Before taking to freelance journalism, she worked as an Assistant Editor for various leading Indian dailies, including The Times of India, The Pioneer and The Statesman.
[1][2] Born to an Indian Muslim family in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, she received her education in Delhi and United States.
Nilofar moved to the United States, where she earned a master's degree from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, of the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
She did research on Ayodhya-controversy at UW–Madison, and wrote the book Ayodhya Without Communal Stamp, In the Name of Indian Secularism (Manak Publishers, 2006).
She has been in the field of journalism, while pursuing academics too, by writing actively for weeklies such as Mainstream and many Indian dailies.
She is also a regular contributor to American online magazine CounterPunch and South Asia Journal.
She has spoken at various national and international seminars on issues linked with role of media, terrorism as well as nuclear diplomacy.
She criticised the American media for having labelled the Indian Hindu community as "terrorists" for demolishing the Babari Masjid in 1992 which led to nationwide riots in India.