Khushnood Nabizada (born in 1987) is an Afghan journalist, diplomat, peace campaigner, and entrepreneur. He is the founder and owner of Khaama Press, an Afghanistan-based news agency that reports specific political issues of the Afghanistan region.[1][2]
Khushnood Nabizada | |
|---|---|
| خوشنود نبیزاده | |
 | |
| Born | Khushnood Nabizada |
| Occupation | Founder / owner of Khaama Press |
| Website | |
Early years and education
editNabizada was born on 27 March 1987 in the Shibar District of Bamyan Province in central Afghanistan. He is an ethnic Hazara and follower of Shia Islam.[3][4]
Around the age of eight, his family moved to Puli Khumri in Baghlan Province. When Nabizada was in 5th grade of school, he along with his entire family migrated to Rawalpindi, Pakistan, due to Taliban rule. He returned to Afghanistan in 2003, during the presidency of Hamid Karzai.[4]
According to 'Who is who in Afghanistan', a database by CIA for Afghanistan, Nabizada graduated from Habibia High School in 2006.[5] He obtained a bachelor's degree in business administration from Kardan University in 2012. And according to his LinkedIn profile, he is journeying through graduate school at Thunderbird School of Global Management by Arizona State University.[6][7]
Khushnood has gone through a lot of unforeseen challenges in his life. First, he had to flee from his village in 1996 due to war, then he fled again in 1998 to Pakistan as a terrorist group called Taliban took over the city he used to live in. He returns back to Afghanistan in 2003, works hard for life and eventually life took him again into a situation that he had to flee and get resettled in the United States of America. He narrates this story in a conversation at Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in July 2022. [8] This part has also been reflected in the Richmond Times-Dispatch newspaper that published a long story on him in January 2022.[9]
Career
editIn October 2010, Nabizada founded Khaama Press, which quickly grew to be one of Afghanistan's most prominent online news services, publishing in English, Persian, and Pashto languages. Alongside his role at Khaama Press, Nabizada worked as a Senior Business Executive at the Insurance Corporation of Afghanistan from 2007 to early 2014. He was also a member of the National Unity Party of Afghanistan, also some place written as National Solidarity Party of Afghanistan. Khaama Press has earned recognition as a leading news agency, with its website being the most visited news site in Afghanistan in 2020. In 2016, Nabizada joined the Afghan government, serving as the chief of staff to the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing, an appointment approved by President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani. He was later appointed as chief of staff to the State Ministry for Peace under minister Sadat Mansoor Naderi in 2020, a position also approved by then-President Ashraf Ghani. [10][4][11] [12][13][14]
Escaping bomb blast
editNabizada survived a bomb blast on February 1, 2021. The incident happened in PD10, Kabul, while he was on the way to work.[15] Several national and international agencies, including Afghan and NATO officials, have condemned the attack.[16]
Immigrating to the United States
editIn August 2021, during Operation Allies Refuge, Nabizada and his family all escaped in American military planes from Afghanistan to Wisconsin in the United States.[17] They later moved to Virginia. Nabizada and his wife Razia have two daughters (Artisa and Armita) and one son (Arash).[4] He advocates for freedom of speech and human rights in Afghanistan.[18]
References
edit- ^ Intro about Khaama Press
- ^ Rezahi, Nizamuddin (June 21, 2023). "Forcefully Displacing, Relocating Ethnic Groups Should be Stopped in Afghanistan: CSTO". Khaama Press. Retrieved 2023-06-22.
- ^ "'We are alive, but we are not yet living' — Afghan refugee who made it to Wisconsin". Wisconsin State Journal. February 1, 2022. Retrieved 2023-06-22.
Our family is Ismaili Muslim, a minority group making up less than 5% of the population in our country. We have always faced discrimination for being different, and also for being of Hazara ethnicity. Kayan, where we were heading, was the cradle of Ismaili forces led by Sayed Mansoor Naderi, the leader of Afghan Ismailis loyal to His Highness the Aga Khan, who was regarded as an intermediary and peacemaker between different Mujahideen groups back then.
- ^ a b c d "My earliest memories involve escaping the Taliban. In August, I fled again, bringing my family to Virginia". Richmond Times-Dispatch. January 29, 2022.
- ^ "Khushnood Nabizada". Who is who in Afghanistan. 2014-12-10. Retrieved 2024-02-01.
- ^ "Khushnood Nabizada LinkedIn Profile". LinkedIn. Retrieved 2024-02-01.
- ^ "More about Khushnood Nabizada's life" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-02-02.
- ^ "Conversation on Relocation, Reconnection and Community". Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. 2022-07-29. Retrieved 2024-02-01.
- ^ "My earliest memories involve escaping the taliban. In August, I fled again bringing my family to Virginia". Richmond Times-Dispatch. 2022-01-29. Retrieved 2024-02-01.
- ^ "CCTV report on Khushnood Nabizada".
- ^ "About Khaama Press".
- ^ "About Khaama Press Ranking". Archived from the original on 2021-11-28. Retrieved 2021-05-29.
- ^ "Assuming office as Chief of Staff". Archived from the original on 2017-08-13. Retrieved 2017-08-13.
- ^ "Assuming office as Chief of Staff". Archived from the original on 2022-08-18. Retrieved 2021-02-04.
- ^ "Tolo covered the life attack on Khushnood Nabizada". TOLOnews. February 1, 2021.
- ^ "TChargé d'Affaires Ross Wilson also condemned the attack on Khushnood Nabizada".
- ^ Meek, Andy (August 22, 2021). "Here's What Two Journalists Told Me, In Real Time, About Their Escape From Afghanistan". Forbes.
- ^ Interview with Khushnood about freedom of speech in Afghanistan with Ekurd Daily [1]
External links
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