I am Amnesty International’s Pakistan researcher, managing it’s human rights work in the country. A card-carrying member of the Australian Journalists Association, I’m an independent journalist from Sydney, Australia and and I’ve reported from practically every corner of this fascinating and important country since 2008. In 2010 I prepared a reported on enforced disappearances in the conflict-ridden province of Balochistan for Human Rights Watch (read it here) based on extensive field research.
I’ve also worked in Israel and Palestine (2008, 2005), and London (2006-2007). I am a Pakistan columnist for The Guardian, The Diplomat, Australia’s only dedicated commercial foreign affairs ezine, and am regularly featured on Radio National Australia, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and the British Broadcasting Corporation including the World Service. I have also been published in the LA Times, The Australian newspaper, Melbourne’s The Age newspaper, The National newspaper, Reuters AlertNet, and World Politics Review. From 2007 to earlier this year I was Middle East and South Asia correspondent for the independent Australian news site NewMatilda.com.
I also do regular consultancy work on Pakistan for Human Rights Watch and the School of Oriental and African Studies (London University) and have prepared briefings for Oxford Analytica.
Prior to my journalism, I used to be a lawyer specialising in public international law. I worked at the Australian Attorney-General’s Department for around four years (2003-2006) representing the Government in native title claims and international crime treaty negotiations. I have also worked at the Pilbara Native Title Service (2005) and did my articles at the Public Interest Advocacy Centre, Sydney in 2002. I have been a research assistant at two law faculties. I was research assistant to Prof. David Barker, Dean of Law, University of Technology, Sydney in 2002. I was research assistant to Prof. Philippe Sands QC, University College, London from 2006-2008.
I write mainly about Middle East and South Asian politics. But other issues of interest include Islam and modernity, international relations, minority rights and the role of ideology in shaping power relations. Those may seem esoteric topics, but they’re bread and butter for any journalist covering international issues.