Split into two parts, the sixteenth session of IPS’ series of program ‘The Living Script’ was held with Aziz Ahmed Khan, Pakistan’s Former Ambassador to Afghanistan and Former High Commissioner to India, on November 20th and 27th, 2020.
Khan apprised the audience that he originally hailed from Mardan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) but acquired his initial schooling from Rawalpindi. Later he moved to Lahore where he did his intermediate from Forman Christian College, and then went on to complete his M.Sc. in Zoology from the University of the Punjab.
After completing his Master’s degree, Khan joined the Forest Department and served there for a few years, albeit being transferred multiple times during this period. He later passed his CSS examination in 1969, following which he joined the Foreign Office.
Talking about his Foreign Services tenures, Khan told that he was first posted to Madrid (Spain) soon after acquiring his training, and he served there for a period of one year before being transferred to Argentina. Khan also shared that he was among the pioneering Pakistani team which opened the country’s embassy in Portugal.
Speaking of his time in India where he served in different positions, Khan said that he witnessed some historical events taking place during his stay in the country including the sudden launch and then abortion of ‘Operation Brass Tacks’ by India in 1986-87.
The speaker also shared many other interesting stories from his servicing tenure in India including Pakistan’s former president Zia-ul-Haq’s famous ‘Cricket Diplomacy’ trip, as well as the famous visit of President Musharraf to India years later.
Khan also talked about his tenure as Pakistan’s ambassador to Afghanistan, sharing several experiences and interesting stories where he was faced with challenging circumstances but he came out successful on the back of his hard work and persistence.
