Aitzaz Ahsan

Widely recognised as one of Pakistan's premier statesmen, Aitzaz Ahsan is a senior advocate at the Supreme Court of Pakistan. He is also a writer, human rights activist and member of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP). Mr. Ahsan studied Law at Cambridge and was elected to a seat in the Punjab Provincial Assembly in 1975. Subsequently, he was an active member of the Movement for Restoration of Democracy (MRD) against General Zia ul Haq's dictatorship and was jailed several times as a political prisoner without trial. During the subsequent democratic governments headed by the PPP, Mr. Ahsan held portfolios of Federal Minister for Law and for Interior Affairs. He was the President of the Supreme Court Bar Association and the leader of the Lawyers Movement which restored Iftikhar Chaudhry as the Chief Justice of Pakistan.

Aitzaz Ahsan was hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society at St. Antony's College in October 2011.

Shah Mahmood Qureshi

Shah Mahmood Hussain Qureshi was the Foreign Minister of Pakistan from 2008 - 2011. He is a senior leader of Pakistan Peoples Party, where he was the president of PPP Punjab. Qureshi got his early education from Aitchison College, Lahore and did his bachelors from FC college, Lahore. He continued to receive a Master's degree in law from the University of Cambridge. Following the February 2008 elections, Qureshi was also a candidate to be the next Prime Minister of Pakistan, until Yousaf Raza Gillani was sworn in on March 25, 2008. On March 31, 2008, Qureshi became the Foreign Minister in the cabinet of Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani. .

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi was hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society at the Oxford Union in January 2010.

Imran Khan

Imran Khan studied Economics and Politics at Keble College, Oxford, in 1972, and was captain of Oxford's cricket team in 1974. He was declared international cricketer of the year in 1989-90 and led Pakistan to numerous victories, clinching the World Cup in 1992. Imran joined politics in 1996 and launched Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf, the Pakistani Justice Movement. Among his social and welfare activities, he opened Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust Cancer Hospital, worked in earthquake striken areas of Pakistan and serves as a Special Representative of UNICEF and Imran Khan Foundation. Imran is Chancellor of Bradford University.

Imran Khan was hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society at the Oxford Union in January 2010.

Ahsan Iqbal

Ahsan Iqbal is an MNA from Narowal District and Deputy Secretary General of Pakistan Muslim League (N). He has formerly served as the Federal Minister of Education and as Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission. He initiated and authored Vision 2010 to transform Pakistan into a Knowledge Economy and was instrumental in the formulation of Pakistan's first national IT Policy. Mr. Ahsan holds an MBA degree from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania (USA) and has also attended Foreign Service programs at Georgetown University, Washington DC and at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard.

Ahsan Iqbal was hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society at St. Hildas's College in December 2011.

Dr. Zulfiqar Mirza

Dr. Zulfiqar Mirza is a Pakistani politician affiliated with the ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and hails from the Badin district of Sindh. He completed his graduation from LMC Jamshoro and is married to Dr. Fehmida Mirza who is the first female parliamentary speaker of the Muslim world. Dr. Mirza is the former Home Minister of Sindh and has recently resigned as a member of the Provincial Assembly. He has also recently given up his Vice Presidency of PPP (Sindh) and his membership of the PPP Central Executive Committee after publicly airing his vehement disagreements with the other major party in the province, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM)

Dr. Zulfiqar Mirza was hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society at the Department of Politics & International Relations in November 2011.

Arif Hasan

Arif Hasan, is a prominent Pakistani architect, urban planner, social researcher, and writer. He is a recipient of the country's higher civilian award, the Hilal-e-Imtiaz and has been a Member of the very prestigious Jury of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture. He received the Karachi Development Authority’s Best Building Award in 1988 and the Third ‘International Year for the Shelter-less’ Memorial Prize of the Japan Housing Association in 1990.

Arif Hasan was hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society at St. Hilda's College in December2011.

Dr. Maleeha Lodhi

Dr Maleeha Lodhi is well-known as an outstanding journalist and diplomat. She has served as Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States and High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. She has also been Editor of The News International and The Muslim, two leading newspapers of Pakistan. She has served on the UN Secretary General’s advisory board on disarmament, taught at the London School of Economics, and been a Fellow of the Institute of Politics at the Harvard University. She is a recipient of the Hilal-e-Imtiaz Presidential award for public service.

Maleeha Lodhi was hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society at Oriel College in May 2011 at an event to celebrate her book launch " Pakistan: Beyond the Crisis State."

