VOA appoints Ayesha Tanzeem as director South & Central Asia

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 13 November 2021 |  Cherie Conela

Ayesha Tanzeem has been appointed as the director of South and Central Asia at Voice of America. She is the highest-ranking Pakistani American female journalist in this role.

Summary

ISLAMABAD—The Voice of America has promoted its Afghanistan and Pakistan Bureau Chief, Ayesha Tanzeem, as South and Central Asia Division Director, according to an announcement by the VOA Public Relations.

The position is the highest in the US media held by any Pakistani American female journalist.

“Ayesha Tanzeem exemplifies the courage and journalistic skill that is a hallmark of VOA’s overseas correspondents,” said Acting VOA Director Yolanda LÏŒpez. “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.”

Being a native of Pakistan, she has traveled extensively throughout Afghanistan and Pakistan, covering politics, governance, militancy, terrorism, and human rights, particularly women and minority rights.

Her reporting that uncovered horrific and tragic incidents related to the suffering of the Afghan people earned her the David Burke award for Courage in Journalism in 2016.

Her new assignment will bring her back from Islamabad to the VOA headquarters in Washington, D.C.

KEY POINTS:

• Ayesha Tanzeem promoted to director of South and Central Asia at VOA.
• She is the first Pakistani American female to hold this position.
• Tanzeem has extensive experience covering Afghanistan and Pakistan.
• She received the David Burke award for Courage in Journalism in 2016.
• The appointment brings her back to VOA headquarters in Washington, D.C.