In many of our institutions today, whether in workplaces or in public life, we have developed a habit of treating incumbency as a proxy for competence. The longer someone has held a position, the more entitled they seem to be to keep it. This tendency is so ingrained that incumbency itself becomes a kind of…
Brief background of the Historic Hejaz RailwayThe historic Hejaz Railway was one of the Ottoman Empire’s grand infrastructure projects that was the brainchild of late Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid II. The construction of this great project began in the year 1900 under the Sultan’s decree, and by 1908 the railway had connected Istanbul to Medina, before…
“So, it is with minds. Unless you keep them busy with some definite subject that will bridle and control them, they throw themselves in disorder hither and yon in the vague field of imagination… And there is no mad or idle fancy that they do not bring forth in the agitation.” Michel de Montaigne In…
The fragile security landscape of South Asia is increasingly tied to the volatile geopolitics of the Middle East. As the tripartite tensions involving the United States, Israel, and Iran simmer, the shockwaves are felt acutely in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and for that matter India as well. To fully comprehend this equation, one must analyze the…
The India-Pakistan four-day confrontation in the kinetic domain has inaugurated a new debate in leading global academic circles, compelling them to alter their conventional visualisations of contemporary nuclear politics. New Delhi’s formal attempt to rationalise its offensive strategic aspirations through Operation Sindoor led to Islamabad’s reactive defensive approach in the form of Operation Bunyan-un-Marsoos. Both…
What a 25th Birthday at a POW Camp Taught Me about Thinking Bigger In 2024, I was a 23-year-old at the WEF’s Annual Meeting of New Champions (Summer Davos) in Dalian, representing Global Shapers Pakistan and my country’s youth. An emerging entrepreneur seeking inspiration and answers. I didn’t have a massive running business at Summer…
It is no secret that Pakistan’s economy is largely informal, unaudited and dictated by lenders. This enigma has been there for decades, compelling the resource-rich, four-seasonal landscape and resilient nation to hang out with a begging bowl, and that too at the mercy of Shakespearian callous donors. They desire a pound of flesh without spilling…
Beyond Geography-Building Legacy Through Resilience, Enterprise, and Hope The Global Shapers Community Pakistan, in collaboration with CITADEL Pakistan and the Pathfinder Group, hosted a landmark “Meet the Leader” session titled Beyond Geography – Building Legacy through Resilience, Enterprise, and Hope at AmaaniBaagh, Angoori, Islamabad, on 10th May, 2026. The event brought together over 100 students…
How Women in Tech is Shaping the Future of Pakistan’s Digital Economy Pakistan stands at a defining moment in its technological and economic evolution. Digital transformation is no longer a future aspiration; it is an ongoing reality reshaping industry, governments, communities, and the way people live and work. From fintech and artificial intelligence to e-commerce,…
The US-Israel-Iran war is more than just a geopolitical crisis; it hinders climate resilience and increases fragility in the energy, water, and food nexus across the region. Due to the war disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz through which oil and gas pass have increased energy prices and put strain on oil-importing countries, affecting agriculture,…
