Advisory Board

Mr. Akram Zaki (Chairman)

Mr. Akram Zaki(late) is former Senator and Chairman of Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and distinguished career diplomat. He served as Pakistan’s ambassador to China, USA, Nigeria and Philippines and rose to the position of secretary general with the rank of Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. He has represented Pakistan at various international organizations and conferences and dialogues including United Nations’ General Assembly, UN Human Rights Commission. He also has represented Pakistan at Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), Asian Development Bank and UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). He is currently associated with a number of research and social organizations and regularly contributes on regional and international political and security-related debates.

Rustam Shah Mohmand (Member)

Rustam Shah Mohmand is senior Pakistani diplomat, political scientist and a politician who specializes in Afghanistan, FATA and refugee affairs. He has served as Chief Secretary NWFP, Interior Secretary of Pakistan, Ambassador of Pakistan to Afghanistan and has served as Commissioner for Afghan Refugees. He also served as Political Agent, Khyber and South Waziristan Agencies. In fact, the main bazaar in Wana, the winter capital of South Waziristan, was named in his honor as Rustam Bazar by the local Malik (tribal chiefs) after he had helped rebuild it. From 1987 to 1989, he worked as Chief Commissioner for Afghan Refugees. He studied Civil Engineering in Peshawar’s College of Engineering and Technology and King’s College London. He graduated in humanities from University of Peshawar and then joined the civil service of Pakistan.

Lt. General (R) Asad Durrani (Member)

Lieutenant General Asad Durrani is a former Director General of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Mr. Asad Durrani is a carrier diplomat. He graduated from Government College Lahore in 1959, and was commissioned from the Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) in 1960. During his 34 years with the Army, he served in a number of command, staff and instructional appointments, and took part in the wars of 1965 and 1971. His key appointments included an instructorship at the PMA and at the Command and Staff College Quetta; Director General, Military Intelligence; Director General, Inter-Services Intelligence; Inspector General, Training and Evaluation at GHQ; and Commandant, National Defense College. He retired in May 1993.Lt Gen Durrani is also a graduate of the German General Staff Academy (1975) and has rendered his services as Pakistan Defense Attaché in Germany from 1980 to 1984. After his retirement from the Army in 1993, he was appointed as the Ambassador of Pakistan to Germany (May 1994 to May 1997), and after the military takeover in Pakistan, as the Ambassador of Pakistan to the Saudi Arabia from 2000 to 2002.

Lt. General (R) Agha Umar Farooq (Member) 

Lt. General (R) Agha Muhammad Umer Farooq joined military service of Pakistan in 1975 and during his illustrious career spanning 37 years, he attended numerous courses with distinction at both national and international levels. Lt. Gen Farooq is a graduate of premier institutions like Pakistan Military Academy, Army School of Infantry & Tactics, US Army Infantry School, Fort Banning, USA, Command & Staff College Quetta, National Defence University, Islamabad and US Army War College, Pennsylvania, USA. Lt. Gen Farooq is a leading international expert on national and international security policy and strategy. He has been representing Pakistan in numerous national and international seminars, workshops and studies, as an international authority on a wide array of subjects related to national and international security.

Raheemullah Yusufzai (Member)

Rahimullah Yusufzai was among the first journalists to report on the Taliban and visited Kandahar in 1995. He is one of the few bona fide experts on Afghanistan, having reported on the country since the 1980s. He is the current editor of the Jang group’s The News International at the Peshawar Bureau. Rahimullah is especially noted for holding the last interview with Osama bin Laden. He also served as Time Magazine’s Pakistan correspondent. Rahimullah is also a correspondent of BBC’s Pushto and Urdu services in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Mr. Rahimullah is considered a commanding authority on Afghan affairs and on the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan.

