Speakers & Experts

Dr. Adil Najam

Dr. Adil Najam serves as the current president of WWF as well as being the founding dean of the Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University.
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Ahmad Rafay Alam

Rafay Alam is a renowned environmental lawyer and climate activist and a prominent member of the Pakistan Climate Change Council.
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Akbar Shahid Ahmed

Akbar Shahid Ahmed is the Senior Diplomatic Correspondent for HuffPost, based in Washington, D.C. A native Pakistani, Akbar has reported from around the globe. Read More

Dr. Ali S. Khan is a physician and served as the Director of the Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response. He specialises in emerging infectious diseases, bioterrorism, and health equity.

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Aqil Shah

Aqil Shah is a political scientist specialising in South Asian politics, civil-military relations and democratization; He is the author of “The Army and Democracy.”

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Amna Qayyum

Historian and policy researcher on global health, development, and gender; Her work explores how gender and medicine influence ethics, governance, and justice.
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Ayaan Sohail

Ayaan Sohail is a Pakistani-American medical student, influencer, and athlete; He is the first Pakistani Division 1 basketball player in NCAA history.
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Dr. Humeraa Qamar

Dr. Qamar is a pediatrician by profession and the CEO of Children’s Medical Group.
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Dr. Erum Sattar

Dr. Sattar leads the Water Diplomacy track at Tufts University. Her research focuses on water governance and the institutional development of resources, especially in the Indus Basin. Read More

Dr. Junaid Abdul Razzak

Dr. Razzak works on strengthening emergency care systems in low- and middle-income countries through innovation and health system reform.
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Junaid Iqbal

Junaid Iqbal is the former Global Head of Careem Pay, with 25 years of experience in finance, technology, and media. He is a frequent commentator on Pakistan’s tech economy and has led major fintech and entrepreneurial initiatives.
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Kamran Bokhari

Dr. Bokhari is a geopolitical analyst specializing in Middle East and South Asian security. He teaches at Georgetown University and the University of Ottawa and is a founding member of the New Lines Institute.

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Maheen Ghani

Maheen Ghani is a Pakistan-based psychotherapist & writer with over 15 years of experience in trauma-informed care.
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Maleeha Lodhi

Dr. Maleeha Lodhi is a Pakistani diplomat and the former representative of Pakistan to the United Nations.

Mehlaqa Samdani

Ms. Samdani is a peacebuilding expert focusing on sectarian violence in Pakistan. She previously worked at CSIS and the Council on Foreign Relations, concentrating on women’s empowerment in the Muslim world.
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Michael Kugelman

Mr. Kugelman is a leading specialist on Afghanistan, India, and Pakistan. He has authored several books and writes for major publications on topics like U.S. policy and regional security.
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Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed

Mr. Sayed is a journalist and politician with a background in foreign relations and defense. He has served as Minister for Information and Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee in the Pakistani Senate.
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Miftah Ismail

Dr. Ismail is a political economist who served as Pakistan’s Finance Minister in 2018 and 2022. He holds a Ph.D. from the Wharton School and has worked as an economist at the IMF.
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Omar Atiq

Dr. Atiq served as President of APPNA and has been recognized with its Gold Medal and Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to healthcare and advocacy.
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Dr. Rana Jawaad Asghar

Dr. Asghar is an epidemiologist specializing in outbreak response. He led Pakistan’s Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Program and advised governments and WHO on epidemic preparedness.
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Dr. Rashid Chotani

Dr. Chotani specializes in biodefense, biosecurity, and public health emergency management. He has led global COVID-19 response operations and received NATO’s Scientific Achievement Award.
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Raza Rumi

Raza Ahmad Rumi is a policy analyst, international development practitioner and an author. Presently, he is Distinguished lecturer at City University of New York.
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Saad Siddiqui

Mr. Siddiqui is a macro investment strategist with experience in the UK and US. He has worked at JPMorgan since 2013 and holds degrees in Economics from Cambridge and Financial Economics from Oxford.
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Sabrina Siddiqui

Ms. Siddiqui is a White House correspondent covering the Biden administration. She has previously reported for The Guardian, HuffPost, and Bloomberg News.
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Sadaf Jaffer

Dr. Jaffer is an academic specializing in Islamic, South Asian, and gender studies. She served as a New Jersey Assemblywoman.
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Sahar Habib

Sahar has led newsrooms at Global Voices as managing editor; reported for the New York Times; and produced in Pakistan for Geo TV and DawnNews TV, a channel she helped launch in 2007.
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Sahar Khan

Sahar Khan was a defense and foreign policy research fellow at the Cato Institute. Her research interests include state‐sponsored militancy/terrorism, counterterrorism policies, anti‐terrorism legal regimes, and private military and security contractors. Khan focuses on U.S. foreign policy in South Asia and Africa.
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Dr. Saud Anwar

Dr. Anwar has led initiatives on health equity, pandemic recovery, and community leadership, earning multiple national awards.

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Taimur Saleem Khan Jhagra

Taimur Saleem Khan Jhagra is the former Provincial Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for Health and Finance. Before starting his political career, he worked as a partner at McKinsey & Company.
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Tamanna Salikuddin

Tamanna Salikuddin is a senior advisor at the Cambridge Global Associates with a focus on Indo-Pacific security. She focuses on U.S.-Pakistan relations, regional security, and political dynamics in South Asia.

Uzair Younus

Uzair Younus is the CPO at TAG AI and he was the Director of the Pakistan Initiative at the Atlantic Council. He specializes in Pakistan’s economic and political landscape, providing strategic insights and policy recommendations.
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Wajahat Ali

Wajahat Ali is a Pakistani-American columnist and public speaker whose essays have appeared in major publications including The New York Times and The Atlantic. He is also the author of “Go Back To Where You Came From” and a licensed attorney.
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Wajahat S. Khan

Wajahat Khan is an Emmy-nominated journalist covering Indo-Pacific security and conflict, formerly Digital Editor for Nikkei Asia and NBC News bureau chief in Afghanistan and Pakistan. He is also the founder of the Pak Futures Foundation and author of Game Changer: Being Shahid Afridi.
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Dr. Zulfiqar Bhutta

Dr. Bhutta serves as an advisor to the UN, WHO, and GAVI, and has received Pakistan’s Tamgha-i-Imtiaz and election to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences.
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Zulfikar Bukhari

Mr. Bukhari was Pakistan’s Former Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Overseas Pakistanis. As a British-Pakistani, he has supported social and charitable initiatives in Pakistan and the UK.
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