Rahimullah Yousafzai

Member Advisory Board

Rahim Ullah Yousafzai is an award winning veteran journalist is presently working as the Resident Editor of daily “The News International” in Peshawar and as Analyst for Geo TV. He has been a correspondent for BBC World Service since 1985. Most of his BBC work is for the Urdu, Pashto, Hindi and English radio services. Rahimullah Yousefzai has done work for a number of national and international newspapers and periodicals, including Time magazine in the US, Gulf News in Dubai, Newsline in Karachi, Outlook in India, etc. He has covered the Afghan conflict following the communist revolution in 1978 and has widely travelled in Afghanistan and met most of the key players, including Mujahideen and Taliban commanders, politicians and warlords.

He has interviewed Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar several times and al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden twice.

Iqbal Khattak

Member Advisory Board

Iqbal Khattak is having over 23 years of experience in media strategy, editing and reporting, as started journalistic career with Peshawar-based English-language daily The Frontier Post (www.thefrontierpost.com.pk) in September 1989. Stayed with tem till March 2000 in different capacities such as Sports Desk in charge, deputy Edition in charge and Assistant Editor. Currently is working as Executive Director, Freedom Network. The organization is working to defend civic liberties and won prestigious French Republic’s Human Rights Prize in December 2017.Doing consultancies with different national and international organizations about media strategy, journalism and journalists’ safety. Also; Works with Paris-based international media rights group Reporters without Border (www.rsf.org) since 1999. He is the second most senior staff member and elevated from correspondence position to Representative Position in 2017.

Major Usman (R)

Member Advisory Board

Major Usman has Completed 24 years of active service in the army and retired normally as a major, Participated in counter insurgency operations as combatant in Dir, Bajaur, Swat and Mohmand. Conducted anti-narcotics operations in Baluchistan, seizing world largest narcotics consignment bound to the USA in 1990.

The incident was duly acknowledged by DEA Department of Justice USA .He is performing as focal person for Security & Administration in various INGOs (IMC, USAID, Internews, and ACF & Malteser International) since last 9 years. He also conducted training of journalists in conflict zone reporting and other evasive action courses.  Academically, Usman did Masters in English Language. Have done his security and leadership related courses & trainings both at home & abroad.

Farzana Ali

Member Advisory Board

Farzana Ali, Peshawar based journalists and the first women bureau chief in Pakistan, working at Aaj TV — a position also responsible for the seven tribal agencies — made it clear from the time she began as a journalist with Daily Mashriq in 1997 that she was going to push the boundaries even on the social issues beat. Her stories on swara (the tribal custom of giving girls in marriage as compensation to settle feuds) and honor killing were among those that ruffled many conservative feathers. They also established her reputation for hard-hitting journalism by the time she joined television. In 2009, Aaj gave her a show called ‘Hot Frontier’ during which she did in situ reporting on the military operations in Swat and South Waziristan. She holds Master’s degree in Mass Communication and Journalism, also worked as journalism trainer. She was the General Secretary of South Asia Free Media Association (SAFMA) and various women forums.