Saima Mohsin is a British Pakistani journalist who works for CNN in Islamabad. She has notably reported on the Taliban’s attack on Pakistani teen activist Malala Yousafzai for the network, including the investigation to apprehend her attackers and the subsequent worldwide support Malala received. Mohsin also exclusively revealed the identity of the key suspect in the Malala shooting investigation. She has interviewed Hafiz Mohammed Saeed, leader of Pakistan's Jamaat-ud-Dawa (Party of Truth), considered a terrorist organization by the United States. A suspected mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, the United States is offering a 10 million dollar bounty for information leading to his conviction.
In a career spanning seventeen years, Mohsin has been a correspondent and anchor working for radio and TV in the United Kingdom, United States and Pakistan. She has covered stories including the death of Osama bin Laden and Prince Charles’ first Royal tour to Pakistan. She has also interviewed leading international and regional figures including former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, former British Foreign Secretary David Milliband, the late Pakistan PM Benazir Bhutto, former Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and U.S. Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, the late Richard Holbrooke.
Mohsin has been named one of the “Top 100 Women to Shake Pakistan” by Newsweek magazine. She is fluent in Punjabi, Urdu and also speaks French.
Mohsin attended the University of Birmingham and in 1998 gained a BA (Hons) degree in political science with English literature, followed by a postgraduate diploma in broadcast journalism in 1999. After graduating from university, she freelanced for a year at BBC World Service, Greater Manchester Radio, GLR and Five Live.
In 2000 Mohsin gained her first job in television joining ITV Meridian as a producer, and later on became a presenter/reporter for the station. In 2002, Mohsin joinedBBC Points West as a reporter and presenter. In 2004 she moved to BBC One's Watchdog - the UK's most watched current affairs show as an investigative reporter on consumer issues.
Mohsin went on to freelance as a newsreader and reporter for BBC News 24, Sky News and ITN. She presented a debate show for Channel 4 on suicide bombings and the future of British Muslims following the 7/7 bombings in London.
In 2006 Mohsin joined GMTV on which she covered stories around the UK and the world including the plea to free Mirza Tahir Hussain from death row in Pakistan and Glaswegian runaway 12 year old Molly Campbell/Misba Rana. She moved to Pakistan in 2007 to be the face of Dawn News, Pakistan's first English news channel. She presented News Eye, the channel's flagship nightly news programme. She contributes as special correspondent for PBS NewsHour in the United States as well as ITN and Daybreak in the United Kingdom.
Mohsin has interviewed world famous celebrities and leaders from Tom Cruise to Tony Blair, Amitabh Bachchan to Benazir Bhutto. She has hosted special programmes with Hillary Clinton, special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke, former British foreign secretary David Miliband and Baroness Sayeeda Warsi.She had been with Channel 4 English for one year.