Sonya Jehan

She was born to Noor Jehan's eldest son, Akbar Hussain Rizvi and Florence Rizvi who is French. Her mother owns a French restaurant named Cafe Flo in
Karachi, Pakistan. She finished her A-Level study from The Lyceum School and O-levels from Centre of Advanced Studies. From St. Martin's College of Art and Design she received a degree.

Sonya married an Indian banker named Vivek Narain. 

She changed her name from Sonya Rizvi to Sonya Jehan after her grandmother Noor Jehan's name. 

CAREER
In 2005 she did an advertisment for Lux Soap. She started her film career as Mumtaaj mahal in Taj Mahal: An Eternal Love Story (2005). Actor and model Zulfi Sayed played the role of Shah Jahan opposite her. In 2007 she appeared in Shiney Ahuja and Soha Ali Khan starring Khoya Khoya Chand where she played a character named Ratanbala. 

Karan Johar's My Name Is Khan (2010) is her upcoming release. Superstar Shahrukh Khan and Kajol are playing the lead roles in this film.

Laiba Yousafzai

Ms Laiba Yousafzai has M.A Journalism and MA English Literature & Language from University of Peshawar.  She has an extensive background of print and electronic media where she worked as Programme Director, producer, scriptwriter and anchor with different National and International TV Channels  including  Current Affairs, Parliamentary News, Khost based local TV namely Ghorghst TV, Zuban-e-Khalq and Nan Saba on PTV Channels.  During this period, she continued to produce and directed about 350 programmes on various subject like social issues, literature, political and social discussion. More significantly, she has presented documentaries on Kalash and Ghandara Civilization in three languages i.e. Urdu, Pushtu and English. While working for Community Infrastructure Project( CIP) she was engaged in  13 documentaries. She has also worked for Radio Pakistan,  Radio Mashal, Free Europe, Pushtu Radio “ Buraq” and also worked with BBC during Floods in Pakistan as an anchor and editor.

Aftab Anwar Baloch

Mr. Aftab Anwar Baloch an officer of Pakistan Customs Service belongs to Seventh Common Training Programme.  He joined service of Government of Pakistan during  1980 and possesses 32 years of rich experience both in formulation and implementation of fiscal policy relating to levy  charge and collection of Federal Taxes i.e. Customs Duty, Sales Tax, Federal Excise Duty etc.

He belongs to Sindh Province and has served on various positions throughout Pakistan under the  Federal Board of Revenue.  He has also served as Minister (Trade) in the Embassy of Pakistan, Moscow (Russian Federation) during 2005 to 2008 with accreditation to Belarus.

He has extensively travelled abroad and has been instrumental  in the compilation of WHO Technical Manual on Tobacco Tax Administration published by World Health Organization and has attended various meetings/seminars  in Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, America on Tobacco Taxation and FCTC besides attending Seminar on Revised Kyoto Convention in Maldives under World Custom  Organization and  Course on Tax Administration in USA.

He also possesses research experience in introduction of Sales Tax under  VAT Mode and Tobacco Taxation  Joint Research Study Project under  FBR-WHO Collaboration.

At present he is working as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Finance looking after Internal Finance and Investment Wing.

Shayan Anique Akhtar

Shayan Anique Akhtar, a student from Haveli, Okara, has set a new world record by scoring 998 marks out of total 1,000 in a Microsoft Professional Certificate programme.

Shayan a Student of Computer Science and Youngest Microsoft Certified Professional Record Holder. He is a Microsoft Certified Professional Developer and Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist. He is  passionate about technology. He loves Contributing in Microsoft Open Source Projects and .NET and Windows Phone Geek. 

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.

Mehwish Siddique

Mehwish Siddique born in Karachi, started her career as a theatre artist. She has a degree in acting from the National Academy of Performing Arts and she has a bachelors degree in Psychology. She started her career in 2008 as a TV actress. Her acnhoring career started in January 2001. Her interests include reading and acting.