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq

Chairman of All Parties Hurriyat Conference

Mirwaiz Molvi Mohammad Umar Farooq is a Kashmiri religious and political leader who is the chairman of the Awami Action Committee and the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, a grassroots coalition of pro-freedom parties in the Indian administered Jammu & Kashmir. As the Mirwaiz of Kashmir and chairman of the Hurriyat Conference has both an important religious and political role in the Kashmir Valley. Placed on the stage at the age of 17, following the assassination of his father, Mirwaiz Maulvi Farooq, the then leader of Awami Action Committee, Umar Farooq united 23 Kashmiri separatist organizations into the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC). He has constantly tried to raise much awareness about the Kashmir issue internationally. He was also shown among the Asian Heroes by the Times magazine. He maintains that dialogue must take place with India and Pakistan, so long as the Kashmiri aspirations are heard as well.

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society in September 2011 at a society dinner.

Mustafa Kamal

Syed Mustafa Kamal was born and raised in Karachi and completed his undergraduate studies from Malaysia. He completed his MBA from the University of Wales and was elected Mayor of Pakistan’s biggest city, Karachi, in the local elections of October 2005 when the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), of which Mr. Kamal is a prominent leader, swept to victory in urban Sindh. Prior to becoming the Mayor of Karachi, he also served as the minister for Information Technology with the Sindh government. For his work for the uplifting and improvement of Karachi’s infrastructure, the World Economic Forum included Mustafa Kamal as one of its Young Global Leaders for 2010 and he was also selected as one of the 25 finalists for the 2010 World Mayor Prize.

Mustafa Kamal was hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society at Oriel College in January 2011.

Talat Hussain

Syed Talat Hussain is the executive director of AAJ Television and hosts the popular show" Live with Talat". He writes for Newsline, Daily Dawn, Time Magazine, Daily Times (Pakistan), Daily Express and occasionally contributes to India Today. Currently, he is presenting a TV programme on Dawn TV titled "News Night with Talat."

Talat Hussain was hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society at the Oxford Union during Pakistan Young Leaders Conference in January 2010.

Farooq Naek

Farooq Hamid Naek is the current Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan. Farooq H. Naek received an MA in Economics from University of Karachi and LLB from Sindh Muslim Law College. He is a career lawyer who served as Assistant Director, Directorate of Labour and Social Welfare, Government of Sindh in 1971. He then was a Civil Judge and First Class Magistrate from 1971 to 1975.He was elected General Secretary of Karachi Bar Association during mid 80s. He also served as Deputy Attorney General of Pakistan from 1994 to 1996 in the second Benazir Bhutto government.. 

Farooq Naek was hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society at the Oxfordshire County Hall during Pakistan Young Leaders Conference in February 2011.

Kamran Shahid

Kamran Shahid is a Pakistani journalist acting as an achor for the programme "Awaaz with Kamran Shahid" on SAMAA TV. He was formally the main achor for the popular TV show "Frontline with Kamran Shahid" on Express News.

Kamran Shahid was hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society at the Oxfordshire County Hall during Pakistan Young Leaders Conference in February 2011.

Najam Sethi

Editor of the Friday Times

Najam Sethi is an award-winning journalist and media personality, and editor-in-chief of The Friday Times, a Lahore based weekly. He is currently the Editor in Chief of Geo News where he hosts a popular political program: “Aapas Ki Baat” and is the only journalist in Asia to receive three international press freedom awards within a decade. Mr. Sethi was a political prisoner from 1975-1977 during the regime of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto for protesting military action in Balochistan. In 1984, the regime of General Zia ul Haq put him in prison for one month for publishing “From Jinnah To Zia”, a book authored by the former chief justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, Justice Mohammad Munir. The book was a sort of mea culpa in which the author had admitted his grave error in legitimising the first martial law in Pakistan in 1958, thereby paving the way for General Zia’s martial law in 1977.

Najam Sethi was hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society at Oriel College in March 2011.

George Fulton

George Fulton is a British television journalist and producer who lived in Pakistan for nine years and got Pakistani nationality. Mr. Fulton was working for the BBC when he travelled to Karachi, Pakistan, to launch a BBC produced political talk show on Pakistani politics called Question Time Pakistan. Following which he produced BBC's Hard Talk Pakistan. He was then offered to do a reality show, George Ka Pakistan, by Pakistan's Geo TV based on his experiences in Pakistan. As George trekked and negotiated his way through the various nuances, toils and tribulations of being a Pakistani he turned into a national celebrity with the Pakistani government offering him the country’s citizenship at the end of the series. He accepted the offer and also married a Pakistani television producer, Kiran. George soon left Geo TV for another Pakistani TV channel, Aaj TV, where he launched Pakistan's version of Have I Got News For You, called News, Views & Confused. He produced and scripted the show's first season, before moving on to produce Aaj TV's morning show, Kiran Aur George with his wife. He recently left Pakistan and is now permanently re-settled in the UK.

