CURRICULUM VITAE

Khalid Hussain
#322-S, Street 28
Rawal Town
Islamabad-45510
Pakistan.
Phone: 92-51-2842115
Cell: 92-300-8731541
Email: dvfilmspk@gmail.com

Introduction
I am a researcher, writer and journalist with 20+ years of diverse working experience in Pakistan and around
south Asia. Over the years, I have worked as a reporter, photographer, editorial writer, water researcher and as a
film maker. Presently, I am Self Employed consulting with corporate and NGO clients on communications
and freelancing as a photojournalist.
I bring specialized knowledge and understanding to development communications. Being trained as a writer,
photographer and film maker allows me to report and illustrate coporate communications in a holistic manner. I
am able to bring to bear a full advertizement agency's worth of human resource capacity to any corporate
communications assignment. My personal motto is: Sky is a limit that I do impose on my imagination!
I have been associated with or have contributed to leading publications in Pakistan, India and Nepal. I have a
good understanding of development issues in Pakistan and beyond. My sustained interest in environmental
issues have allowed me to travel extensively all over south Asia as a multi-disciplinary water resources
researcher with leading civil society and professional water organizations and networks.
My broader specialization is Environment and Development. Since water resources management is my area of
specialization, I do understand the multiple linkages of poverty, resource degradation and their implications on
peoples choices.

Professional Experience
I have worked with almost all the major English language newspapers and periodicals in Pakistan including
official news agency 'Associated Press of Pakistan', daily 'The Frontier Post', daily 'Dawn', weekly 'The Friday
Times' and monthlies 'Newsline' and 'Herald' in Pakistan. I have also written for Indian daily 'Times of India'
and fortnightly 'Down to Earth' besides contributing to monthly 'Himal' from Nepal as reporter and
commentator.
My unique strength is that I have personal development networking, research and publication experience at the
national, south Asian and international levels that has given me a breadth of view not common in our mass
media. I am at home with strategic policy issues in environment and development and their contextual
importance for the media and society in Pakistan. Water is my key expertise and specialization.
I began free lancing for monthly 'Herald' shortly after starting my carrier in 1987 as an apprentice with the
'Associated Press of Pakistan' in Multan. I began my professional career with 'The Frontier Post' in Multan (my
home town) as staff reporter and moved to the headquarters in Peshawar as Assistant Editor producing Op-Ed
pages. Moving to Lahore to stay close to the family, I joined 'The Friday Times' as staff reporter in 1991 and
also began contributing to monthly 'Newsline'. I moved to Pakistan's largest circulating daily 'The News' as
Senior Reporter in 1992 to launch their weekend magazine section called The News on Friday' and became
their Special Correspondent in Islamabad from 1995-1997.

I started specializing in environment and focussed my work on water resources management in the Indus Basin
of Pakistan. I worked as consultant (1995-1996) to the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) and
the Federal Ministry of Environment on Public Communications for a while. This led some of my friends to
join me to launching an NGO 'Development VISIONS' in 1997 to provide support services to development
actors. My last formal ties to the development sector (2002-2006) were as Country Coordinator of the Capacity
Building Network for Integrated Water Resources Management in Pakistan (CapNet-Pakistan) that is a joint
program of the UNDP and the Global Water Partnership.
I have traveled extensively in Pakistan and across south Asia. I have been to many countries in East Asia,
Middle East, Africa, Latin America, North America and Europe. I have excellent language skills and a flare for
communication. Photography is an active hobby for I love people and places.

