Background 

I belong to Kardigap town in District Mastung. After spending my childhood in Kardigap, I moved to Quetta city. My mother tongue is Brahvi. I also speak English and Urdu. English is the language I use for my professional work. 

Education 

I have studied in Quetta from pre-school to my Post graduation. Completing my A-Level, I pursued B.A. in Political Science (2012) and Economics from the University of Balochistan. Later, I completed M.A. in International Relations (2015) from the same University. 

Journalism & Research 

I started my career as a freelance journalist in August 2011 and I continue to work in this position to this day. Along with freelance journalism, I also worked with other media organizations during this time. I joined Balochistan Point online newspaper in July 2012. I rose to the position of Editor of Balochistan Point in July 2014 and remained in that position till January 2016. I worked as a reporter for Balochistan Inside magazine from July 2015 to June 2017. I was a weekly blog writer for The Nation from January 2015 to December 2016.

My journalistic work has been published in Financial Times, South China Morning Post, Asia Times, Business Standard, The News International, The Friday Times, and Dawn among others. Currently, I am the lead Contributing Writer for Nikkei Asia from Pakistan.  

I also work as a freelance researcher covering International Affairs, regional geopolitics, and Belt and Road Initiative among others. I have written research reports for Lowy Institute, Jamestown Foundation, and the Center for Strategic and International Studies among others. 

I am also a Chevening Mentor for journalists certified by the British High Commission in Pakistan.  

Balochistan Voices

In February 2016, I founded Balochistan Voices a community-based independent online newspaper. The aim of this publication is to provide media coverage to the pressing issues of Balochistan province, which are ignored by the mainstream media of Pakistan.

DigiMAP

In 2020, Balochistan Voices was one of the founding members of the Digital Media Alliance of Pakistan (DigiMAP). It is an alliance of non-legacy independent digital media organizations. Currently, I am the elected Secretary General of DigiMAP for the term 2023-2025.

Book

I have authored a chapter titled “Covering the Periphery – Balochistan as a blind spot in the mainstream newspapers of Pakistan,” in the book “From Terrorism to Television,” which was published by Routledge India in 2019.

Trainings 

I have conducted training for journalists on:

1. Digital Journalism

2. Data Journalism

3. Digital Security

4. Photojournalism. 

International Fellowships and Conferences 

During my career, I have successfully attended the following international fellowships and conferences: 

1. As a fellow, I attended the Discover Weifang conference in Shandong Province of China in June 2015. It was organized by the China Daily newspaper. 

2. As a fellow attended the International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP) Sep-Oct 2017. It was organized by U.S State Department 

3. As a facilitator, I attended Mozilla Festival 2017 in October 2017 in London. It was organized by Mozilla Foundation. 

4. As a fellow, I attended Chevening South Asian Journalism Fellowship fro March to May 2018. It was organized by the University of Westminster, London. 

5. As a youth leader, I attended Young Connectors of the Future (YCF) program from September 2018 to March 2019. This program was organized by the Swedish Institute. 

6. As a scholar, I attended the Berlin Scholarship Program on Digital Security from May to August 2019. This program was organized by Reporters Without Borders Germany. 

Awards 

1. Agahi Award – Journalist of the Year 2016 – Business and Economy Reporting 

2. Agahi Award – Journalist of the Year 2018 – Data Journalism 

3. Reporting on Delimitation Award – Winner 2018 – Center for Excellence in Journalism (IBA) 

4. Agahi Award – Journalist of the Year 2019 – Police Reforms

5. Agahi Award – Journalist of the Year 2021 – Open Government

6. Journalist of the Month – December 2022 – International Journalists Network (IJNet)

7. Best in Business Awards 2022  – General Excellence Category – Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing, Association for Business Journalists (USA)

8. Gold Medal  – Feature Article Category – Asian Media Awards 2023, World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA)