Lahore, 26 April: After a talk by Riaz Mohammad Khan held earlier in Karachi, Oxford University Press organized in Lahore a talk by the seasoned diplomat on his book Afghanistan and Pakistan: Conflict, Extremism, and Resistance to Modernity. The book examines the conflict in Afghanistan from Pakistan's point of view and analyzes the roots of that country's ambiguous policy-supporting the United States on one hand and showing empathy for the Afghan Taliban on the other. The author considers a broad range of events and interweaves his own experiences and perspectives into a larger narrative of the Afghanistan-Pakistan relationship.
Riaz Mohammad Khan in his talk examined the development of Afghanistan and the interests of external powers both there and in Pakistan. He also discussed the rise of extremism and religious militancy in Pakistan and its links with ongoing conflicts in Afghanistan. In the end, Khan addressed Pakistan's deep confusion regarding its public discourse on issues of modernity and the challenges the country faces an intellectual crisis which must be tackled in order to secure the country's survival, progress, and constructive role in the region.
Earlier, Tariq Haq, Regional Sales Director, Oxford University Press Pakistan, introduced Riaz Mohammad Khan at the talk held at the Oxford Bookshop in Lahore.
Riaz Mohammad Khan served as Pakistan's Foreign Secretary and the country's ambassador to China, European Union and Belgium, and Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. He is also the author of Untying the Afghan Knot: Negotiating Soviet Withdrawal, and was the Woodrow Wilson Center's Pakistan Scholar.
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