EXPERTISE

Editorial Content Generation

Photography
Strategic Communications
Water Resources Management in Pakistan
Documentary Film Making

EXPERIENCE
November 10, 2009 to March 10, 2010

Communications Consultant
Pakistan IDP Response, World Vision International, Islamabad.
Worked for four months to take photographs and write stories reporting on the various project initiatives of
World Vision Internationals Pakistan IDP Response Programme in districts Buner and Dir.
The work has finished to the full satisfaction of my commissioning managers and all outputs have been
delivered to the satisfaction of my employers. I worked independently using WVP facilities in active
coordination with all relevant management and field staff.
October 2009 to December 2009

Communications Consultant
World Vision International (Pakistan), Islamabad.
I led the process of development and design for the Pakistan Visibility Pack to produce nine printed strategic
communication instruments and one 9-minute video on the WVPs LIGHT Project in Kaghan Valley.
August 2009 to November 2009

Consultant on Documentary Films

Pakistan Television Corporation, Islamabad.
I joined the PTV-News channel to lead the production process for a six-part documentary film series on Climate
Change challenges and opportunities for Pakistan. I worked with a team of PTV technical and professional
production staff as the undertaking was part of the PTV role as public broadcaster in our country.
The films were planned to have six episodes: the first one was introductory, second on water, third on
agriculture, fourth on energy, fifth on health and the final one on disasters and internal displacement with a
forward-looking policy perspective. We planned to shoot from the Northern Areas down to the Arabian sea
covering all the major parts of our geography. Major focus was on Dasu, Gilgit, Chitral, Swat, Swabi,

Peshawar, Tarbela, Taxila, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Sargodha, Faisalabad, Multan, DG Khan,
Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan, Sukkur, NawabShah, Larkana, Dadu, Badin, Thatha, Karachi, Quetta and
Gawadar.
The Film Series failed to materialize owing to administrative complications forcing me to give up on the project
after five months of hard work.
April 2008 October 2009

Bureau Chief
The Financial Daily, Islamabad.
I was responsible for management at the Islamabad Bureau of the daily newspaper. Additionally, I also wrote
the daily Editorials for two years producing over 700 comments in the process. The 16-page daily newspaper
is published from Karachi and Lahore and is also available online at http://www.thefinancialdaily.com
TFD is the first daily newspaper focused on financial markets in Pakistan. The parent company, Data Research
and Communications, is the source for all business data in Pakistan for the Reuters News Agency.

November 2007 to April 2008

News Coordinator
ATPN, Islamabad.
The Asian Television Press Network is the oldest independent television news agency in Pakistan with
established international clients. I coordinated news for five different channels that hired our correspondent
services. Three of our clients were in Iran Sehar TV, Al-Alam TV and Press TVwhile one was based in
Syria and another in Egypt. I was responsible for news identification, research and satellite coordination for live
coverage using a state-of-the-art fly away DSNG system. The job bridged two of my main interests i.e.
journalism and video production.
May 2006 to October 2007

Self Employed
Islamabad.
I became self-employed as a filmmaker, photographer, researcher and writer after a successful career in civil
society where I found further growth was but very limited. My clients included many major NGOs and
multilateral and bilateral donor institutions like SDPI (www.sdpir.org), Sungi Development Foundation
(www.sungi.org.pk), Pattan Development Organization (www.pattan.org) and the Asian Development
Bank (www.adb.org).
I moved out of water resources research as my personal interests were in strategic and popular communication
through television and film making. I am as good as any telecom engineer or broadcast systems engineer in
digital signal processing. Computers come easy to me as do communications hardware and software that I find
fascinating. So I also ran a commercial enterprise called Broadcaste Services Pakistan (BSP) which was my
first ever venture in business. BSP designed and built two Film Dubbing & Encoding Studios for a local
satellite television channel and an NLE studio in Lahore for the private production house Studio-One.
As a filmmaker I have the distinction to have produced Pakistans First Multimedia Art Film titled Diary of a
Psychiatrist. I have also made two documentary films on the urban environmental crisis in Pakistan for the
world social forum 2003 in addition to finishing a number of video documentation projects for NGO clients.
However, I discovered that I was not cut out to be a successful businessman and closed shop at the end of 2007!

