Nadeem Farooq Paracha

Nadeem Farooq Paracha, well known journalist, cultural critic and satirist, Nadeem F. Paracha (aka NFP) wrote and worked for The News International (Instep) between 1993 and 2005. He now writes for Dawn (Dawn Images and Dawn Magazine) and Indian Express. He has also written a novelette, Acidity, and co-hosted AAJ TV’s political satire show, News, Views & Confused with Fasi Zaka (2005-09).

Born in Karachi. Left-wing student activist in the mid & late ’80s.
Arrested twice by General Zia’s right-wing dictatorship for “anti-state activities.” Took out Pakistan’s first ever “underground” anarchist newsletter, The Arousal, before joining Pakistan’s largest English weekly, MAG in 1990.
Joined The News, Karachi as editor of the paper’s popular-culture page, Instep, and columnist.

Currently writing a regular column for Dawn Newspaper (Smokers Corner), Dawn.Com (Cafe Black) and one for Indian Express. Has also contributed articles to The Friday Times. – picked from Dawn.Com

Quick Facts

Birth: 6th Feb, 1967, Karachi.

Education: O Level from Karachi Grammar School (1983); B-Com from Saint Patricks Govt. College, Karachi (1984-87); MA Political Science from University of Karachi (1988-89).

Political Career: Vice-President of Peoples Students Federation (student wing of Pakistan Peoples Party) at St. Pat’s Govt. College (1985-86); General Secretary of St. Pats Socialist Students Federation (1987); Information Secretary of National Students Federation at University of Karachi in 1988; One of the founding members of The News Employees Union at The News, Karachi (1993).

Journalistic Career: Feature writer at Weekly Mag (1991-93); Senior Feature writer/Reporter and then editor of The News’ cultural pages (Instept) at the The News (1993-99); Senior Columnist at Dawn Newspaper and Dawn.Com (2005-present); Contributing columnist for Indian Express and Deccan Chronicals (India).

Political Views: Was a staunch pro-Soviet Marxist during college and university. Has been a supporter of the PPP since 1980s, but has also been a strong advocate of alliances between PPP, MQM and ANP. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, NFP became a strong advocate of left-liberal ideologies and of working towards a strong secular culture and politics in Pakistan. - Info compliled from various NFP interviews and articles written on him on assorted websites.     
 

Munawar Ali Rind

Munawar Ali Rind is  Islamabad-based Entrepreneur, Youth Activist and the vibrant secular young person who has achieved tremendous success in his young life of 23. Born at Village Digu Farm of Umerkot District on 17th October 1988, He completed his Matriculation from Umerkot  and intermediate from Hyderabad. Later he joined SZABIST Karachi and currently studying BBA at SZABIST-Islamabad. He is  passionate youth aspiring to be self-employed and develop quality institutions for the coming and this new young generation, to which he himself belong, too. He have  contributed for the mobilization and empowerment of the youth of Pakistan from grass-root to policy-making levels both nationally and internationally.
During May, 2009, Munawar founded a nation-wide youth network named Participatory Youth Development Network (PYDN) at Karachi and then founded SGA-Youth Club at Islamabad. Given his enterprising nature,he initiated the business ventures with brand name of PARADISE Lodging Services (PLS) at Islamabad which is a name for the quality lodging facilities at major cities of Pakistan. he have  closely worked with international organizations and facilitated them in Pakistan.I am good of secular, democratic and liberal voices & inter-faith harmony in Pakistan with strong opposition to orthodoxy and  conservative approaches of the society.

Amir Zia

Amir Zia has worked for some of the leading national and international media organizations in a journalistic career spanning more than 20 years. He writes mainly on Pakistan economy, politics and extremism. Currently, Zia is associated with one of Pakistan's leading English-language newspaper, The News, as Business Editor. Before joining The News in March 2010, he served as Director News & Current Affairs of Urdu-language private news channel SAMAA. 

He has also worked for The Associated Press of America, Reuters and monthly magazine, Newsline. He had also been the Karachi Correspondent of Gulf News. Zia headed the Public Relations Department of Pakistan Petroleum Ltd (PPL) and served as the Editor of its corporate magazine “Progress.” Zia has received two APNS Awards for best stories on economy and general news in 1997. He was elected secretary of the Karachi Press Club in mid-1990s. Born in Karachi, Zia got early education from Nasra Secondary School. He obtained a Masters' degree in English Literature from the University of Karachi in 1990.

Imran Naeem Ahmad

Imran Naeem Ahmad is a senior journalist and the Founding Editor of JournalismPakistan.com. He has extensive experience in journalism having worked for several English dailies in the country and abroad during a career spanning 27 years.

The newspapers he has served full-time include The Muslim, Gulf News, The News, Dawn and Daily Times while he has also been a stringer for the Saudi Gazette.

Imran, 48, has worked in various editorial positions in an eventful career. His writing skills have been termed "sharp and stimulating" by his editors while his editing abilities are seen as second to none.

He has traveled extensively abroad and within Pakistan to cover major events and has worked as a consultant with a string of organizations like the United Nations World Food Program, American Red Cross, ActionAid Pakistan and the China Electronics Technology Group.

Starting his career as a junior proofreader at The Muslim in 1984, Imran soon got promoted as a sub-editor. After a stint that lasted five and a half years, he moved to Dubai in 1989 to work for Gulf News before returning home two years later to join The News days after the paper’s formal launch.

His stay at The News that lasted a full decade saw him work in different editorial positions. He also got elected as the president of the paper’s workers’ union. As the Sports Editor, he founded the Rawalpindi-Islamabad Sports Journalists Association (RISJA) in 1991 and worked actively for the rights of sports writers.

When Dawn began publishing from Islamabad in 2001, Imran made the switch. His association with the newspaper stretched five and a half years before he joined Daily Times as the Chief City Reporter in 2006.

He later worked as a Communication Specialist with the Competitiveness Support Fund, a joint initiative of the USAID and the Pakistan Ministry of Finance for a year and a half before moving to Dateline Islamabad where he worked as a City Editor for well over a year.

Imran is now associated with the Free and Fair Election Network where he is a Senior Editor.

During his career, he has worked closely with revered editors - Khawaja Asif, Ahmed Hasan and Khalid Akhtar (late), Dr Maleeha Lodhi, Mushahid Hussain Syed, Salim Bokhari, M. Ziauddin, Hasan Musanna and Rehan Siddiqui.