FAIZ REHMAN: A Short Bio

Currently serving as the Executive Director News for the Dubai-based ARY OneWorld news channel, Faiz Rehman, the founder and former editor-in-chief of the weekly Pakistan Link, is a US-educated and –trained leading media professional, public speaker, community activist, and an entrepreneur. He has lived, studied and worked in the United States since 1985.

TELEVISION: As the senior editorial producer and language director, in 2005, he launched the trend-setting and first of its kind daily newsmagazine program, KhabroN Sey Agey, produced by the Voice of America TV for GEO.  He has also served as the managing editor for the AWAZ TV, Washington, DC. In TV, he is known for his innovative techniques and out-of-the-box thinking.

MANAGEMENT: Rehman has a Master’s in Business Administration. He founded and managed the Los Angeles-based weekly Pakistan Link for ten years, and sold it to a computer magnate, Safi Qureshi, before moving to Washington. Rehman is the founding Chairman of the National Council of Pakistani Americans (www.NCPA.info), a Washington-based advocacy organization. He also founded and served as the Executive Director of the Pakistani American Leadership Center (PAL-C), and founded and managed the Congressional Pakistani Caucus on Capitol Hill. The Caucus was inaugurated by President General Pervez Musharraf in September 2004. He serves as Chairman of The Siddiqis, Inc., a California corporation.

JOURNALISM: He has over 20 years of experience in journalism, public speaking, and is a prolific writer. He has written extensively in local and international publications, including, the daily Dawn, and the Los Angeles Times. He was The Nation’s Washington correspondent and wrote a weekly column for The News. He also reported briefly for the Daily Times as their Washington correspondent. He regularly offers comments and analyses on TV programs.

NETWORKING: Rehman enjoys a vast network of contacts in the U.S.—the State Department, the US Congress, think tanks, media, etc.—and Pakistan.  He regularly visits Pakistan and interacts and interviews visiting Pakistani politicians and dignitaries.

INTERVIEWS:  He has interviewed many world leaders, including President Pervez Musharraf, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali, Prime Minister of Bosnia Haris Sledjik, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte, Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns, Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher, then Prime Minister of Pakistan Ms. Benazir Bhutto, Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif, President Farooq Leghari, former Indian Prime Minister I K Gujral, General Sahibzada Yaqub Khan, Ambassador Dr. Maleeha Lodhi, Ambassador Riaz Khokhar, Ambassador Tariq Azizuddin, Ambassador Ahmed Kamal, writer and federal minister Mushahid Husain, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, President Musharraf’s mother and brother, several US senators and members of Congress. and many other political and social personalities.

In 1996, he met President Bill Clinton; and also met with First Lady Hillary Clinton at the White House. He regularly attends press briefings and press conferences at the State Department and the White House.

MEDIA APPEARANCES:

Major TV appearances include:

• CNN


• Fox News


• ABC with Peter Jennings


• MSNBC


• GEO TV


• PTV Prime

RADIO:

• NPR


• BBC


• KFI, Los Angeles

PRINT:

• The New York Times


• The Washington Post


• The Washington Times


• USA Today


• The Boston Globe


• The Times of London


• St. Petersburg Times


• Forward


• Dawn


• The News


• The Nation-Lahore


• AP


• AFP


• Reuters


• and many other newspapers and magazines.

Digital Video Conferences:

The US State Department-sponsored six digital video conferences to Bulgaria on Muslim Life in America

SPEECHES:

• Congressional Briefing on Pakistan, April, 2005


• Rising Leaders Conferences in Washington, Chicago, and Los Angeles.


• Speech at the Pakistan Millennium Conference, April 3, 2004 on Role of Media in Pakistan society.


• Speech at Pakistani American Congress Washington seminar, Feb 27, 2004


• Speech at a United Nations Correspondents Association seminar on civil liberties, Sept. 12, 2003, New York


• Keynote speech at a Pakistan Foundation seminar on “Need for Pakistani Americans to get involved,” Baltimore, Maryland, Sept. 12, 2003


• Congressional Hearing on American Civil Liberties: A testimony of Pakistani Americans’ civil rights (US Congress, May, 2003)


• A series of lectures through a US State Department-sponsored digital video conference (DVC) on Muslim Life in America.


• A speech on Consequences of 9-11 at the Washington Times-sponsored World Media Conference in September, 2002.


• The Indus Entrepreneur (TIE) conference, 1999. 


• Overseas Pakistanis Convention in Islamabad, Pakistan

AWARDS AND HONORS:

Rehman has received numerous awards for his service to the community, and excellence in his profession. They include:

• The Falcon Award for Excellence in Journalism


• Congressional Certificate of Recognition for Excellence in Journalism by Congressman Jay Kim (R-CA)


• Certificate of Recognition by the Human Development Foundation


• MPAC Award for Community Service


• Excellence in Journalism Award by the L.A. Media Association


• Community Service Award by the University of Karachi Alumni Association.

E-mail: faizrehman1@yahoo.com