Jaffer R.

About

Spending over 30 Years in active journalism, I have been working with BBC World Service for nearly half of my career as Producer, Presenter, Editor, Reporter, and now I am an Investigative Feature Writer. I started from three different Urdu Newspapers as Sub-Editor then I switched to reporting, joining the country’s Largest English Newspaper THENEWS as Crime Reporter. Later, I joined First Ever Live News Channel of Pakistan GEO News as Founding Crime Reporter and worked as Assignments Editor and Content Supervisor (Editor) as well. I have been working with news and current affairs’ TV Channels, Radio Services, Websites, Newspapers, Publication Houses and Multi-Media Platforms of different countries, covering, reporting, presenting, or editing content, happenings and developments related with global, regional, national politics, wars, economy, crimes, terrorism, science, education, art and culture, jurisprudence & courts. My focus has been on Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, Kashmir, Iran, Iraq, Middle East, USA, UK, EU, NATO, U.N.O. or other Global Regions and Forums. I also supervised editorial or broadcast inputs & outputs of conventional print, electronic and social media platforms, including live and pre-recorded material for TV, web & radio shows and handled diversified content related with global and regional crisis, sabotage, disasters, earthquakes, epidemics, or developments related with social, cultural, and religious issues. I have been covering issues like U.S led war against terrorism, extremism, global economic crunch, nuclear ambitions, food crisis, forced marriages, illegal immigration. Working with BBC World Service, I am now researching, reinvestigating, probing, exploring and writing/rewriting and podcasting features and news stories about major acts and incidents of terrorism, assassination, target-shootings or mass-killings related with militancy, extremism, sectarian, ethnic or politically motivated violence or underworld illegal arms and drug business mainly occurring in Pakistan. These researched articles are part of a BBC series to recall the most violent period in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and I have been reporting most of them as reporter or presenter in last three decades. While researching, to rewrite these mega events again I am now tracking down and finding the victims or their families and friends, investigators, higher-ups of police, top brass of para-military and intelligence networks, lawyers, attorneys, judges, politicians, parliamentarians, and even accused or convicted criminals to re-interview them and getting court proceedings, police investigations, prosecutions papers, intelligence reports, media clippings or other documentary evidence to uncover the hidden facts and details. Earlier, while working for BBC, I have been supervising BBC editorial teams to produce, edit, present and report live news and current affairs transmissions. I presented and produced news stories, features and packages focusing target audiences across the Globe and their related issues, developments, and happenings mainly considering Violence in Pakistan, War in Afghanistan, Political, Law and Order and administrative issues in India, tension, protests and security in Kashmir, turmoil in Iran, Situation and War in Iraq, terrorism and tensions in Middle East, foreign policy and related development in USA and UK, developments in EU, NATO or United Nations and other Global or Regional Forums. I presented transmissions based on various global, regional, and national issues. I also interacted and interviewed state authorities, including Presidents, Prime Ministers, Heads of States, Ministers, Ambassadors, Generals and Parliamentarians. Performing as Duty Editor, Producer BBC Urdu Service, I designed rundowns for transmissions and commanded, commissioned and assigned reporters, correspondents, and stringers worldwide and directed, managed, and guided presenters and studio managers live on-air to handle breaking news situations or regular transmissions and executed alternate arrangements while encountering with any unexpected situations during or before transmissions. As Presenter for BBC Urdu Radio transmissions, I also handled live happenings and sudden changes, involving state authorities like Ministers, Ambassadors, Generals, Politicians, Experts, Analysts or Parliamentarians. I reported mega events and breaking news live from the spots and participated BBC’s other outlets’ programmes. I also helped BBC online team run a website carrying news, audio & video links, picture galleries, graphics, maps, and live audiences’ inputs from social media. For a short period of more than a couple of years, I worked from Karachi End of BBC World Service. In these roles, I supervised teams and worked on producing live news and current affairs transmissions. While reporting a suicide bomb blast, I narrowly escaped another such act of suicide bombing, when a bomber exploded himself in a crowded hospital ward, where I was trying to interview a surviving victim. As Editor, I commanded the teams to set down news agenda for the day. I also directed, led, and supervised presenters, producers, reporters, correspondents, and stringers across the world to produce Radio/Online content according to the agenda. While working from the BBC World Service’s London Head Quarters I have been preforming duties in different job rolls as professional and edited, presented, produced, and reported World Class editorial content of news and current affairs transmissions and website. I presented BBC’s flagship programme like ‘SAIRBEEN’ and ‘JEHAN NUMA’ for nearly 10 years and covered various issues and topics, like U.S led war in Afghanistan, Its impacts on Pakistan and country’s political scenarios, acts of terrorism within geographical limits including Tribal areas bordering Afghanistan or other global issues and developments like economic crunch, nuclear ambitions, food crisis, poverty, forced marriages, illegal immigration, the entertaining world of film, fashion, or royalties. I managed a team live on-air in breaking news situations or regular productions and supervised the BBC online team to write, produce, post, and publish news stories, audio/visual content, picture galleries, graphics, maps, and live audiences’ inputs from social media. I commanded online team in running a website carrying live audiences’ inputs, audio/visual content or links, picture galleries, maps, and graphics. While joining the first ever Live News Channel of Pakistan, GEO TV, as Founding Crime Reporter, I directed, produced, presented, and investigated exclusive TV Content. As Crime reporter for the TV, I reported the first U.S. Embassy Bombing and televised the first ever package about Taliban and Al-Qaeda’s presence or regrouping in Pakistan, which aired on the first anniversary of 9/11. I commanded reporters/stringers teams and input operations as Assignment Editor in the run-up of general elections. I reported suicide bombing, series of blasts or other violent acts of terrorism, or killings, like the kidnapping and assassination of Wall Street Journal’s, Daniel Pearl. As Crime Reporter of English Daily THENEWS Pakistan, I investigated and reported the assassination of Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto’s, brother and MP, Mir Murtaza Bhutto, in police shootout and then the arrest of police chiefs in this connection, their court proceedings, and judicial outcomes. I reported the target-shooting of Hakim Said, Ex-Governor of the Province of Sindh, and its aftermath, which led to the toppling of the government of the then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. I reported Karachi Operation Clean-Up, initiated by the Government, and conducted by Pakistan Army, followed by para-military Rangers and Police forces, which claimed thousands of lives of political, activists, religious figures, armed forces officials, lawyers, judges, politicians and parliamentarian, and general public. I covered episodes of ethnic, religious, sectarian or politically motivated violence and terrorism, during which I visited jails and prisons to report charges of corruptions or to see accused or convicted criminals while investigating stories. I investigated extra-judicial killings and the following assassination campaign of the target shooting of the police officials accused of such killings. I reported gun-battles between warring armed groups of militants, allegedly belonging to political, religious, or sectarian outfits. I also covered armed encounters of militants and forces, human trafficking, weapons smuggling or drugs and narcotics business by the underworld and reported a drug smuggling story involving a network in Pakistan, South Africa and United Kingdom. Recently I have also been Translating/Editing U.S. State Department Content such as Tweets of President of United States, Secretary of State and other U.S. Governmental authorities & hierarchy for an agency working for International Media Hub Bureau of Global Public Affairs U.S. State Department. I obtained a Masters’ Degree of Mass Communications in 1994-95 from University of Karachi, Pakistan, Studying TV and Radio Production, Print and Electronic Media Production, News Gathering, Copy Writing, Script Editing, and Theories of Mass Communications. While studying, I led the team of University’s Magazine as Editor as well.

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