Mehwish Siddique will be anchoring “Awam ki Awaz” which will be aired every Friday at 22:03pm – 23:00pm at SAMAA tv.

Faiq Husain

Mr. Faiq Husain, President and CEO of Rozgar Microfinance Bank is an MBA (Finance) from IBA, Karachi. He has over twenty years experience of Investment Banking, Lease Financing, Monitoring, Settlements, Recovery of dues, Asset Management etc., at different senior levels viz. Vice President, Senior Vice President, Executive Vice President and Acting Managing Director of a Joint Venture Financial Institution of the country. He has been actively supporting self-employment through Micro Financing, and has written papers also on this subject.

Carla Khan

Carla Khan is from the great line of squash champions, her grandfather being Azam Khan, great uncle Hashim Khan known as the godfather of squash. Her Father is from Nawakille, Peshawar, Pakistan he was a junior world champion and won the prestigious Davis Cup which is equivalent to the British Junior Open.

She started with her brother playing squash at the age of 12, from the very first moment she stepped onto the court she realised that this was what she wanted to do for a long time to come.  Carla Khan reached 20 in the world on the professional women's International circuit, she represented England and was a top junior player having won various junior titles including being European junior number one.  At the age of 19 she changed to represent Pakistan, Carla then made history as she was the first female from the direct line of champions to pursue a career in the game.

In November 2002, at the El Salvador Open, she won her first major title. Her improvements continued in 2003, her most successful season yet and won the Ottawa International Open in Canada. She then broke into the top 30 world rankings and soon became the Pakistani National Number One.  In 2005 Carla beat current World Number One Nicol David from Malaysia in the Irish Open her best achievement yet. She then went on to win the first ever women's international tournament in Pakistan not dropping a single game beating her opponent from Malaysia in straight sets.

Through Carla Khans achievements she gained media coverage around the world and has been recognised as the Squash Queen of Pakistan, her fan base stretches worldwide including ex pats from Pakistan.

After a serious back injury in Sri Lanka at the South Asian Games in 2006 whilst playing for the Pakistan team as the Number One, Carla had to stop playing and was informed that her squash playing days were over. However she returned in 2007 and leaped back into the top world 40's, winning the Iranian Open and the Austrian Open.

Carla made a decision in 2008 to retire even though she was moving back up the ladder to reach her ultimate goal. Carla has not fully left the sport as she trains, continues to play leagues and coaches squash players. She has now had the opportunity to coach in many countries, having been invited to coach the Iranian women's team, Egyptian women's team, Pakistan girls and in 2008-2009 she coached full time in New York, U.S.A. developing the women's squash at a prestigious Country Club.

Carla Khan now retired from the tour but continues to be a role model for women sport players in Pakistan as she made history for sport in the country that opened there arms to her, she is best know as the controversial player and "hardest hitter" who was always aggressive, passionate and determined as life was never easy for Carla, as she was never fully accepted by both English or Pakistani sports institutions but for that reason she strived to do her best.

Carla is now pursuing a career in t.v, radio and writing which has always been her passion, Carla would also love to be a spokeswoman for female players worldwide.

Yasmeen Ghauri

Yasmeen Ghauri is an internationally famous Model of Half German/Half Pakistani descent. She has modeled for many international magazines and brands including Christian Dior, Vogue, Elle, Cosmopolitan, Revlon etc etc

Yasmeen Ghauri was born in Montreal, Quebec to a Pakistani father, Moin Ghauri, and a German mother, Linda Ghauri. Early on in her life, Ghauri had a difficult childhood often being teased by her classmates at school for being too thin and for her ethnicity. During those difficult days she began to shun people and found refuge in Islam. Ghauri was reportedly working at a McDonalds restaurant at the age of 17 when she was discovered by Montreal hairdresser and salon artistic director of Platine Coiffure Edward Zaccharia. At the restaurant, she often turned up dressed in black from head to toe and people described her as having a rebellious nature. Despite this, she was named Employee of the Month. Soon after her discovery, there was a shift in mentality within the fashion industry, moving from predominantly all-American models to more “ethnic” models, a trend which Ghauri fit.

Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy

Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy is an Emmy award winning documentary filmmaker. Her films include PAKISTAN’S TALIBAN GENERATION, which aired on PBS, Channel 4, CBC, SBS and Arte and was the recipient of the Alfred I Dupont Award as well as The Association for International Broadcasting award. Sharmeen has made over a dozen-multi award winning films in over 10 countries around the world and is the first non-American to be awarded the Livingston Award for best international reporting.

In 2007, Sharmeen was awarded the broadcast journalist of the year award in the UK by One World Media for her work in a series of documentary films for Channel 4, which included a film about xenophobia in South Africa THE NEW APARTHEID. Her other films have been awarded The Overseas Press Club Award, The American Women in Radio and Television Award, The Cine Golden Eagle award and the Banff Rockie Award.

Sharmeen was born and raised in Karachi, Pakistan and received a bachelors degree from Smith College and went on to complete two masters degree from Stanford University.

Salim Bokhari

Salim Bokhari is presently working as Editor of TheNation. Salim Bokhari is a seasoned journalist and has seen it all in a career spanning more than four decades. He co-hosted Bolta Pakistan programme on Aaj TV. In his lengthy career, Bokhari was also associated with The Sun and The Muslim (both defunct), The News and The National. He has been a regular feature on several talk shows on television and is well -respected in the profession to which he has given his best years. He received President’s Pride of Performance Award in 2005 and the Best English Reporting Award of the All Pakistan Newspapers Society in 1984-85. He is a widely travelled journalist and has on his credit interviews of international personalities

Saalik Majid

Saalik Majeed associated with Nawa-i-Waqt Group since last two decades. He has been reporting for daily Nawa-i-Waqt especially in the fields of Judiciary and Sindh Government, Human Rights, Investigative Reporting. Also interview leading personalities for Waqt TV for the Program “Exclusive Interview, News Desk". His political diary publishes Nawa-i-Waqt regularly on every Wednesday. He is also the beaurue correspondent of Pakistan's leading political weekly Nida-e-Millat. He has written two books on politics. He has done Masters in Political science from Karachi University getting top position in first class first division on his credit.

Tazeen Huma

She has done her masters in Mass Communication from university of Karachi. She joined PTV as an anchor in 1994 and worked till 1998, during this period she also won the best anchor award from PTV. After that she joined Geo News as an anchor in 2002 where she worked for 2 years. In 2004 she joined ARY News as an anchor and producer in current affair dept till 2009. She joined Indus News as morning show host in 2009 for one year and right now she is working as a host at Waqt News in their prime time program “Zabardast”.

Farida Gul Haroon

Farida Gul Haroon is a self taught artist who attended Art College in Lahore, Pakistan.
But the muse that inspired her creativity was the experiences and the tribulations that she witnessed.
Oppression, misery and suppression make the silent tales of the inner world of women.
It is an indelible stain on humanity void of compassion, dehumanizing both the oppressed and the oppressor, and the evidence of it is so offensive to modern sensibilities and sensitivities that we preserve proof of it as lessons for the coming generations.
She tried to put on to canvas what she felt and by not taking the “side road”. She is more interested in the philosophy of life and the struggle of the feminine role. Farida has a unique perception which some refer to as mysticism. This is the spiritual influence that greatly impacts her work.
She paints in different mediums at different times,although she loves gold leaf addition to her work!!!
Website: www.karmaartgallery.org

Khalid Anum

Khalid Anum is a popular Pakistani TV artist as well as a musician and singer. Khalid Anum rose to fame with 'Peera Ho', a single he wrote for the popular drama of the 1990's, Mystery Theatre. Khalid Anum is also a popular actor as well, and has acted in several Pakistan drama serials. He has been in the Pakistani media industry for over two decades, so it can easily be said that he is one of the experienced heads.

His acting skills have not gone unnoticed, and he is considered to be a very famous media personality. Moreover, Khalid Anum is also a TV presenter as well, and has hosted several television shows.