12th August 2011 Islamabad, Pakistan
Over the four nights this week people across the world have seen images of riots, criminality and looting taking place in the UK. These images have been shocking and sickening for anyone like me who cares about the UK’s reputation. And no less shocking has been the loss of life this week of three young […]
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29th March 2011 Islamabad, Pakistan
The UK is a long standing partner and ally of Pakistan and both our nations have a lot to gain from improving trade between our two countries. In this video blog, Adam Thomson talks about attending the “Doing Business with Pakistan” conference in London in February 2011, and the benefits of strengthening UK-Pakistan trade and […]
14th March 2011 Islamabad, Pakistan
Today is Commonwealth Day and it’s about women. The Commonwealth is an increasingly important family of nations who share a common history and have shared interests looking to the future. Last week, it was the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day. So this year Commonwealth Day is rightly celebrating the role of women as agents […]
19th November 2010 Islamabad, Pakistan
This week in Islamabad, the Government of Pakistan and the international community came together for the first meeting of the Pakistan Development Forum in two years. Just over three months since Pakistan’s devastating monsoon floods, it was a chance for the Government of Pakistan and the international community to take stock of the challenges facing […]
15th October 2010 Islamabad, Pakistan
Today is Blog Action Day, an annual event that unites the world’s bloggers in writing about an important issue that affects us all. This year’s topic is water. This is a crucial matter for poor Pakistan. Tragically, the country has too much water right now as it struggles to recover from unprecedented and devastating floods. […]
17th August 2010 Islamabad, Pakistan
The devastating floods across Pakistan over the last few weeks are completely heart-breaking. Our sympathies and prayers go out to the families of those who have died, the families who have lost their homes and livelihoods, and the millions and millions of Pakistanis across the country whose lives have been shaken by this awful disaster. […]
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27th May 2010 Islamabad, Pakistan
Whatever else Pakistanis may think about India, the evidence of economic growth there is hard to deny. Last week I visted Gurgaon, the new city outside New Delhi. It is mushrooming. Twelve years ago, when I last took a look, it practically wasn’t there. Now it has all the shopping malls, office blocks and building […]
18th May 2010 Islamabad, Pakistan
For British citizens the outcome of last week’s General Election has been pretty remarkable. For the first time since the Second World War we have a coalition government. And we have the prospect of some quite substantial constitutional change: legislation to give Parliament a fixed term of five years, a referendum on whether to move […]
7th May 2010 Islamabad, Pakistan
Earlier this month, Pakistan’s National Assembly voted 292 to 0 to amend the country’s Constitution, passing more power from the President to the Prime Minister and from the centre to the provincial governments. The Senate followed suit and the amendment has been signed into law. The change restores the Constitution to something closer to the […]
26th March 2010 Islamabad, Pakistan
In response to an earlier blog of mine someone asked whether I really meant my description of Pakistan as a proud country or whether I was just being polite. I was not just being polite. I meant proud. And proud in ways that diplomats like me need to understand and remember. The celebration of Pakistan […]