Sardar Tariq Azizuddin (Member)

Sardar Tariq Azizuddin joined the Pakistan Army in 1969.  He transferred from the army to the Foreign Service of Pakistan in 1975. In the Foreign Service, he served in various Pakistan Diplomatic Missions. He was Vice Consul in Manchester, UK (1979-83), First Secretary in Cairo, Egypt (1986-89), Counselor & Deputy High Commissioner in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (1989-92), Counselor & Charge’ d’Affaires in Kabul, Afghanistan (1992-94). He also served as Consul General in Los Angeles, USA (1997-2001), Ambassador of Pakistan Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina (2001-2004), Ambassador of Pakistan in Kabul, Afghanistan (2005-2008), Ambassador of Pakistan to Ankara, Turkey (2009-2011). He spent 97 days in Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan’s captivity in 2008 when he was ambassador to Kabul and was going to Afghanistan by road. His two postings in Afghanistan gave him insight of the turmoil in the country.

Brig. (R) Saad Muhammad (Member)

Brig.(R) Saad Muhammad works as political and security analyst and consultant. He is running his own organization, Forum for Area Studies. He Commissioned in the Armored Corps, Pakistan Army in April 1974. He attended different professional courses at the School of Armor and Mechanized Warfare and     School of Infantry and Tactics. He is also graduate of Command and Staff College, Quetta and Naval War College, Lahore. He commanded an armored regiment and an armored brigade. He served as Brigade Major of an armored brigade, GSO 1 of a division and Colonel Staff of a division on his Staff Assignments. His foreign assignments include Saudi Arabia (1983-1985) and Afghanistan (2003-2006) as Defense Attach at the Pakistan Embassy.

Brig. (R) Asif Alvi (Member)

Brig (R) Muhammad Asif Alvi spent 32 years in army service gaining experience of selection, training/development and assessments of officers. His field exposure to active duty areas included command in the interior of Baluchistan. He had intelligence training. As a Brigadier he held a key staff appointment in Adjutant General (AG) branch General Headquarter responsible for assessing officers’ characters to ensure their postings were suitable for both the army and themselves. He spent three years seconded to a federal government to command an anti-narcotics force in Islamabad and the Northern Areas. This job necessitated intelligence networking, the acquisition of intelligence, enforcement and investigations. After retirement from the army in 2009, he joined a bank in Karachi as senior vice president and established a fraud control unit/security department. He also worked as head of bank’s strategic planning division which assisted the bank’s president across all of his functions.

Majyd Aziz Balagamwala (Member)

He is a famous businessman from Karachi currently serving as member Board of Directors of Zarai Taraqiati Bank Ltd. He is an economic analysts appears on TV talks shows and writes column in newspapers. He completed his masters degree in Management from Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana, USA. He is president of MHG Group of Companies. He served on different appointment s as CEO, Director and Management Advisor in various business organizations internationally. He also worked in Transnational Strategy Group (Washington, USA) as Senior Advisor for Pakistan. He also served in various designated assignments on behalf of Government of Pakistan. He remained Director SME Bank LTD, Director of Karachi Electric Supply Corporation LTD, INDUS TECHNOLOGY PARKS LTD. He is presently serving as Director of Zarai Taraqiati Bank LTD.

Zahid Maqbool (Member)

Mr. Zahid Maqbool is CEO/Director of MEP (Pvt) Ltd. He held prestigious different positions in national and international organizations. He served as president of Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (2009-2010). He remained Member General Body and Life Member in SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry.He is also Life Member of Confederation of Asia Pacific Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He was Member curriculum development committee of Higher Education Commission, Government of Pakistan. He also attended National Security Workshop 2012 from National Defense University Islamabad.

Raja Amir Iqbal (Member)

Raja Amer Iqbal is Former Senior Vice President, Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Punjab Executive Member, Federation Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & industry. He holds degree of MSc Economics from Quaid-e-Azam and MBA Finance from Western International University London, England.He attended National Security Workshop 12 from National Defense University Islamabad. He is also member of different organizations like Member Islamabad Council of World Affair, Life time member Pak-China Friendship Association, and member British Alumni Association of Pakistan. He is Chairman and Managing partner of Rohtass Universal Trading Co.