Pakistan has majorly focused on foreign policy over the years to increase Pakistan’s engagement in the region in a way that makes the region more cohesive and economically integrated. With Pakistan’s geographical location posing a challenge, navigating through its foreign policy has always been a major concern for successive governments. In this podcast, Ms. Hina Rabbani Khar and Dr. Madiha Afzal talk about Pakistan’s current foreign policy approach, it’s major priorities and challenges and how it has evolved over the years.
Madiha Afzal is a fellow in the foreign policy programme at the Brookings institution. She was previously the David M. Rubenstein Fellow in the Foreign Policy program. Her work focuses on the U.S.-Pakistan relationship, U.S. policy toward Afghanistan, Pakistan’s politics and policy, and extremism in South Asia and beyond. 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 where she served 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 in the most recent period 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.