Who Is Yalda Hakim? Afghan-Born Journalist Not Afraid To Ask Pakistan The Tough Questions

<p><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Ever since Indian defence forces launched </span><em><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>&lsquo;<a title=”Operation Sindoor” href=”https://news.abplive.com/topic/operation-sindoor” data-type=”interlinkingkeywords”>Operation Sindoor</a>&rsquo;</span></em><span style=”font-weight: 400;”> to target terror camps inside Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir and parts of Pakistan, there have been claims by Pakistan that they do not harbour terrorists, and that India is attacking civilians. While most of the western media seems either ignorant of issues pertaining to the Indian subcontinent, or are indifferent to it, one name stands out: anchor-reporter Yalda Hakim, the 41-year-old woman journalist from Sky News, Australia.</span></p>
<p><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Yalda Hakim, the Afghan-born Australian journalist who is now a prominent face on Sky News, has earned international acclaim for her incisive interviews with Pakistani ministers and diplomats &mdash; unflinchingly questioning them on state-backed terror groups, cross-border attacks, and historical denials. With her sharp questioning, detailed knowledge of South Asian geopolitics, and calm persistence, Hakim has brought uncomfortable truths to the global forefront, challenging narratives and demanding answers where many hesitate.</span></p>
<h2><strong>Key Interviews by Yalda Hakim Exposing Pakistan&rsquo;s Terror Links</strong></h2>
<h4><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>1. </span><strong>Interview with Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif</strong></h4>
<p><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>In a revealing <a href=”https://news.abplive.com/news/world/watch-pakistan-defence-minister-khawaja-asif-admits-islamabad-backing-terrorists-threatens-all-out-war-with-india-1767888″>conversation</a></span><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>,</span><span style=”font-weight: 400;”> Defence Minister Khawaja Asif acknowledged Pakistan’s history of supporting and funding terrorist organisations as proxies, referring to it as “dirty work” done for the United States over three decades. This admission was unexpected and garnered significant attention. </span><span style=”font-weight: 400;”><br /></span></p>
<h4><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>2. </span><strong>Interview with&nbsp;</strong><strong>Mohammad Faisal,&nbsp;</strong><strong>Pakistan’s High Commissioner to the UK&nbsp;</strong></h4>
<p><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>During a discussion on the Pahalgam terror attack, High Commissioner Mohammad Faisal <a title=”claimed” href=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWTnn0-9txQ” target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow noopener”>claimed</a> </span><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Pakistan’s commitment to peace. Hakim countered by highlighting Pakistan’s lack of cooperation in investigations of major terrorist attacks in India, such as the 2001 Parliament attack, the 2008 Mumbai attacks, and the 2016 and 2019 Uri and Pulwama attacks. Her sharp and unrelenting questioning left Faisal visibly unsettled. </span><span style=”font-weight: 400;”><br /></span></p>
<h4><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>3. </span><strong>Interview with Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar</strong></h4>
<p><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>When Minister Tarar denied the existence of terrorist camps in Pakistan, Hakim reminded him </span><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>of Defence Minister Asif’s admission <a title=”on her show ” href=”https://x.com/SkyYaldaHakim/status/1920002136701538758″ target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow noopener”>on her show </a>about Pakistan’s support for terror groups. She further cited instances where Pakistani leaders, including General Pervez Musharraf and Benazir Bhutto, acknowledged such support, effectively challenging Tarar’s claims.</span></p>
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet” data-media-max-width=”560″>
<p dir=”ltr” lang=”en”>&ldquo;There are no terrorist camps in Pakistan&rdquo; says Pakistan&rsquo;s Information Minister Attaullah Tatar.<br /><br />I spoke to him as India fired missiles into Pakistani-controlled territory in several locations early Wednesday. India says it is targeting &ldquo;terrorist infrastructure&rdquo;. <a href=”https://t.co/3ZOEww5dkK”>pic.twitter.com/3ZOEww5dkK</a></p>
&mdash; Yalda Hakim (@SkyYaldaHakim) <a href=”https://twitter.com/SkyYaldaHakim/status/1920002136701538758?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>May 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” async=”” charset=”utf-8″></script>
<h2><strong>Who Is Yalda Hakim?</strong></h2>
<p><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Yalda Hakim is an acclaimed Australian journalist and broadcaster, currently serving as the Lead World News Presenter for Sky News. </span></p>
<p><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Born on June 26, 1983, in Kabul, Afghanistan, her early life was marked by upheaval. At just six months old, her family fled the Soviet-Afghan War, undertaking a perilous journey on horseback to Pakistan. After two years, they resettled in Sydney, Australia, where Hakim was raised.</span></p>
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<p><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Hakim’s <a title=”educational journey” href=”https://www.yaldahakimfoundation.org/about-yalda-hakim-foundation/” target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow noopener”>educational journey</a> began at Parramatta West Public School and Macarthur Girls High School in Sydney. She pursued a Bachelor of Arts in Media at Macquarie University from 2002 to 2004, followed by a Diploma in Journalism from Macleay College in 2005. She furthered her studies with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism via distance education at Monash University between 2007 and 2009. Her journalism career commenced with a cadetship at SBS’s World News Australia, where she quickly gained recognition for her reporting.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Hakim’s reporting prowess led her to co-host SBS’s ‘Dateline’ in 2011. In 2012, she joined BBC World News, where she became a prominent presenter and reporter, known for her in-depth coverage of global conflicts and high-profile interviews. Her notable work includes reporting on the collapse of the Afghan government in 2021 and producing documentaries highlighting the impact of the Taliban’s return to power on Afghan women and girls. Hakim grabbed <a title=”headlines” href=”https://www.9news.com.au/world/australian-bbc-presenter-gets-call-from-taliban-live-on-air/9469ee27-93c0-45d8-aa98-b445c6171798″ target=”_self” rel=”nofollow”>headlines</a> when she got a call from Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen on live TV, and the 30-minute interview that followed is still talked about. It was a time when Afghan President Ashaf Ghani was fleeing the country as the Taliban prepared to capture Kabul, and Hakim used her chance to “hold the Taliban to account” by asking some tough questions.&nbsp;</span><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>In July 2023, she transitioned to Sky News, where she currently hosts ‘The World with Yalda Hakim’.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Hakin is known for her work beyond journalism too. In 2018, she established the Yalda Hakim Foundation, aiming to provide scholarships and educational opportunities to young Afghan women. The foundation has partnered with institutions like Oxford University to offer fully-funded programmes for Afghan students.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Hakim is multilingual, fluent in English, Dari, Urdu, Hindi, Persian, and Pashto, and has been learning Mandarin. </span><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Her familiarity with the Indian subcontinent and its issues reflects in her journalism, particularly in her coverage of regional politics and South Asian diaspora issues.</span><span style=”font-weight: 400;”> She is married to Abed Rashid, and they have one child. </span></p>
<p><em><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Kirti Pandey is a senior independent journalist.</span></em></p>