Mushahid Hussain Sayed

Mushahid Hussain Sayed has the distinction of becoming the youngest editor of a national English daily The Muslim (now defunct). He achieved this honor at the age of 29 in 1982.

As a specialist on international political and strategic issues, he has lectured widely and his articles have been published in various national and international publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, International Herald Tribune, and Middle East International. He has authored three books.

Mushahid Hussain has a Master's degree from the School of Foreign Service in Georgetown University at Washington. While studying in the US, he was President of the Pakistan Students Association and was awarded a Congressional Internship to work in the United States Congress. In Pakistan, he studied at the FC College in Lahore, from where he received a BA.

After completion of studies in the United States, he returned to Pakistan and became Member, Directing Staff of the country’s prestigious training institution for civil servants, the Pakistan Administrative Staff College where he trained new entrants to the Foreign Service. He then joined Pakistan’s oldest seat of learning, the Punjab University, as Lecturer on International Relations in the Political Science Department, from where he along with three other teachers was removed on political grounds during Martial Law.

He is also Member of the Board of Governors of Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI), a leading think tank. He was Pakistan representative to the Commission of Eminent Persons, set up by the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) for its reform in 2004-05.

He is also the Vice President of the Centrist Democrat International (CDI) Asia – Pacific Chapter. On January 27, 2006, he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Achievement by the House of Representatives of the Republic of the Philippines.

As Information Minister from 1997 to 1999, Mushahid Hussain was the country's principal spokesman and appeared frequently on international television and radio channels to present Pakistan's position on issues ranging from nuclear weapons to Islam and foreign policy.

He was also Leader of Pakistan's Delegation to the UN Human Rights Commission at Geneva in 1993. After October 12, 1999, Mushahid Hussain was held without any charges as a political prisoner for 440 days, including a period in solitary imprisonment.

The world's leading human rights organization, Amnesty International, declared him a 'Prisoner of Conscience' making him the first such Pakistani to be so honored for the year 2000.

Mushahid is also the secretary general of the Pakistan Muslim League.