South Asia, home to more than one billion people, has been the focus of the international community since Pakistan denoted nuclear bombs in a tit-for-tat response to Indian nuclear tests in 1998.

Major players of the world were seen very active in early 2002 to avert a nuclear war when India amassed hundreds of thousands of troops along international borders with Pakistan as well as Line of Control, which divides Pakistan and India in the disputed Kashmir region.

The long-standing Kashmir dispute still poses serious threat to regional peace. The region has become nuclear flash-point, attracting also attention of the world media. Growing Indo-Pak tension always dominates world headlines.

South Asian News Agency (SANA), Pakistan's totally independent news and photo service, was launched on January 26, 2001, to highlight events in one of the world's dangerous regions.

SANA replaced the Kashmir Press International (KPI), which was established in December 1989 as Pakistan's first Urdu language news service. SANA first started English news service and started its Urdu service on February 1st, 2002. It disseminates national, regional and international news without receiving any support by the government. The agency has also started Arabic service.

SANA has recruited a team of young and educated professionals who are imparted training to adopt unbiased attitude in filing or editing news. The news agency has neither any favorite nor enemy as far as news coverage is concerned.

SANA is proud to say that it encourages and welcomes educated youth to join journalism and to get practical training in its headquarters in Islamabad as well as bureau offices.

The agency provides services to more than 90 national and international newspapers as well as websites in English, Arabic and Urdu. SANA has a compact information network with its Headquarters in Islamabad and full-fledged Bureau Offices in Karachi, Lahore, Quetta, Peshawar Muzaffarabad and Hyderabad. The agency has a Bureau Office in New York. We have a network of 400 correspondents, reporters and stringers throughout Pakistan, one of the largest reporting networks in the country.