HIT

Note from Head of HUM Investigations Unit:

As protectors of public interest, HUM Investigations Unit is dedicated to unearthing the truth in a post-truth era. We uphold objectivity, rejecting sensationalism and propaganda disguised as investigative journalism. Our premier unit will relys on irrefutable facts to distinguish truth from falsehood, ensuring that truth triumphs.
The HIU will be committed to empowering the public by holding the powerful accountable. In a world where social media is rife with propaganda, lies, half-truths, and disinformation, sharing the truth is a radical act. Our unwavering dedication to our mission involves sharing the truth with the public and challenging those in power.
Zahid Gishkori, HUM Investigations’ head, is an Islamabad-based investigative journalist with 17 years of experience in investigative, data-driven, and digital reporting. His professional commitment and journalistic integrity are evident in the numerous national and international awards and accolades he has received.
Before joining the HUM Television Network family, Gishkori worked with several media organizations, including Samaa TV, Geo Television Network, The Express Tribune, The News International, Daily Jang, Daily Express, The Nation, and Daily Pakistan Observer. He has also contributed to international outlets like CNN International, The Washington Post, Channel News Asia, The Kansas City Star, The McClatchy DC, The New Arab and The China Economic Net since 2007.
Gishkori has covered award-winning stories, with two of his investigations being listed among the global best by a consortium of Global Investigative Journalism in the past six years. His major stories, such as Tosha Khana, Alarming Rise in Parliamentarians’ Assets, Panama Case, Dubai Properties, Fake Accounts case, Sugar Scam, and others have garnered worldwide attention and put the news organizations he worked for in the limelight.
Gishkori has also worked on exclusive stories for The Washington Post and CNN International in Pakistan. From 2010 to 2015, he was associated with The Express Tribune, a partner of International New York Times, in Islamabad.
Gishkori’s achievements include numerous prestigious international scholarships and fellowships in journalism, such as the Daniel Pearl/Alfred Friendly Fellow in 2014. He gained valuable experience as a resident fellow with the Investigative Reporters and Editors Organization at the University of Missouri in Columbia.
He reported for The Kansas City Star and McClatchy DC in 2014 in the United States, and worked with Pulitzer Prize-winning team Mike McGraw and Mike Hendricks of The Kansas City Star in Missouri as a reporter. Gishkori has also presented his data-driven stories in California and Lillehammer, Norway, by special invitation of the Global Investigative Journalism Network in 2014 and 2015.
In 2012, Gishkori proudly represented Pakistan at the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) as a senior fellow under the SAARC Leadership Fellowship Programme, producing a book titled “From Shadows to Reality, a Way Forward for SAARC.” He also studied political and investigative reporting at the International Institute for Journalism in Germany during the 2012 Summer Academy and participated in a course on politics and environment at the Centre for Science and Environment Centre in India in 2011.
Gishkori has reported for Express 24/7 (English News Television Channel), dailies Express, The Nation, Pakistan Observer, and news wire Pakistan Press International since 2007. His investigative stories have been published in numerous national and international journals, where he covered significant stories from countries such as Norway, US, India, Pakistan, UAE, China, Sri Lanka, Germany, and Nepal. Gishkori is currently working on his book “FATF Challenge and Pak U.S. Relations (in the works)”.
At Quaid-I-Azam University, he excelled as the top student in his M.Phil. program in American Studies, focusing on American Foreign Policy during 2018-19. Gishkori also holds Masters degrees in English Literature (2006), Political Science (2010), and Mass Communication (2009) from Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan and Allama Iqbal Open University Islamabad, respectively.
His foreign scholarships, fellowships, and courses include attending the Global Investigative Journalists Network Programme in Lillehammer, Norway in 2015; Daniel Pearl/Alfred Friendly Press Partners, Investigative Reporters and Editors at the University of Missouri, US in 2014; a course for investigative reporting with University of Missouri, a course at Georgetown Law School at Georgetown University in Washington DC, International Centre for Journalists Fellowship in Nepal (April 21-30, 2013); SAARC Fellowship in Sri Lanka, Nepal, and India (2013); a course titled “South Asia Youth At Risk” by the International Center for Journalism in Nepal in April 2013; International Institute of Journalism, Germany in 2012; an advanced course at the Centre for Science and Environment, India in 2011; and an online course called “English for Journalism.”
Gishkori also completed an intensive online course at the University of Pennsylvania, USA, in 2016. He has received multiple prestigious awards, such as the “Plight of Air-Blue Crash Affectees” award by the Government of Canada in 2012; “Floods and Natural Disasters” award by the Government of Pakistan in 2012; “Reporting with Passion on Local Government System” award by Devolution Trust for Community Empowerment in 2009; “Best Investigative Reporter of the Year Award” by Agahi/Mishal Pakistan; and “Investigative Report on Human Smuggling and Trafficking” award by the Pakistan Press Association in 2017.
If you have story ideas or leads, or wish to become a whistle-blower, please contact us at huminvestigations unit@hum.tv