Nabi Misdaq () is an Afghan author and a journalist. He was the founder and head of the Pashto Section at

BBC World Service The BBC World Service is a British Public broadcasting, public service broadcaster owned and operated by the BBC. It is the world's largest external broadcaster in terms of reception area, language selection and audience reach. It broadcas ...

in the early 1980s. In 2015, b
special decree
and under the 64th article of the constitution, President Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, named Nabi Misdaq as his new Media Affairs advisor.

Origins and education

Misdaq is from the

Zazi The Zazi (), also spelled Zazai, zarakzai or Jaji, are a Karlani (کرلاڼي) Pashtun tribes, Pashtun tribe. They are found in Afghanistan and Pakistan They are most prominent in the Paktia province, Paktia and Khost province, Khost province ...

tribe of

Pashtuns Pashtuns (, , ; ;), also known as Pakhtuns, or Pathans, are an Iranian peoples, Iranic ethnic group primarily residing in southern and eastern Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan. They were historically also referred to as Afghan (ethnon ...

, in the

Paktia Province Paktia (Pashto – ''Paktyā'') is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the east of the country. Forming part of the larger Loya Paktia region, Paktia Province is divided into 15 districts and has a population of roughly 623,00 ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

. He went to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

on a scholarship in the early 1960s. Misdaq has a BS.c. Hon. from

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

and M.A. and Ph.D. from

Sussex University The University of Sussex is a public research university located in Falmer, East Sussex, England. It lies mostly within the city boundaries of Brighton and Hove. Its large campus site is surrounded by the South Downs National Park, and provide ...

. He has written several books (''Afghanistan'',

Routledge Routledge ( ) is a British multinational corporation, multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, academic journals, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanit ...

, 2003) and academic papers in English. Recently he finished a

Pashto Pashto ( , ; , ) is an eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family, natively spoken in northwestern Pakistan and southern and eastern Afghanistan. It has official status in Afghanistan and the Pakistani province of Khyb ...

-English dictionary which is due to be published. In the meantime, he is writing a book which contains Afghan jokes translated into English. He is also the author of many articles widely for Afghan exile press in both Pashto and

Dari (Persian) Dari (; endonym: ), Dari Persian (, , or , ), or Eastern Persian is the variety of the Persian language spoken in Afghanistan. Dari is the Afghan government's official term for the Persian language;Lazard, G.Darī – The New Persian ...

over the years.

Career

Misdaq worked for the

Bush House Bush House is a Grade II listed building at the southern end of Kingsway between Aldwych and the Strand in London, England. It was conceived as a major new trade centre by American industrialist Irving T. Bush, and commissioned, designed, ...

throughout the 1980s and 1990s, where he founded the Pashto Section, and broadcast regularly, becoming one of the best known voices in Afghanistan and Pakistan. He twice interviewed the exiled Afghan King Zahir Shah in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

Sources

*Misdaq, Nabi - ''Afghanistan: Political Frailty and External Interference'' *Fields, Rona M. - ''Martyrdom: The Psychology, Theology, and Politics of Self-Sacrifice'' *Maley, William - ''The Afghanistan Wars'' *Rais, Rasul Bakhsh - ''War without Winners: Afghanistan's Uncertain Transition after the Cold War''

References

External links

*http://www.dgroups.org/groups/worldbank/FMG/index.cfm?op=dsp_showmsg&listname=FMG&msgid=389521&cat_id=13235 *http://heartofasia.wordpress.com/2008/04/21/father-of-yoshi-phd/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Misdaq, Nabi Pashtun journalists Afghan journalists Afghan expatriates in England Alumni of the London School of Economics Alumni of the University of Sussex Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Pashtun male writers