Pakistan has focused heavily on foreign policy over the years to increase its engagement within the region for a cohesive and economically integrated South Asia. With Pakistan’s geographical location posing a challenge, navigating foreign policy has always been a major concern for governments. In this podcast, former Foreign Minister Ms. Hina Rabbani Khar and Dr. Madiha Afzal discuss Pakistan’s current foreign policy approach, it’s major priorities, key challenges, and how it has evolved over the years.
Madiha Afzal is a Fellow at the Foreign Policy Programme at the Brookings Institution. She was previously the David M. Rubenstein Fellow at the Foreign Policy Programme. Her work focuses on the United States-Pakistan relationship, U.S. policy toward Afghanistan, Pakistani politics and policy, and extremism in South Asia. She previously worked as an assistant professor of public policy at the University of Maryland, College Park.
Hina Rabbani Khar is the former Foreign Minister of Pakistan, serving from 2011 to 2013. She is the youngest person and the first women to have served as a Foreign Minister in Pakistan. She was the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs from April 2022 to August 2023. She has also served as the Minister of State for Finance and Economic Affairs from 2008 to 2011 as a long-time member of Pakistan’s National Assembly.