Frontline Coverage: Operation Zarb-e-Azb Displacement Crisis
Civilian Journalist
The Challenge
When Operation Zarb-e-Azb launched in June 2014, Raza was studying for his MSc in Journalism & Mass Communication at NUML Islamabad. He made the decision to deploy to Bannu - where tens of thousands of displaced families were arriving from North Waziristan - instead of sitting his final examinations. This meant completing the coursework but never receiving the degree. This decision defines the entire career: choose the story over the credential. Choose human impact over institutional validation.
The Approach
Deliberately avoided military strategy and tactical analysis. Focused exclusively on: Displaced families and what happens to people when their town becomes a war zone; Children pulled out of school and their access to education in camps; Where families sleep, what they eat, how they rebuild; The human dimensions of the largest displacement crisis in Pakistan's recent history.
What Was Built
- Field reporting from Bannu during the peak displacement period