Importance of Strategic Communications in Diplomacy on May 20, 2022For diplomacy to be successful, it requires diplomats to have three essential qualities, which include taking calculated risks and having utmost credibility and critical thinking. Of course, these are essential in other fields as well but international relations in the modern world are full of complex challenges that were previously unheard of just a few […]
Expectations from Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on May 13, 2022After much trepidation, it appears, that Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has taken up the challenging role as the new Foreign Minister of Pakistan. That is almost six decades after his illustrious grandfather became the foreign minister to begin a transformative political career in earnest. Credited with lending a new direction to Pakistan’s foreign policy, Zulfikar Ali […]
Reinventing US-Pakistan Relations on May 6, 2022The United States has become the most talked-about country within Pakistani political and diplomatic circles in recent months not because of flourishing ties but because of the nature of the allegations made by former prime minister Imran Khan. He’s adamant that Washington played a “primary role” in toppling his government via outwardly legal means. Whether […]
Turbulent Times on April 29, 2022Pakistani politics is full of contradictions that follow the dictum of permanent interests rather than permanent allies or enemies. Those who, metaphorically, grabbed each other by the collars are now sitting together on a single platform and running the country’s affairs under a setup akin to a national government. Whereas, the Imran Khan-led former ruling […]
Depoliticising the Foreign Office on April 20, 2022As stipulated in the constitution, Pakistan’s National Assembly successfully removed a sitting prime minister for the first time in history. But then, no premier has ever been able to complete their term and the tradition continues. However, the situation isn’t as simple as it seems. The country has seemingly slid into a political quagmire from […]
To Be or Not to Be on March 16, 2022Prime Minister Imran Khan is about to face the most daunting test of his political career. Yet, he remains confident enough to succeed. Whereas the opposition parties seem to be in a fix despite their decision to oust him via a “no-confidence” motion, which is expected to take place after the OIC Council of Foreign […]
Why Affluent Overseas Pakistanis are Reluctant to Invest in Pakistan? on March 3, 2022While Pakistan’s foreign remittances have witnessed a healthy spike in recent years boosted by the millions of workers abroad who choose to send money to their families by official channels rather than hundi, foreign investment in Pakistan has remained stagnant. One can understand Western entrepreneurs’ reluctance to look at Pakistan as an investment destination, given […]
Of Foreign Office manoeuvres on February 19, 2022Recent media reports suggesting that Pakistan’s Ambassador to Turkey Syrus Sajjad Qazi could replace the incumbent Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood next month, and that Mahmood could in turn replace Qazi as the envoy to Ankara, came as a shock for multiple reasons. Firstly, Qazi is not even in grade 22, and there are twelve diplomats […]
Dreams of Another Tomorrow — a social satire in the garb of romance on November 2, 2021Exquisitely exploring the subtleties of “love and lies” among the Pakistani upper class, JS Rajput’s novel Dreams of Another Tomorrow brings out the contradictions which lend our patriarchal society a unique character – one which may be loved or hated but can only be ignored at one’s own peril. The protagonist of the novel, Raza […]
A Mockery of Diplomacy? on October 26, 2021A Foreign Office reeling from weak leadership; confused policy has touched a new low. If media reports are to be believed, and a journalist no less than Mujeeb ur Rehman Shami has claimed amongst others, the Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Lt General (retd) Bilal Akbar, who was posted to Riyadh just a few months ago, […]