George Fulton was hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society at Queens College in May 2011.

Pervez Hoodhboy

Nuclear Physicist

Prof. Pervez Amirali Hoodbhoy is a well-known Pakistani nuclear physicist, essayist and political-defence analyst. He is the professor of nuclear and high-energy physics, and head of the Physics Department at Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan. He received a PhD from MIT and continues to carry out research in particle physics. In 1968, Dr. Hoodbhoy received the Baker Award for Electronics and was awarded the Abdus Salam Prize for Mathematics in 1984. He has authored various scientific research papers in peer-reviewed journals.He is also the author of several books, including the much acclaimed Islam and Science: Religious Orthodoxy and the Battle for Rationality (1992), on subjects such as Islam, science and the state of education in Pakistan.

Pervez Hoodhboy was hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society at Oriel College in December 2010.

Victoria Schofield

Victoria Schofield is an expert on Kashmir, whose publications include Kashmir in the Crossfire (1996) Kashmir in Conflict (2000 and 2002) and Afghan Frontier: Feuding and Fighting in Central Asia. Her first biography, Wavell: Soldier and Statesman, was published in 2006. She is a frequent commentator on BBC World Service and BBC World TV and also reviews for the Journal of the Royal Society for Asian Affairs. She has an MA Hons degree in Modern History from Oxford University and was President of the Union in 1977. She was the Visiting Alistair Horne Fellow at St Antony's College, Oxford 2004-05.

Victoria Schofield was hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society as the chair for the Kashmir Debate between the Oxford University Pakistan Society and the Oxford Indian Society at Corpus Christi College in May 2010.

Lord Nazir Ahmed

Lord Ahmed of Rotherham was born in Mirpur (Azad Kashmir) but was brought up in the UK. He studied Public Administration at Sheffield University and joined the Labour Party when he was 18 years old. He distinguished himself as a particularly proactive local councillor, with most of his activity centred around the North of England. He recognised the significance of grass roots politics and founded the British Muslim Councillors’ Forum in 1992. Lord Ahmed was also made a Justice of the Peace in the same year and has chaired the South Yorkshire Labour Party for some years. In 1998, Lord Ahmed was appointed to the House of Lords. This was a particularly historic occasion as he was the first Muslim to become a life peer and accordingly, took his oath on the Holy Qu’ran. He was also one of the youngest peers to achieve this position at the age of 40. As a Muslim peer, much of his activities are in direct relation to his work for the Muslim community, both at home and internationally. Lord Ahmed led one of the first delegations on behalf of the British Government on the Muslim pilgrimage of the Hajj, to Saudi Arabia and has used his privileged position to advocate legislation against religious discrimination, international terrorism and forced marriages. . 

Lord Nazir Ahmed has been hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society a total of three times; at a dinner at Aziz Pandesia Restaurant in December 2007, at Oriel College in February 2010 and at Queens College in February 2011.

Prof. Anwar Masood

Prof. Anwar Masood did his Masters in Persian from Oriental College and is visiting professor at Government College University Lahore and Punjab University. Extremely popular in Pakistan, Anwar Sahab is renowned for his comic poetry in both Urdu and Punjabi poetry and is widely considered as one of the greatest living Urdu poets in Pakistan today.

Prof. Anwar Masood was hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society in St. Hilda's College in February 2011 where he also presented much of his renowned comic poetry to the audience.

Taimur Rahman

Leader of Laal Band

Taimur Rahman is a Pakistani musician and is the band leader and spokesperson for the Laal Band. He is also a political activist and is general secretary of the Communist Mazdoor Kissan Party. He graduated from Grinnell College, obtained a Masters from Sussex University and is currently doing his Ph.D in Class Structure of Pakistan from the School of Oriental and African Studies. He has also taught Economics at The Lahore School of Economics and Political science at the Lahore University of Management Sciences. Laal is a musical band from Pakistan known for singing socialist political songs, especially those written by leftist Urdu poets such as Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Habib Jalib. The band received mainstream attention during the Lawyers' Movement, in which it led support to the reinstatement of the then deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.In just one year the band has gained recognition allover Pakistan having performed in almost all the major cities as well as many smaller towns.

Taimur Rahman has been hosted twice by the Oxford University Pakistan Society. Once, he gave a talk on "Left Wing Activism in Pakistan" as well as solo performances in Keble College in December 2010 and he held another talk and concert with Gurpreet Chana in Keble College in July 2011.

