The elusive Project Milaap on March 29, 2021Those who have watched the 2004 Bollywood film ‘Main Hoon Na’ may be familiar with its optimistic approach for peace between India and Pakistan in which a secret bilateral dialogue process codenamed ‘Project Milaap’ resulted in harmony between the two archenemies. It was one of those rare films that touched upon the subject with creative […]
Washington shouldn’t condition ties with Islamabad: Ambassador Khan on February 6, 2021As President Joe Biden’s administration has taken charge recently, I hosted Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States Dr. Asad Majeed Khan for a webinar-style interview on a number of complex issues faced on bilateral and regional levelthat include the Afghan Peace Process, India’s fascist tendencies, the Kashmir dispute and the prospects of a two-state solution […]
Engaging with energetic students of foreign policy in Washington DC on February 1, 2021While on an official trip to the United States covering the US Presidential Elections in November 2020, I was invited to address students over video conferencing at the School of International Service (SIS), American University, Washington DC. Being one of the leading schools on foreign policy in the world, it was truly a huge honour […]
A new dawn for America? on January 20, 2021From what we’ve all learned from the last couple of years is how easily the global political order can be shaken with sinister ideologies inspired by Nazism and fascism. From the United States to parts of Europe and South Asia, a surge in far-right politics has impaired liberalism and progressive agenda set after the Second […]
Assessing America’s descent into chaos on January 13, 2021During my official trip to Washington DC in November 2020, I witnessed a lot of uncertainty on the outcome of America’s most divisive presidential elections in living memory. Though President-elect Joe Biden won by a significant margin eventually after days of nail-biting suspense, a rude awakening was yet to be ascertained in light of how […]
Prime Minister Imran Khan is committed to the cause of Kashmiris: Ambassador Munir Akram on December 1, 2020In an exclusive interview conducted in a webinar-style for Daily Times, I had the opportunity to speak with Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN) Ambassador Munir Akram in which several matters came into discussion, including the longstanding dispute of Indian occupied-Jammu & Kashmir (IoJ&K), India’s involvement in terrorist activities across Pakistan, the role […]
A divided America on November 6, 2020As I write this piece from the suburbs of Washington, DC, America is going through a tumultuous period which could change the course of its history. With a razor-thin lead achieved by former vice president Joe Biden, the elections are far from over since counting is still underway. At the same time, President Donald Trump […]
Uncertainty shrouds America’s elections on November 4, 2020Voting in polling stations has officially commenced for US Presidential Elections 2020 across all 50 states whose outcome remains uncertain at the time of filing this report. Both the Republicans and the Democrats are set to battle hard to clinch swing states that are vital for a substantial outcome. Pennsylvania, Florida, Michigan, Arizona, Wisconsin, Texas […]
America set for its biggest political showdown on November 3, 2020This week the United States is headed for its biggest political showdown in modern history with an election whose outcome shall determine the West’s leading state’s course of direction. While national polls suggest that the Democrats are leading the Republicans, one can’t entirely rely on them given several factors such as margin of error, tilt […]
Revolt in the Foreign Office on September 30, 2020Some months ago, the former spokesperson of the Foreign Office ‘dismissed’ multiple reports of favouritism and sifarish-based diplomatic postings which almost led to an insurgency in the institution. Yet the official claim of ‘laid down criteria encompassing seniority, stability, regional expertise, diversity of experience, past performance, previous posting patterns and output in the current position […]