Zaffar Abbas is the Editor of Dawn, Pakistan's oldest and most prestigious English language newspaper. He has been a journalist for 37 years and has worked for a number of national and international news organisations, including 16 years for the BBC as one of its Pakistan correspondents.

Mr. Abbas is a keen follower of the Pakistani and regional politics, has covered the civil war in Afghanistan from the days of the Soviet occupation. The last few years have been mostly dedicated to reporting and analyzing the rise in religious extremism and terrorism in Pakistan, the tricky peace process between India and Pakistan, as well as the complicated political developments in the country.
Because of his bold and objective coverage of armed militancy in the country he twice faced the wrath of different militant groups in the past, but luckily survived with non-fatal injuries.
Mr. Abbas is a strong advocate for ethical journalism in Pakistan, and has long been campaigning for creating a safe environment for working journalists in the country.