Aftab Ahmed Sherpao

Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao is a veteran Pakistani politician who is currently a Member of Parliament and Chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (Sherpao Group). Mr. Sherpao served as the Interior Minister of Pakistan from 2004 to 2007 and is known for his tough stance against the Taliban insurgency. Mr. Sherpao was nominated as the Chairman of the Pak-Afghan Joint Peace Jirga that convened in Kabul in 2007 to bring the Pashtuns on both sides of the border closer and to further strengthen the resolve of both country in tackling terrorism. Subsequently, he was targeted in two suicide attacks that killed over 57 people. Mr. Sherpao and his son also sustained minor injuries. His experience and knowledge of the current state of affairs in Pakistan places him in a unique position to comment on and share insights on a range of issues confronting the country.

Aftab Ahmed Sherpao was hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society at Worcestor College in July 2011.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman

Leader of JUI-F

Maulana Fazlur Rehman is the President (Ameer) of JUI (F). He is also Secretary General of MMAP. Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman has been elected to National Assembly on multiple occasions. He was appointed as Chairman of the parliamentary committee on foreign affairs in the second government of Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. He was Leader of the Opposition between 2004–2007, as he was leading a sizable contingent of opposition parliamentarians (mainly from MMA).

Maulana Fazlur Rehman was hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society in July 2011.

Dr. Haider Ali Khan

Dr. Haider Ali Khan is the Central Secretary for Foreign Affairs and a member of the Central Cabinet of the Awami National Party (ANP). He is also a member of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Assembly from Swat. ANP is currently the ruling party in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (formerly N.W.F.P) province of Pakistan that is worst hit by the Taliban insurgency and includes the rugged areas on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border where according to some sources Al-Qaeda Chief Osama Bin Laden is located.

Dr. Haider has been hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society twice; in Keble College in December 2010 and in Oriel College during Pakistan Young Leaders Conference in February 2011.

Arieb Azhar

Arieb’s musical journey started as a child as both his parents were involved in television and theatre he was exposed at an early age to different musical expressions. He was greatly influenced by the humanist poetry of Faiz and Sheikh Ayaz, and by the revolutionary music and poetry of Latin America and thus, often performed and sang for left wing student functions and political rallies in Karachi and interior Sindh. Finally in 2004 he returned to Pakistan and always nurturing a love for poets of the Sufi and humanist tradition, Arieb has now found an expression that he can proudly call his own. He recorded an album with IC records in Karachi, by the name of Wajj, which includes the immortal lyrics of Bhulleh Shah, Khwaja Ghulam Farid, and Mian Mohammad Baksh, as well as more contemporary lyrics by Sarmad Sehbai. The last track on the album is a Bosnian folk song also recorded with a rich orchestrated sound that uses both traditional and modern elements. Arieb’s music came into the limelight of the Pakistani music scene because of his input in seasons two and three of the celebrated Coke Studio project. He has toured around Pakistan and also performed at esteemed festivals such as the World Performing Arts Festival of Lahore, the Lok Sanjh Festival of Amritsar-India and the InMusic Festival of Zagreb-Croatia.

Arieb Azhar was hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society for a talk and performance in Jesus College in June 2011.

Marvi Memon

An outspoken politician, Marvi Memon entered politics with Pakistan Muslim League Quaid-e-Azam and was elected Member of National Assembly on a reserved women seat in March 2008. She has been part of standing parliamentary committees on foreign affairs, finance and women. When PMLQ joined the ruling coalition in May 2011, Ms. Memon resented strongly and hence developed differences with her party’s leadership. She resigned from her National Assembly seat and party membership in June 2011 and since then has reportedly been contacted by leaders of PML-N and PTI to join their respective political parties. However, for the time being she has resisted such calls. Ms. Memon holds a degree in International Relations from the LSE and became the youngest CEO of a multi-national firm in Pakistan where she launched Pakistan’s first satellite tracking fleet management system. She is also a regular contributor to various publications, both in Pakistan and abroad.

Marvi Memon was hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society at Worcestor College in September 2011.

Wajid Shamsul Hasan

High Commissioner for Pakistan in the UK

Wajid Shamsul Hasan is a senior Pakistani diplomat and current High Commissioner for Pakistan to the United Kingdom. Mr Wajid Shamsul Hasan completed his MASTERS (MA) in International Relations in 1962, followed by Bachelor's degree in Law (BA LLB). After completing his education in 1962, he formally joined Pakistan's biggest newspaper chain-‘The Jang Group of Newspapers’. He became Editor of its English newspaper ‘The Daily News’ in early 1969. He also edited J's English Weekly Magazine-‘The Weekly MAG’ from Karachi.

Wajid Shamsul Hasan was hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society at the Oxford Town Hall during Pakistan Young Leaders Conference in February 2011.

