A South Asian heritage diplomat arrives in Islamabad with anxiety and will leave transformed — that, in essence, is the story I want to share.

In the past few months, I have been privileged to meet a diplomat who has become a dear friend. His openness, friendliness and positivity make him easy to befriend, and he has the rare gift of unselfishly connecting Pakistanis of similar purpose and interest. His South Asian heritage deepens these qualities further and having worked on Afghanistan, in Bangladesh and now in Pakistan, he cherishes and champions increased regional integration. I am sharing his reflections on his postings in the subcontinent — in his words, kept as true to the original as possible. He writes, “I had transited through Pakistan on a PIA flight in the 90s, but that didn’t really count. Pakistan was the last country I had to personally engage with in South Asia in order to complete my list of personal and professional engagement with the subcontinent.

I arrived in Pakistan five months ago with excitement but also a slight feeling of anxiety. In prior contexts as a student........

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