29th November 2018
I have spent 7 years working in the joint Home Office and Foreign Office Forced Marriage Unit (FMU). As I walk into work, anticipating the type of calls I will handle today still brings a mixture of apprehension but also promise – knowing the unit, every day, has the potential to save lives. During my […]
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8th March 2017 London, UK
I am always dubious about so-called silver bullets that allegedly solve a host of problems. “Life can’t be that simple,” I think. “Surely there must be a catch?” But there is one step that would improve countless lives — and make the world an infinitely better place — if only every government summoned the will […]
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23rd December 2016 London, UK
As we look forward to 2017 and celebrating the Scottish holiday of Hogmanay, I’m thinking about the special link between Scotland and Pakistan. The British High Commission in Islamabad has an active Scottish contingent, who support the relationship between Pakistan and the whole of the UK, including Scotland, on issues ranging from economic development to […]
21st June 2016 Islamabad, Pakistan
If you are living in the Northern hemisphere, and observing traditional fasting, then this year’s Ramazan is particularly difficult. The difference between the Islamic calendar and the Gregorian calendar means that every year it shifts nine or ten days, and for those fasting, this year it falls slap bang in the middle of the longest […]
8th December 2015 Islamabad, Pakistan
More than one third of all Forced Marriage cases reported to the Forced Marriage Unit in London are linked to Pakistan. This is four times more than any other country in the world. Last year, 82 cases of Forced Marriage were reported to my Consular Assistance team in Islamabad only. This year, we have offered […]
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26th August 2015 Islamabad, Pakistan
Last night, I hosted the lion’s share of the 73 Chevening Scholars heading from Pakistan to the UK this autumn to study Masters Degrees at some of the UK’s top universities. I took the opportunity to say a few words: Thank you for joining me here at the British High Commission. I am delighted to […]
4th August 2014 Islamabad, Pakistan
This is my first blog for the High Commission and a quick look at the archives tells me that it’s the first time in a long time that a member of the Defence Team has rolled up his sleeves and ‘put fingers to keyboard’. So when Alison Blake, our Deputy High Commissioner, asked me to […]
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1st July 2014 Geneva, Switzerland
It’s been a difficult month. Like many other Council goers I’ve been trying to find enough time for the essential trinity of work, family and football. This is a struggle at the best of times but I feel that however many late-night shifts I’ve put in trying to make time for my council workload, my […]
11th May 2014 Islamabad, Pakistan
A year ago today, Pakistan went to the polls to elect a new Government. Some 50 million Pakistanis turned out to vote. They made a statement about the future they want for their country – a future based on democracy and accountability through the ballot box. We went on to see the first ever full […]
30th September 2013 Geneva, Switzerland
Council sessions are bad for your health. So bad, in fact, that I’m thinking of inviting colleagues from the World Health Organisation along to the next session to see if they agree with me that all delegates should be issued with a health warning so that they can take suitable precautions at the outset. The […]
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