Sophia Saifi - Producer
Sophia Saifi
Producer
Sophia Saifi is a producer for CNN based in Islamabad, responsible for newsgathering and reporting from Pakistan.
Latest
Toxic smog in Pakistan is so bad you can see it from space
Nov 11, 2024
Record-breaking levels of thick, toxic smog that have shrouded eastern Pakistan and northern India since last month can be seen in striking satellite imagery.
Dozens killed in Pakistan train station suicide blast, as militants claim responsibility
Nov 9, 2024
A suicide bombing at a train station in southwestern Pakistan on Saturday killed at least 25 people, according to a senior local government official.
Pakistan province calls for ‘climate diplomacy’ with India as record smog chokes major city
Nov 4, 2024
A smog-choked province in eastern Pakistan has issued a rare plea for cross-border collaboration with India, as major cities in both countries endure severe air pollution that risks the health of millions.
A million children in Pakistan miss polio vaccine shots as cases spike
Oct 22, 2024
Polio is once again spreading in Pakistan, where officials say more than 1 million children missed their vaccination doses last month, underscoring the challenges they face in eradicating one of the world’s most intractable diseases.
Chinese workers targeted in deadly Pakistan airport suicide blast
Oct 7, 2024
Two Chinese nationals were killed and one was injured in a suicide attack near Karachi’s international airport Sunday evening, China’s embassy in Pakistan said Monday, marking the latest in a string of violence against China’s personnel and investments in the country in recent years.
Roadside executions the latest grim chapter for Pakistan’s oldest insurgency
Aug 31, 2024
Monday was the deadliest day of the year so far for Pakistan, the latest flare-up in a long-running insurgency driven by inequality, ethnic resentments and colossal Chinese investments.
Man arrested in Pakistan for alleged role in spreading disinformation linked to UK riots
Aug 21, 2024
Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Authority arrested a man on Tuesday who it claimed had spread disinformation thought to have enflamed the recent unrest in the UK.
Pakistan celebrates its first Olympic medal in decades as javelin hero breaks Games record
Aug 9, 2024
Pakistan partied late into the night after javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem won the country’s first ever track and field medal with an Olympic record throw of 92.97 meters to take gold in Paris.
More than 100 killed across Pakistan and Afghanistan as flash floods and heavy rains sweep the region
Apr 17, 2024
Unseasonal rainfall has lashed Pakistan and Afghanistan over the past few days, killing more than 100 people across the neighboring countries, authorities said.
Chinese workers killed in suicide bomb blast as Pakistan grapples with attacks on Beijing’s interests
Mar 27, 2024
Five Chinese workers and their local driver were killed in a suicide bomb blast in northwest Pakistan on Tuesday, authorities said, the latest in a string of terror attacks that the South Asian country’s military and government say aims to disrupt Islamabad’s close ties with Beijing.
Pakistan’s major parties formally announce ruling coalition that keeps Imran Khan shut out
Feb 21, 2024
Two of Pakistan’s dynastic political parties have formally announced the formation of a coalition government, a move that brings an end to nearly two weeks of negotiations and likely keeps an incarcerated Imran Khan out of power despite his affiliates winning the most seats in the country’s controversial election.
Coalition government deal in Pakistan leaves Imran Khan’s party out of power
Feb 14, 2024
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and the Pakistan People’s Party say they will form a coalition government after last week’s inconclusive elections.
Pakistan’s youth deliver stinging rebuke to military elite by backing jailed leader Khan
Feb 12, 2024
His political party is effectively banned, his speeches are barred from television, and he faces at least 14 years in prison. But as the Pakistan election results show, Imran Khan cannot be suppressed.
Pakistan releases official election results, independents affiliated with Khan’s PTI secure most seats
Feb 11, 2024
Pakistan’s official election results were announced Sunday, with independent candidates affiliated with former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party securing the most seats in parliament.
In shock result, allies of jailed ex-leader Khan win most seats in Pakistan election
Feb 10, 2024
Independent candidates affiliated with jailed Pakistani political leader Imran Khan’s Tehreek E Insaaf (PTI) party won the most National Assembly seats in Pakistan’s general election, delivering a surprise victory in a vote marred by a slow count and rigging allegations.
Vote counting in Pakistan hit by unexpected delays after millions cast their ballot in controversial general election
Feb 9, 2024
Vote counting in Pakistan’s general election has been hit by unexpected delays after millions cast their ballot in an election in which old dynasties vied for power while the country’s widely popular former leader languishes behind bars.
About
Sophia Saifi is a producer for CNN based in Islamabad, responsible for newsgathering and reporting from Pakistan.
She has taken the lead in covering key stories from Pakistan including the 2018 general elections, the rise in honour killings in the country, and Karachi’s deadly heatwave.
Saifi has spent a decade covering the rise of militancy in Pakistan and while at CNN was embedded with the Pakistani military during major military operations in 2016 and 2014. She has covered the Indian surgical strikes on Pakistan from the field at the heavily militarized Line of Control between the two countries. Saifi also covered Pakistan’s worst terrorist attack, the Peshawar school massacre by the Taliban in December 2014.
Prior to joining CNN in 2013 Saifi was at Dawn News in Pakistan. She is originally from Karachi, Pakistan and has a BA in Politics and International Relations from The University of Kent in Canterbury and an MA in Journalism from Columbia University’s School of Journalism in New York City.
