SRINAGAR — In a landmark achievement for journalism from Jammu and Kashmir, Aamir Peerzada, a journalist hailing from Bandipora district, has become the first from the region to be part of a team that won an International Emmy Award. The accolade was conferred upon the BBC team for their documentary Myanmar’s Civil War, which secured the award in the category of Outstanding Continuing News Coverage – Short Form at the 2025 News and Documentary Emmy Awards.
The prestigious ceremony was held on June 26 at Palladium Times Square, New York City, under the aegis of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS), which honours excellence in global television journalism.
Peerzada served as the field producer for the BBC’s six-and-a-half-minute documentary. During a ten-day reporting assignment in Myanmar’s volatile Chin State—an area largely controlled by ethnic resistance groups—he was instrumental in enabling the team to navigate hostile territory and gather critical evidence of grave human rights abuses. These included forced child recruitment, disappearances, and widespread violence perpetrated by the country’s military junta.
Born in Barzulla Panjigam, Bandipora, Peerzada is an alumnus of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Shahkote Baramulla, and holds a BSc degree from Degree College Sopore. In 2012, he completed a diploma in broadcast journalism from Chandigarh, laying the foundation for a career that would take him across some of the world’s most dangerous conflict zones.
Peerzada began his journalism career with NDTV in 2013 before joining the BBC. Over the years, he has reported from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Syria, India, and now Myanmar—often working under life-threatening conditions to bring untold stories to the fore.
This Emmy is the latest in a series of national and international accolades for Peerzada. His honours include:
- Ramnath Goenka Award for On-the-Spot Reporting (2015) for his coverage of the Nepal earthquake during the documentary Operation Everest: Summiteers to Saviours
- RedInk Awards (2016, 2017) in the sports and science & innovation categories respectively
- Recognitions at the Canada International Film Festival, Dadasaheb Phalke Film Festival (2015), and Asian Pacific Broadcast Union Prize (2016)
- Nominations at the Asian Rainbow TV Awards and selection as a semifinalist in the G2 Green Earth Film Festival
(Inputs from various reports)