August 1997 to April 2006

Chairman & General Secretary

Development VISIONS (DV), Lahore & Multan
A group of friends started Development VISIONS to address sustainable development issues through strategic
communications and I was asked to lead. The organization focused on water resources management and
adopted networking at national, regional and international levels as its main strategy to communicate the need
for sustainable development of our water resources.
DV joined the South Asian Consortium for Interdisciplinary Water Resources (SaciWATERs) based in
Hyderabad, India and undertook ambitious initiatives for launch of capacity building projects with national,
regional and international partners and financing. The biggest achievement for DV has been the launch and
consolidation of the largest network on water resources in Pakistan's history. Part of this was my leadership role
in launching and managing CapNet in Pakistan for four years. Actors from both radical as well as mainstream
networks came together in CapNet-Pakistan to find ways and means for joint action for sustainable
development of our water resources .
Details of my work with DV are available on request.
May 1996 to July 1997

Special Correspondent
Daily The News International, Islamabad
I returned to my old job after leaving SDPI and the Pakistan Environmental Protection Council (PEPC) of the
Federal Ministry. I was responsible for special assignments and continued investigative reporting for the
newspaper. I specialized in water issues within my larger interests around sustainable development.
December 1995- March 1996

Consultant on Public Communications

Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), Islamabad & Pakistan Environmental Proctection Counci
(PEPC), Ministry of Environment, Government of Pakistan.
SDPI was set up to provide advise to the Government on Sustainable Development. I was responsible for all
public communications on environmental issues at SDPI. In the same capacity I was also responsible for all
public communications by the Pakistan Environmental Protection Council, the apex body on environment and
sustainable development for the Government of Pakistan.
August 1995 to December 1995

Special Correspondent
Daily The News International, Islamabad
I coordinated the News Bureau of Investigations (NBI) for the newspaper in Islamabad. The News is the largest
circulating English newspaper in Pakistan and NBI was the papers investigative reporting unit. The work was
always assignment based and challenging.
June 1992-July 1995

Senior Reporter
Daily The News International, Lahore.
I worked with the weekend magazine section called The News on Friday to carry out news reporting and
special assignments mostly investigative in nature. I travelled across the country covering diverse subjects and
earning major by lines.

June 1991-July 1995

News Reporter
Weekly The Friday Times, Lahore.
The Friday Times is the most authoritative weekly news magazine in Pakistan. I was responsible for news
assignments such as on-the-scene-reporting covering environment, politics, diplomatic activities such as the
OIC, ECO etc. I also carried out special assignments.
June 1990-May 1991

Research Associate
Aurat Publications and Information Services Foundation, Lahore.
Aurat Foundation is the leading NGO on womens rights and gender issues in Pakistan. I assisted the Executive
Director on a project to prepare The Alternative 8th Five Year Plan for Pakistan from the womens
perspective. The document was used as an instrument to lobby with the countrys legislature for womens
rights.
December 1989-May 1990

Assistant Editor
Daily The Frontier Post, Peshawar.
My responsibility was to compile, edit and produce the Editorial Pages for the most radical English newspaper
in Pakistan.
August 1988-November 1989

Staff Reporter
Daily The Frontier Post, Multan.
I was posted with the southern Punjab Bureau of the newspaper in home town Multan under the jurisdiction of
the Lahore edition of the newspaper. My job was to cover everything news worthy in the town ranging from
crime to politics and economics to Arts. I was proud to have done some good reporting on agricultural issues
from Multan.
February 1988-July 1988

Trainee Reporter
The Associated Press of Pakistan (APP), Multan.
I was lucky to have apprenticed with Mr.Ghani Chaudhary, Station Manager of APP in Multan. He was a
competent journalist and an innovative newsman who later became head of the agency. I learned the basics of
news reporting under his tutelage in Multan.

VOLUNTARY WORK
I have always been an activist working for development in Pakistan. I have held many honorary positions in
addition to my professional engagements mentioned above.
1)
2001-2006: Core Group Member SaciWATERs, Hyderabad, India. (www.saciwaters.org)
2)

2003-2006: Country Coordinator, Capacity Building Network for Integrated Water Resources
Management in Pakistan (CapNet-Pakistan: www.cap-net.org)

3)

1997-1999: Member Board of Directors, Journalists Resource Centre, Lahore.