Salman Ahmad

Guitarist for Vital Signs and Junoon

Salman Ahmad is a Pakistani musician and former actor, who used to be a member of Vital Signs but left after their debut album due to creative differences. He went on to form Junoon, South Asia's biggest and longest-lasting rock band. While still enjoying the success of Junoon, he was involved in two documentaries with the BBC and is also a UN Goodwill Ambassador for HIV/AIDS. Ahmad offers a fascinating glimpse into the complicated existence of a Pakistani whose unconventional life bridges the Muslim world and the West. As a teenager living in a New York City suburb, he fell in love with rock, dreamed of playing guitar in a band, and though his parents looked down upon what they thought was a ridiculous fantasy, determined to wage “a rock and roll jihad.” He formed bands in both America and Pakistan, eventually transforming himself into a Pakistani national icon. He played the first-ever rock concert in war-torn Kashmir and, in December 2007, became the first Pakistani musician to perform at a Nobel Peace Prize ceremony

Salman Ahmad was hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society at Exeter College in May 2010 where he also gave several performances for the audience.

Ziauddin Sardar

Ziauddin Sardar is a London-based Muslim scholar, critic, futurist, journalist and a prolific writer.Considered a pioneering thinker on contemporary Islam, Prospect magazine has named him as one of Britain's top 100 public intellectuals while he has been described by the Independent newspaper as ‘Britain’s own Muslim polymath.' His intellectual output, published in some 45 books, ranges from the future of Islam to critiques of postmodernism, science policy, contemporary aspects of science in Muslim societies, colonialism, cultural relations, literary criticism, travel and autobiography. He was worked as a science correspondent for Nature and New Scientist and in the early 1980’s he became a television reporter for the London Weekend Television. He has made numerous television programmes, including Battle for Islam, a 90-minute documentary for BBC2 and Dispatches for Channel 4 on Pakistan. In 1999, he became the editor of Futures, the monthly journal of policy, planning and future studies. He co-edited edited Third Text, the critical journal of visual art and culture, from to 1999 to 2008. In 2006 he was appointed a Commissioner of the Equality and Human Rights Commission of Britain.

Ziauddin Sardar was hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society at Oriel College in May 2010.

Maajid Nawaz

Founder of Quilliam Foundation

Maajid Nawaz, Co-Founder and Co-Director of Quilliam and formerly on the UK national leadership for the global Islamist party Hizb ut-Tahrir (HT), was involved in HT for almost 14 years. He was a founding member of HT in Denmark and Pakistan and eventually served four years in an Egyptian prison as an Amnesty International ‘prisoner of conscience’. In prison, Maajid gradually began changing his views until finally renouncing the Islamist Ideology for traditional Islam and inclusive politics. He now engages in counter-Islamist thought-generating, writing, debating and media appearances. He has spoken at various fora internationally ranging from the grassroots at City Circle London, to addressing the US Senate in Washington DC and regularly comments on national and international news and newspapers. Maajid holds a BA (Hons) from SOAS in Arabic and Law and an MSc in Political Theory from the London School of Economics (LSE), with modules in ‘Religion and Politics’ and ‘Conflict, Violence and Terrorism’.

Maajid Nawaaz was hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society at Oriel College in January 2010.

Julius Salik

Julius Salik was a nominee for the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize and a Former Federal Minister. He also founded the World Minorities Alliance in the 1980s. The World Minorities Assembly is being established comprising outstanding and bona fide spokesmen of religious minorities living in various countries along the globe. In recognition of his meritorious services and ceaseless struggle for the cause of peace, human rights and devotion to the cause of the down trodden, Mr. J.Salik has lately been recommended by the Government of Pakistan for award of Nobel Peace Prize for the year 1996, the first time in the history of Pakistan to any Cabinet member. He was a former Federal Minister and has been elected to Parliament five times in a row. He polled the highest number of votes, the record yet to be beaten in Pakistan, individually in each province namely Punjab, Sindh, N.W.F.P, Balochistan and federal capital. His election was without any investment which too is a record in Pakistan history.

Julius Salik was hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society at Lincoln College in May 2010.

Umar Cheema

Umar Cheema is Special Correspondent for the News International and has broken stories about the relationship between the Inter-Services Intelligence agency and jihadi organizations and the illegal occupation of lands by Pakistani armed forces. He was abducted and tortured in mid-2010 after publishing a string of articles critical of the Pakistan Army and has recently been awarded the Tully Center Free Speech Award at Syracuse University, New York. Most recently, he has also been awarded the Martha Gellhorn Prize which celebrates journalism that challenges secrecy and mendacity in public affairs. Mr. Cheema will be talking about his on-ground experience of the Pakistani state’s efforts and policies with relation to counter-terrorism, an issue which remains a major bone of contention in Pak-US relations.

Umar Cheema was hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society at St. Peter's College in June 2011.

