Neither an archeologist, nor an expert on Gandharan art and culture, and certainly not an expert on Buddhism, yet I have been devoted to the promotion and understanding of Gandhara in the world. Why? Because my interest in promoting Gandhara is threefold: one, to generate income for Pakistan by creating a unique Buddhist pilgrimage sector […]
South Asia: Two Billion Neighbors Who Barely Talk to Each Other
I’ve spent a good part of my life working across South Asia – in Bangladesh, in Pakistan, across the region – and one thing has always struck me as almost farcical. These are countries that share everything: the same rivers, the same food, the same music, and the same family trees in many cases. And […]
Two Rooms, Two Ministers, One Opportunity
Within 48 hours last week, I attended two public events held on the sidelines of the World Bank and IMF Spring Meetings in Washington, D.C., listening to Finance Ministers from neighbouring South Asian nations talk about the challenges their countries faced in meeting the needs of their respective populations. Understandably, both Ministers were focused on […]
The Reckoning of Populism
The populist tide that swept the world over the past decade may finally be receding. History will record the last two decades as an era of democratic self-harm. Across the globe, voters turned with remarkable regularity to a particular type of leader: the strongman-populist. They spoke the language of grievance, promised easy answers to complex […]
Pakistan’s Triple Exposure: What the Iran War Really Means for Islamabad
The world is watching oil prices. Analysts are debating recession risks, central banks are recalibrating, and Western governments are scrambling over strategic reserves. But lost in this global noise is a more targeted, more urgent question that hits closer to home: what does the US-Israel war on Iran actually mean for Pakistan? Not in abstract […]
Trump’s Two-Front Strategy: What the World is Missing — And What Pakistan Must Do
The US-Iran war has started, and much is being said and written about it here in Pakistan. There are two critical dimensions to the current geopolitical moment that Pakistan and the world are largely overlooking – and both converge on one figure: Donald Trump. The Domestic Angle The first dimension is entirely domestic, and it […]
Increasing Pakistan’s Voice in the US
The Pakistan-US relationship is at an important inflexion point. Much has been said about the exchange of accolades between the Pakistani leaders and the U.S. President. Clearly, something is shifting in the Washington-Islamabad corridor, and the shift has opened a window not seen in the long and turbulent history of their bilateral relations. This is […]
Beyond Transactionalism: Building a Durable US-Pakistan Partnership for the 21st Century
At a recent gathering at the Pakistan Embassy in Washington, a frank conversation unfolded among “Pakistan Watchers”-former US ambassadors and diplomats, think tank experts, policy veterans, and Pakistani-Americans. The discussion yielded sobering insights and promising pathways for recalibrating a relationship that has oscillated between strategic convergence and mutual frustration for over seven decades. The consensus […]
Reduction of Diarrhoea Equals USD 20 billion for Pakistan!
Run-of-the-mill and piecemeal solutions have failed Pakistan in addressing its economic, social and health challenges – persistent diarrhoea is a case in point. Perhaps it is time to look at holistic solutions combined with non-conventional remedies. Often, these unconventional solutions are the ones that are not that difficult to implement, have far-reaching results and usually […]
Pakistan’s Davos Presence: Time for a Strategic Overhaul
I was not a participant at Davos, and I don’t know Ikram Sehgal. Let me get that out of the way. This article is based on feedback from colleagues and well-wishers of Pakistan who attended the recent gathering. They brought to the surface issues that led to deeper discussions among us about what was lacking […]