Rahimullah Yusufzai


Rahimullah Yusufzai is a Pakistani journalist and political and security analyst, best known for having interviewed Osama bin Laden, and Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar. He is a war correspondent.

Early life and education

He was born on September 10, 1954 in Pakistan in Shamozai village of Mardan District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He received his early education at his village primary school and then in public schools in Peshawar and Jhelum. Rahimullah also studied at the D J Sindh Science College and the University of Karachi.

Career

Yusufzai was among the first journalists to report on the Taliban and visited Kandahar, Afghanistan in 1995. He is one of the few bona fide experts on Afghanistan, having reported on the country since the 1979 invasion of Afghanistan by the former Soviet Union. In 2016, he also frequently appears on Geo News TV channel as a news analyst. He is the current editor of the Jang Group's The News International at the Peshawar Bureau and is an op-ed writer for the monthly Newsline. Rahimullah is especially noted for holding the last interview with Osama bin Laden. He also served as Times Pakistan correspondent. Rahimullah is also a correspondent of BBC's Pashto and Urdu services in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.

Awards and recognition

Yusufzai is considered an authority on Afghan affairs and on the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Acknowledging his achievements in journalism, the government of Pakistan first awarded him with Tamgha-e-Imtiaz in 2005. Then he received Sitara-i-Imtiaz Award from the President of Pakistan for his achievement in the field of journalism on 23 March 2010.