4)

1992-1996: President Pakistan Forum of Environmental Journalists for two consecutive terms.

5)

1992-1994: Auditor, Asia-Pacific Forum of Environmental Journalists affiliated with UNEP and

ESCAP,

TRAVEL
I have traveled extensively all over Pakistan.
My voluntary work has taken me all over South Asia. I have traveled to India many times and have been to all
major cities in the North as well the South. I have also frequently visited Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. .
In East Asia I have visited Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong. I have also been to Australia and
Japan.
I have visited the Netherlands and the United Kingdom in Europe. In Africa I have been to South Africa and
Egypt while Costa Rica is the only Latin American country that I have visited.
I have also traveled to Canada and the United States where I visited eight different states in my two visits.

LANGUAGE COMMAND
Punjabi is my mother tongue and while I grew up in southern Punjab so Seraiki is my second language. I have
been a professional journalist, writer and filmmaker working in English language since 1987. I am equally
comfortable in reading writing and speaking Hindko while Urdu has been a compulsory medium of
communications all through my schooling. I can speak and understand some Persian as well.
I have conversational command of Pashto that I picked up while working in Peshawar for daily The Frontier
Post during 1989-90 but it is rather rustic now.

PUBLICATIONS
1. " The Roles & Capacities of Actors in Water Conflicts in Pakistan: A Mapping Study", a 103-page
book comprising participatory research across the country. To be published by LEAD-Pakistan, Islamabad
this year.
2. "Winds of Change", a 248-page book comprising of 40 women councilor's success stories from across
the country jointly written with Zubaida Hussain. Published by Pattan Development Organization,
Islamabad in 2006.
3. PRA Compendium a 350-page reference book in Urdu on qualitative research methodologies jointly
written with Zubaida Hussain; published by Development VISIONS, Multan in 2004.
4. Indus Basin Irrigation System 48-pages booklet in Urdu published by Development VISIONS,
Multan-Pakistan 2001
5. Water Policy:Time to Review Issues and Options 196-pages book in English co-edited with Zubaida
Hussain published by Development VISIONS-2000
6. Decision Making in the IBIS, Research paper commissioned by the World Commission on Dams as
part of their Global Thematic Review of Irrigation, 1999.
7.

Waterline a fortnightly e-Magazine that I edited and published for one year in 1997-98 from Lahore.

8. Fundamentalism and Secularism, the Urdu translation of the Second C.A. Qadir Lecture by professor
Karar Hussain was published By Shirkat Gah Lahore in 1993.
9. WLUML Dossier No. 1 Volume 1, in Urdu was co-translated with Zubaida Hussain and was
published by Shirkat Gah, Lahore in 1992.

FILM & VIDEO

1.

"Diary of a Psychiatrist, a 30-minute multimedia Art Film on Stress in society and the need for
change.

2.

What A Waste! A 20-minute documentary on the urban environmental crisis in Pakistan.

3.

From Despair to Hope is a short multimedia production for World Vision Pakistan

4.

Which Way Forward, A 50-Minute dialogue with respected environmental scholar and activist Mr.
Arif Hassan on the environmental crisis plaguing Karachi.

REFERENCES
Ms. Beena Sarwar
Aman Ki Asha
Jang Group of Companies
Karachi
Cell: +92-308-2396965

Mr. Mustansar Javed

Senior Journalist
C/o South Asian Free Media
Association (SAFMA) - Pakistan
Ph:+92-51-2871718-9

beena.sarwar@gmail.com

mustansarjaved@hotmail.co
m

Mr. Mohammad Asif Khan

CEO
Asian Television Press Network
Islamabad-Pakistan
Cell: +92-321-5174246

asian_tv@yahoo.com