Iftikhar Hussain
Raised in a military family from Mardan, Iftikhar seemed an unlikely candidate to pursue a career in journalism. But instead of marching lock-step at the military academy, his innate curiosity, insatiable thirst for travel and desire to share untold, important stories would eventually bring him all the way to Washington, DC to work with Voice of America’s new Pashto language broadcast, VOA Deewa Radio. At VOA, Iftikhar has assumed a diversified role with the new broadcast, VOA Deewa Radio and believes his work is making a major contribution toward greater press freedoms, democracy and development in the world.
Before moving to the U.S., Iftikhar was a journalist in Pakistan for many years, having worked for national and international media outlets as a TV news anchor, print reporter, sub-editor and contributor for The Christian Science Monitor, and IPS, a global wire service. His most notable work includes extensive coverage of the US Presidential elections for Kybher TV. Just prior to joining VOA Deewa Radio, Iftikhar worked with the The World Conservation Union (IUCN) in northern Pakistan as a program coordinator in communication and knowledge management in addition to editing the biannual newsletter and training journalists to report on development issues in the region.
Iftikhar earned a masters degree in journalism and international relations from the University of Peshawar and professional training from the International Institute for Journalism based in Berlin, Germany. He was later awarded a prestigious Jefferson Fellowship by the East-West Centre in Honolulu, Hawaii where he published and presented a research paper on the perception of the US war on terrorism among Pashtun tribesmen in the tribal areas of Pakistan. In retrospect, the fellowship provided an insightful opportunity for him to interact, share and learn with other international journalists, US media personalities, think tanks, politicians and experts from various fields. The fellowship also provided an ideal opportunity to learn about the freedom and openness of American society in a tropical paradise. He later wrote extensively about his experiences for The News – International.
Iftikhar believes traveling itself is a learning experience, so in his spare time, he enjoys visiting historical sites, nature, and meeting and learning with people from different cultures. He also enjoys a competitive game of table tennis now and again and is always looking for new friends to play. His other hobbies include listening to music, reading English language books on different themes and photography. And if he looks a little familiar, it’s because he bears a slight resemblance to award-winning actor Eric Bana. Iftikhar is happy living in Washington, a major nexus for top news stories in the world and a city rich in cultural diversity.