Ejaz Haider

Editor of the Daily Times

Ejaz Haider is News Editor of The Friday Times and Foreign Editor of Daily Times in Pakistan and also regularly writes for the Express Tribune. Haider has written extensively for other publications based in Asia, including the Times of India, India Abroad, Central Asia Monitor, and The World Today, a monthly publication of the Royal Institute for International Relations in London. Ejaz Haider was also a Ford Scholar at the Programme in Arms Control, Disarmament and International Security at UIUC (1997) and a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution’s Foreign Policy Studies Programme in 2003. During his career, he has reported extensively on security issues, Afghanistan, and political Islam. His weekly column for The Friday Times focuses on security, Pakistani politics, Pakistan-India relations, and political Islam

Ejaz Haider was hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society in Magdalen College in April 2011. .

John Cammegh

John is a vastly experienced criminal advocate specializing in international war crimes. He is a regular lecturer and trainer in the law, procedure and practice within international criminal tribunals. He has acted as the lead defence counsel before the Special Court for Sierra Leone and is currently instructed along with Steven Kay QC and Toby Cadman of 9BRi to act for the five members of Jamaat e Islami currently awaiting trial in Dhaka for their alleged involvement in the 1971 War of Liberation from Pakistan

John Cammegh was hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society at St. Antony's College in October 2011.

Prof. Ian Talbot

Professor Ian Talbot is head of History Department at the School of Humanities, Southampton University and has recently completed a co-authored major study of the 1947 Partition of India and its aftermath. The work follows on from his long term interest in the division of India and the emergence of Pakistan. It builds on the monograph he published in 2006 with Oxford University Press entitled Divided Cities: Partition and Its Aftermath in Lahore and Amritsar 1947-57. His research interests also include Pakistan’s post-independence political history and he has written the widely acclaimed book titled 'Pakistan: A Modern History'. Prof. Talbot is currently working on a study of the Punjab region of the subcontinent in the decade which followed independence. .

Prof. Ian Talbot was hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society in Keble College in May 2011.

Kamran Shafi

Mr. Shafi is an influential Pakistani journalist who writes a weekly column in Dawn, a prestigious English language newspaper in Pakistan. He served as late Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's Press Secretary from 1988-89, and as Minister of Information for the Pakistani Embassy in London from 1994-96. He has also served as an officer in the Pakistan Army for eleven years before resigning his commission in 1976. Most recently, he hosted a current affairs program on DawnNews TV in 2008-09. Mr. Shafi writes extensively on Pakistan's security apparatus and is a leading advocate of democratic governance and civilian control over all institutions of the state, especially the military and intelligence services.

Kamran Shafi was hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society in Oriel College in November 2010.

Irfan Husain

Mr. Husain is a prominent Pakistani journalist who has been writing in the Pakistani press for over 30 years. When he started writing he was a civil servant so he had to write under different names which ranged from Akbar Hussein, Ferida Sher, Abdul Ghani, Shakir Husain, and Mazdak. After taking early retirement he began writing under his own name. He has been widely published in almost every major newspaper in Pakistan and currently he writes weekly columns for Dawn, the Daily Times, and the Khaleej Times. After taking an early retirement from Government service, Irfan Husain accepted the position of President at the Textile Institute of Pakistan, which is a premier textile university in Karachi. After a five year stint there he retired and now splits his time between London and Karachi.

Irfan Husain was hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society at Oriel College in May 2010.

Saqi Farooqi

Urdu Poet

Saqi Farooqi is a prominent UK-based Urdu and English poet.His works and writings in Urdu have been widely published around the world with several of his books winning awards and accolades. He is a regular performer at the annual Oxford University Pakistan Society Mushaira during Hilary Term where he often presides the proceedings.

Saqi Farooqi is hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society every year in Hilary Term where he performs at the annual OUPakSoc Mushaira.

Muhammad Anwar

Senior Member MQM Rabita Committee UK

Muhammad Anwar is the Senior Co-ordinator in MQM International Secretariat London. He is one of the most reliable persons who is in regular close contact with Muttahida Qaumi Movement Quaid Altaf Hussain.

Muhammad Anwar was hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society at the Oxford Union during Pakistan Young Leaders Conference in January 2010.

Dr. Adeel Malik

Dr Adeel Malik, obtained his DPhil in economics from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar in 2004 and is the Islamic Centre Lecturer in Development Economics at the University of Oxford. Dr Malik is a Globe Fellow in the Economies of Muslim Societies at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies and a Research Associate of the Centre for the Study of African Economies. During his doctoral research, Dr Malik investigated the causes and consequences of economic fluctuations in developing countries.

