A political journalist by profession, Hussain briefly served in the Sharif administrations in 1990s and is known for his political positions that reflects the national conservatism towards supporting the idea of civilian control of the military. After playing a crucial role in the support of the decision-making towards the nuclear weapons-testing in response to India's in 1998, Hussain's tenure was abrupted by the staged martial law by Chairman joint chiefs Gen. Pervez Musharraf and was held in prison on treason conspiracy in 1999. In 2003, he later defected to the forward block supporting the presidential campaign of Pervez Musharraf and was elected the Pakistan Senator of the Senate.