swat, in 2012 we worked on Saving Face in 2015 on a Girl in the River…. and countless projects in between and after … today he won his first Emmy as a director … I cannot be more proud of who he is and what he’s accomplished!”