Managing Editor, TradeTrend
Arman Sabir is a Pakistani journalist with more than three decades of experience in print, television, radio and digital journalism. He began his journalism career in 1993 with the independent wire service Pakistan Press International (PPI) and subsequently worked with major Pakistani and international media organizations.
In 2007, he joined the BBC Urdu Service as a correspondent. During his nearly six years with the BBC, he worked in both reporting and radio journalism and was later promoted to producer. He was involved in radio programming from Islamabad and worked on special programming during the 2009 floods. He also worked on the BBC's online desk, editing and updating digital news content and coordinating reporting assignments.
He joined ARY News in 2014 and later worked with other media organizations, including Bol News English and Hamariweb. At Hamariweb, he served as Editor and launched its news department.
Investigative and Field Journalism
Throughout his career, Arman Sabir has worked extensively on investigative and public-interest reporting. His areas of coverage have included criminal justice, law enforcement agencies, transport, infrastructure and public institutions.
His political reporting has included coverage of major political parties and leading political figures, including public speeches, press conferences and other political events. He has also covered sessions of the Sindh Assembly, various departments of the Sindh government and proceedings of the Supreme Court, as well as political developments in Islamabad. This work has given him reporting experience across political institutions, government departments and the judicial system.
His field reporting has taken him to different parts of Pakistan, including the coastal areas of Sindh, Balochistan and the Pakistan-India border region. He has reported on major natural disasters, infrastructure and transport links, including developments connected with the revival of the railway link between Pakistan and India.
His work has also included journalism training and professional development. He was one of the trainers involved in the BBC's Lifeline project and has delivered training lectures and participated in journalism seminars and workshops.
International Exposure
In August 2004, Arman Sabir participated in the United States Department of State's International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), joining a multinational group of 20 participants, including two from Pakistan and others from countries such as Japan, China, France, Iceland, Palestine and Kenya. The programme provided opportunities to meet American political figures and discuss the country's political system, presidential government and electoral processes.
During the visit, the delegation visited the White House and Capitol Hill, met members of Congress and other politicians, and attended a live appearance by Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry during the presidential campaign against incumbent President George W. Bush. The programme also included visits to Dallas and Fort Worth in Texas, Columbus in Ohio, Boston in Massachusetts, and Seattle and Olympia in Washington state.
In Fort Worth, the delegation visited a television station and National Public Radio (NPR). Sabir was selected alongside journalists from Japan and Iceland to participate in a live radio interview. Questions included Pakistan's security practices following the September 11 attacks, particularly the delayed public identification of detained suspects, at a time when Pakistan was a key US partner in the war on terror.
During the discussion, Sabir addressed the security challenges along Pakistan's Afghan border and the context of Pakistan-US cooperation. He repeatedly clarified that he was speaking as a journalist, not as a representative of Pakistan's security forces, and that he had no personal knowledge of the circumstances surrounding individual detentions. The interview remains a memorable part of his professional experience, involving a live discussion of a sensitive international issue.
AI Learning and Professional Development
Sabir has pursued professional development in artificial intelligence alongside his journalism career. He completed the Google AI Essentials certificate and participated in a three-day Google AI Lab session in Islamabad in 2025. These activities reflect his engagement with emerging AI tools and their relevance to professional work, including digital journalism.
Leadership Roles
Arman Sabir has also been active in professional journalism organizations. He has held various positions at the Karachi Press Club since 2002 and served as its Treasurer before being elected Secretary. He was elected Secretary of the Karachi Press Club for two consecutive terms in 2019 and 2020. He has also served as Secretary of the Karachi Union of Journalists and has been elected to the Karachi Press Club's governing body on several occasions.
TradeTrend
In July 2026, Arman Sabir joined TradeTrend as Managing Editor at the invitation of Editor Sami Ahmed, taking responsibility for developing the publication's online edition.
His role has included helping develop TradeTrend from its traditional monthly publishing format into a digital international-affairs and economic journalism platform covering diplomacy, international relations, global trade and the economy, investment, business, geopolitics, connectivity, cultural diplomacy and related developments.
At TradeTrend, his editorial work focuses on research-based and in-depth journalism that places diplomatic, economic, commercial and geopolitical developments within their wider context.
As Managing Editor, Arman Sabir works with the editorial team on the publication's digital development, editorial standards, investigative and research-based coverage, and the expansion of TradeTrend's international-affairs journalism.
