Appointment for the next foreign secretary and key envoys delayed owing to regional tensions on February 23, 2019Sohail Mahmood ISLAMABAD: As per reliable sources in the Foreign Office, the decision to nominate the successor of outgoing Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua has been delayed owing to the current regional tensions between Islamabad and New Delhi. The probable candidates for replacing Janjua include High Commissioner to India, Sohail Mahmood and Ambassador to Germany, Jauhar Saleem. Given … [Read more...] about Appointment for the next foreign secretary and key envoys delayed owing to regional tensions
Race for the next Foreign Secretary in final round on February 9, 2019Amid much media speculations, the race for the next foreign secretary's post - set to be vacated by Tehmina Janjua by April - is getting intense. As per Foreign Office (FO) insiders, the two front runners are High Commissioner to India, Sohail Mahmood, and Ambassador to Germany, Jauhar Saleem. Both of them belong to the 13th Common Training Program (CTP) and still have a few years of service … [Read more...] about Race for the next Foreign Secretary in final round
What next for the Afghan endgame? on February 5, 2019Russia is, once again, flexing its muscles to regain a foothold in the Afghan endgame by hosting a series of talks aimed to increase its political clout. The upcoming two-day dialogue being held in Moscow on Tuesday is one such conference. Noticeably, only representatives from the Afghan Taliban and critics of President Ashraf Ghani have been invited to attend. This seems to be an apparent snub of … [Read more...] about What next for the Afghan endgame?
An open letter to PM Khan-III on January 11, 2019Mr Prime Minister, as I had mentioned in the second part of my tri-series letter a few weeks ago, the make or break of your government will be determined by the quality of governance that your administration provides, particularly, in the economic domain; as well as the conduct of your foreign policy. As it happens, both are intertwined and delicately poised. Unfortunately, the situation in the … [Read more...] about An open letter to PM Khan-III
An open letter to PM Khan-II on December 1, 2018Mr Prime Minister, in continuation of my tri-series open letter, this second letter is meant to point out the flaws of your government's political and bureaucratic decisions. It is hoped that you will carefully adhere to the suggestions on the issues that I am about to highlight for the stability of your regime. After coming in power for the first time at the national level, PTI was bound to … [Read more...] about An open letter to PM Khan-II
An open letter to the PM Khan — I on November 26, 2018Mr Prime Minister, I would’ve never thought about it but today I am compelled to address this letter, a first among a three-part series, to you for bringing attention to some of the key issues facing Pakistan’s domestic and foreign policy fronts. You may not remember me, but we’ve briefly met a couple of times in London, Oxford and Lahore in the past. Coming to the point, your party came to … [Read more...] about An open letter to the PM Khan — I
An invitation to American University, Washington DC on November 10, 2018While visiting the United States for official work a few weeks ago, I was bestowed the honour to be invited as a special guest by eminent Pakistani-American scholar, author and former diplomat Professor Akbar S. Ahmed to attend alecture by Mowahid Hussain Shah, another distinguished member of the diasporas’ legal community, at the American University’s School of International Service (SIS) in … [Read more...] about An invitation to American University, Washington DC
Indian intransigence exposes who doesn’t want peace in South Asia: Maleeha Lodhi on October 20, 2018Date: 17th October 2018 Her Excellency Dr Maleeha Lodhi is a Pakistani diplomat currently serving as the country's Permanent Representative to the United Nations. She has previously served as envoy to London and Washington DC. This interview was recently conducted by Hassan Khan at Pakistan's UN Mission in New York City, United States. Q- In an increasingly unstable global order, as … [Read more...] about Indian intransigence exposes who doesn’t want peace in South Asia: Maleeha Lodhi
Locked horns! on October 2, 2018New York City: Dialogue? What Dialogue? New Delhi and Islamabad have once again locked horns against each other at the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA). The events preceding the respective addresses of the foreign ministers of the two countries were no less than a dramatic scene out of a political thriller, with bilateral talks being stalled at the 11th hour by the Indian government. … [Read more...] about Locked horns!
India major impediment to regional progress: Pakistan on September 29, 2018NEW YORK: Pakistan has accused India of creating hurdles in the way of promoting regional cooperation from the platform of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), after Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj left a SAARC meeting before hearing the Pakistan's statement. "One country is holding SAARC hostage to its unruly attitude," he told reporters after participating … [Read more...] about India major impediment to regional progress: Pakistan
