Zulkarnain Saer Khan

Zulkarnain Saer Khan Sami is a U.K.-based exiled Bangladeshi journalist^[2][3] and a member of Al Jazeera's Investigative Unit.^[4][5] He is a researcher at Organized Crime and Corruption Project Reporting.^[6][7] He had risen to fame after working on and appearing in Al Jazeera's widely discussed 2021 documentary All the Prime Minister's Men.^[8] He won Global Shining Light Awards at GIJC23 by Global Investigative Journalism Network for his work at Secret prisoners of Dhaka.^[9]

Zulkarnain Saer Khan
জুলকারনাইন সায়ের খান
Khan in 2025, in the British Museum
Nationality	Bangladeshi
Other names	Sami[1]
Occupation	Journalist
Known for	Investigative journalism
Notable work	All the Prime Minister's Men
Movement	Student–People's uprising (online activism)
Awards	Global Shining Light Awards (2023)

Career

Khan is working with several prominent media organisations worldwide, including Al Jazeera's Investigative Unit (I-Unit),^[10] Netra News, Haaretz, and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project to produce comprehensive investigative reports on Bangladesh.^[2][11]

In 2021, the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit of the Bangladeshi police charged Zulkarnain Saer Khan alias Sami and six others in a case filed under the 2018 Digital Security Act for "spreading rumours and carrying out anti-government activities".^[12] The Digital Security Act was alleged to be used in Bangladesh to crack down on political dissent and investigative journalism.

In March 2023, Khan's brother Mahinur Khan was beaten with iron rods by four unidentified men while out grocery shopping in the Shewrapara, a neighbourhood of Dhaka.^[13] The US Embassy in Bangladesh and UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders requested a probe into alleged attack.^[14]

The Minister's Millions

In September 2024, Al Jazeera's Investigative Unit published a documentary on former land minister of Bangladesh Saifuzzaman Chowdhury. Zulkarnain, the lead investigator of the documentary titled The Minister's Millions said Chowdhury has built a property empire worth at least $675 million, with plush properties in the UK, the US and the UAE.^[15] Authorities in Bangladesh have frozen his bank accounts and are now investigating claims that Chowdhury laundered millions of dollars into the UK.^[16]

The Mother and the Monster

In May 2025, Al Jazeera published a documentary The Mother and the Monster, part of the 101 East series, which delves into Bangladesh's political landscape following the tenure of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. As a lead investigator Zulkarnain investigates the nation's trajectory after Hasina's leadership, examining the challenges and prospects that lie ahead. It features interviews with key figures, including The Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus and The Chief of Army Staff Wakaruzzaman. The documentary aims to shed light on the complexities of Bangladesh's governance and the implications for its citizens in a post-Hasina era.^[17]