She is a former BBC News and Aljazeera journalist, an experienced aid worker, stand-up comedian and writer. Shaista won the respected King Gong Open Mike competition at the Comedy Store in Manchester that kick started her comedy career and she has performed stand up for the BBC, Edinburgh Festival and at international comedy festivals. She is a women’s rights and anti -racism campaigner. Together with journalist Aisha Marwari she is the co-founder of the Women’s Advocacy Hub (WAH) working to advance women’s rights in Pakistan in collaboration with grassroots women’s groups.