Dr. Adeel Malik is regularly hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society where he often chairs talks and discussions held on the topic of Islam, Economics and other relevant topics.

Dr. Sarmila Bose

Director of the Reuters Institute (Oxford)

Sarmila Bose is the Director of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at Oxford University. She is an academic and practitioner with principal interests in the politics and public policies of South Asia. Her current work is on the practice of democracy in India, and conflict and governance issues of the frontier “tribal” areas of India and Pakistan. She recently completed a major study of the 1971 war in South Asia. She teaches and supervises undergraduate and graduate students. She was the inaugural Director of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the Department of Politics and International Relations from 2006 to 2008. She received her AB in History from Bryn Mawr College and the MPA and PhD in Political Economy and Government from Harvard University. She has taught and held research positions at Harvard, George Washington University, University of Warwick and the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, and was assistant editor and senior political writer at the ABP Group of newspapers in India for several years, writing in English and Bengali.

Dr. Sarmila Bose was hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society at Oriel College during Dr. Maleeha Lodhi's Book Launch as the event chair in May 2011 and in St. Antony's College during the Bangladesh War Crimes Tribunal in October 2011.

Dr. Faisal Devji

Faisal Devji is a historian who specializes in studies of Islam, globalization, violence and ethics. He is currently Oxford University Reader in Modern South Asian History. He has held faculty positions at the New School in New York, Yale University and the University of Chicago, from where he also received his PhD in Intellectual History. Devji was Junior Fellow at the Society of Fellows, Harvard University, and Head of Graduate Studies at the Institute of Ismaili Studies in London, from where he directed post-graduate courses in the Near East and Central Asia. He sits on the editorial board of the journal Public Culture. Devji is the author of two books, Landscapes of the Jihad: Militancy, Morality, Modernity (2005), and The Terrorist in Search of Humanity: Militant Islam and Global Politics (2009), and is currently writing a book on the emergence of Muslim politics and the founding of Pakistan. He is interested in the political thought of modern Islam as well as in the transformation of liberal categories and democratic practice in South Asia. Devji’s broader concerns are with ethics and violence in a globalized world, particularly with the thought and practices of Mahatma Gandhi, who was among the earliest and perhaps most perceptive commentator on this predicament of our times.

Dr. Faisal Devji was hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society at Oriel College during Dr. Maleeha Lodhi's Book Launch as part of the academic panel in May 2011 and in St. Antony's College during the Bangladesh War Crimes Tribunal in October 2011.

Prof. Iftikhar Malik

Former Jinnah Fellow at Oxford

Dr Iftikhar Malik is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and teaches International History and Politics at Bath Spa University, England. From 1989-94, he was the Quaid-i-Azam Fellow at St. Antony's College, Oxford. His research have focused on, amongst others, modern South Asian history, civil society in the Muslim world and the relationship between Islam and the West. Dr Iftikhar Malik will discuss Pakistan's geo-politics within the region and the issue of Political Islam with reference to his recent visits to India, Pakistan and Iran.

Prof. Iftikhar Malik is regularly hosted by the Oxford Univeristy Pakistan Society where he often chairs talk and debates on the topics regarding South Asia and Pakistani politics.

Sardar Mazhar Ali Khan

Sardar Mazhar Ali Khan has been a very active political worker for most of his life and campaigned for Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah’s election in Lahore against General Ayub Khan. Sardar Mazhar was elected MP on a Pakistan Peoples Party ticket from Model Town Lahore in 1970. He has also been a member of National Awami Party and Awami National Party and has worked actively in trade unions. A close contemporary of Faiz, he was jailed during Gen Zia’s oppressive regime due to his political activities and was locked up in Attock fort for two and half months. Sardar Mazhar was one of the political workers released in 1981 and lived in Damascus for some time.

Sardar Mazhar Ali Khan was hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society in Oriel College as part of the OUPakSoc Faiz Centenary Celebrations in May 2011.

Dr. Tahir Haider Wasti

Dr. Tahir Haider Wasti obtained his PhD in 2005 in Law at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. He has taught and practiced law for a decade in Pakistan. His cases have been reported in various law journals. He has been admitted to the roll of Solicitors of the Supreme Court of Judicature of England and Wales and has advised several cases involving Islamic Law issues..

Dr. Tahir Haider Wasti was hosted by the Oxford Univerity Pakistan Society as a chair for the "Blasphemy Debate" in Oriel College in February 2011.

