Ambassador of Pakistan 
Masmood Kahn

       On Tuesday, the 12th of September, I embarked on a discussion and journey that was rather unforgettable. It was an interview with H.E. Masood Khan, the ambassador of Pakistan. The meeting was held at the World Affairs Council in Hartford, Connecticut. This was my first ever Global Studies function so I went into the experience excited and honestly a little nervous, granted I wasn’t fully sure what to expect. The beginning hour was typical, surface level or basic questions that H.E. Masood Khan would mull over. He also would redirect the interviewer Asma Farid’s question and morph it into one he would rather answer or would just simply push the original question aside. The notes I was able to gather from all of the Ambassador’s vague answers had key themes. These included but were not limited to Pakistan’s relationship with the U.S., China and India; his views on war, specifically his opinions toward Ukraine and Afghanistan; and lastly investments and the utmost importance that they hold for his country. Ambassador Masood Khan stated, “both sides are working cohesively to make this relationship work” pertaining to the U.S. and Pakistan’s relationship. He also states that he “wants all the world to have and be in harmony”,  and he wants everyone to “strive away from war.” 

 

      Once the “interview” portion of the night was over, the World Affairs Council of Connecticut opened up the conversation to the audience. At this point the whole interview and space turned into a very heated and passionate discussion, which led to many arguments. The first question was from a former Pakistani citizen who started her question off with her thanks and gratitude for the Ambassador’s presence in America, and then she brought up that journalists have been going missing, being murdered, and even being assaulted and raped in their own homes. She asked him why this was happening. She also stated she felt unsafe giving her name due to potential harm to herself by the Pakistani government. The Ambassador truly pushed her answer aside and started to argue demanding her name in return for his weak and vague answer. Each question coming from passionate people started with a similar “thank you for your time” and would state real problems and try to pinpoint why they were happening. His answers were weak and vague and would end in “don’t believe everything you find on social media”. When a man asked if it was safe to travel and visit Pakistan, Ambassador Masood Khan turned it into a joking lighthearted question belittling the man asking “are you a risk taker?... Oh you are a businessman so you are!” Even Asma Farid stated that when she visited there she didn’t have a very safe feeling as she traveled around the country. Whenever an audience member shared true concern for Pakistan and its issues or something else that Ambassador Masood Khan didn’t appreciate, he would repeat “Believe in your motherland.” Overall this meeting had so much to ponder and decipher. It went not at all like I ever could have anticipated, but the actions taken from the people asking powerful questions made me sit back and really see the situation's severity because in the first half of the interview I didn't understand the whole picture. This passion and new understanding sparked an interest within me to continue researching on Pakistan’s disappearances and key issues that I included in my Global studies mini-presentation that I gave with Gaby.