Mosharraf Zaidi

Mosharraf Zaidi is a leading Pakistani columnist, diplomat and government advisor who writes a weekly column for The News, one of the largest English-language newspapers published in the country. He was Advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Pakistan between 2011 and 2013, where he established the public diplomacy division. In his capacity as a public policy analyst, he has advised governments and international organisations on topics such as public policy and international aid. Since 2013 he has been leading an education campaign. He previously worked as a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) contractor on education and has also been an adviser to DFID, the British government’s development arm. Educated in the United States- he received an MPA from the Baruch College School of Public Affairs in NYC, he has written for a number of different newspapers such as Al-Shorouk, the Nation, the Times of India, the Mumbai Mirror, the National, and the Wall Street Journal and is widely known for being a vocal critic of the Pakistani government's policies on educational reform and political development. His work and analysis on touches areas such as education, emergency relief and reconstruction, telecommunications, technology and ICTs, civil society, citizen empowerment, and public diplomacy.

He belongs to the Urdu-speaking Muhajir community.