United States Agency for Global Media

WASHINGTON — The Voice of America has promoted its Afghanistan and Pakistan Bureau Chief, Ayesha Tanzeem, to South and Central Asia Division Director, bringing her back from Islamabad to the VOA headquarters in Washington, D.C.

An award-winning journalist and a native of Pakistan, fluent in Urdu, Tanzeem is one of the very few foreign correspondents that has traveled to areas under the control and influence of the Islamic State and the Taliban militant groups since early 2015 and was reporting from Afghanistan as recently as last month. She has traveled extensively throughout Afghanistan and Pakistan covering issues related to politics, governance, militancy, terrorism, and human rights, particularly women and minority rights. Her reporting that uncovered tales of harrowing cruelty and suffering of the Afghan people, earned her the David Burke award for Courage in Journalism in 2016.

“Ayesha Tanzeem exemplifies the courage and journalistic skill that is a hallmark of VOA’s overseas correspondents,” said Acting VOA Director, Yolanda Lόpez. “Her vast in-depth experience of the region, her leadership skills, as well as her deep knowledge of the audience needs, makes her uniquely positioned to guide the South and Central Asia Division in this critical time.”

Broadcasting in 8 languages throughout Central and South Asia and the Middle East, Voice of America’s South and Central Asia division reaches an audience in the tens of millions on television, radio, internet, and multiple social media platforms, offering reliable news and information in a volatile region that lacks reliable and independent local media.

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