From The Boston Globe:
“Global citizen” Adil Najam has gone from sharing a Nobel Prize to starting a blog where Pakistanis can share views peacefully
Aboard a Pakistan International Airlines flight bound for Logan Airport 16 years ago, Adil Najam sat in his seat and thought, “What have I done? Why would I leave all that?” Sports reporter, TV talk show host, national environmental expert, Najam was a celebrity in the south Asian nation of 165 million by his mid-20s. “I was quite happy there. Pakistan was good to me,” said Najam, now living in Boxborough with his wife and three children. Rather than riding his good fortune, he was off to MIT for the more secure but seemingly staid pursuit of an engineering degree.
But instead of vanishing into technocratic anonymity, Najam, 42, has emerged as a rising star in the international environmental movement, earning a share of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore and other scientists on an international climate change council, while also becoming a go-to expert on the Muslim world for NPR, CNN, and other news outlets. Most recently he has reentered the political debate in Pakistan with his blog Pakistaniat.com, which has become a must-read for Pakistan-watchers as the nation, a critical American ally in the war on terror, simmers with political violence heading into national elections today.
Those who met Najam when he first arrived in Boston in 1992 recall a tall, well-spoken, but humble figure. “He was active in student groups, and I could see the leadership qualities that he had,” said Barry Hoffman, Pakistan’s honorary consul general in Boston. “Whenever I have distinguished visitors, I always try to make a point that they meet Adil. He’s wise, he’s articulate, and he makes me look good.”
More here. (Note: Thanks to Dr. Atiya Khan)