Dr. Lal Khan

Political Activist

Dr. Lal Khan is a political activist and trade unionist. Together with Alan Woods, he is involved in International Marxist Tendency, an organisation which is active in more than 30 Countries worldwide. Dr. Khan’s political theory and struggle are based on the ideas of Leon Trotsky and he is International Secretary of Pakistan Trade Union Defense Campaign (PTUDC). He is the editor of the quarterly Asian Marxist Review journal and also writes regular columns in the Daily Times. Dr. Khan has written widely on class-struggle and conflicts in South Asia and the Middle East and is the author of several books including those on the possibility of revolutionary struggle in Kashmir leading to a united South Asian socialist federation, Pakistan’s revolution of 1968-69 and on the history of revolutionary struggle in the Arab region.

Dr.Lal Khan was hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society at St. Cross College in July 2011..

Amjad Malik

Amjad Malik is a member of Lincolns Inn and practices as a Solicitor–Advocate of the Supreme Court of England and Wales from his Rochdale Office, and he is a life member of Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan, a specialist in immigration, Human Rights and Constitutional Law. He is a member of Law Society’s Immigration Law Committee’, and was awarded ‘Young Human Rights Lawyer Award’ for the year 2000 BY Liberty, Justice and Law Society. He petitioned in Supreme Court on the dismissal of Chief Justice of Pakistan and acted for Nawaz Sharif as his lawyer when he travelled to Pakistan on 10 Set 2007. Author of two books, a commentator of current affairs in Indo-Pak and UK affairs and is a current Chair of ‘Association of Pakistani Lawyers (UK). In 2009 SCBA President (Ali Ahmed Kurd) whilst officially visiting UK acknowledged his role from UK in lawyers struggle for rule of law and justice in Pakistan. He was declared The Times (London) lawyer of the week in June 2010 for winning Pakistani students case pro bono.

Barrister Amjad Malik was hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society during Pakistan Young Leaders Conference at the Oxford Union in January 2010. .

Hassan Bukhari

Hasan Bukhari is the president of the UK Chapter of the Pakistan People's Party. His experience within the PPP and knowledge of the current state of affairs in Pakistan places him in a unique position to comment on and share insights on a range of issues confronting the country including the current political scenario.

Hassan Bukhari was hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society at the Oxforshire County Hall as part of Pakistan Young Leaders Conference 2011 in February 2011.

Hassan Jafar Zaidi

Hassan Jafar Zaidi, is a renowned historian and a contemporary of intellectual giants such as Dr. Mubashir Hassan and Dr. Mehdi Hassan. He started writing as a political analyst for the weekly Nusrat in 1970 has since then continued writing for prominent Urdu and English newspapers like Daily Musawat and Dawn. He served as Joint-Secretary of Halqa-i-Arbab-i-Zouq, Lahore (a renowned literary forum of Pakistan) from 1974 to 1976 and has devoted his life to a multi-volume project of research on the history of Pakistan and Muslims. Twelve volumes on Political History of Pakistan and four volumes on Political History of Muslims have already been published from this project while another fifteen volumes on Muslim History and ten volumes on the history of sub-continent are under publication.

Hassan Jafar Zaidi was hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society in St. Cross College in August 2011.

Tanveer Zaman

Mr. Tanveer Zaman hails from Lahore and did his masters in political science from Punjab University. During his student days, he served as Provincial Information Secretary of the National Students Federation (NSF) and edited its monthly publication for two years. He was a political prisoner under General Zia ul Haq’s regime for three and a half years in a conspiracy case and was declared an absconder upon release and sentenced for 14 years in absentia. He currently works in London as a political analyst for various Asian channels in London. He will be speaking about Faiz’s politics and activism. 

Tanveer Zaman was hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society in Oriel College as part of Faiz Centenary Celebrations in May 2011..

Zahid Hussain

Zahid Hussain is the Pakistan correspondent for The Times, Newsweek and The Wall Street Journal. He will explore the rise and continuation of Islamic extremism in Pakistan and the links between major jihad groups and the Inter-Services Intelligence. His book, Frontline Pakistan: the struggle with militant Islam, will provide the basis for his talk.

Zahid Hussain was hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society in Somerville College in February 2007..

Sumsam Bukhari

Syed Sumsam Ali Bukhari was born in April, 1957 in Lahore and is a veteran of the ruling People’s Party (PPP). He is an agriculturalist by profession and was elected to the National Assembly from NA-145 Okara III in 2008. Mr. Bukhari was the State Minster for Information and Broadcasting from 8th of November 2008 to 9th February 2011 whereupon he stepped down from his post due to a reshuffling of the cabinet. His experience within the PPP and knowledge of the current state of affairs in Pakistan places him in a unique position to comment on and share insights on a range of issues confronting the country including the current political scenario. 

Sumsam Bukhari was hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society at Worcestor College in September 2011. .

Dr. Yunas Samad

Dr. Yunas Samad is Senior lecturer in Sociology and director of the Ethnicity and Social Policy Research Centre (ESPR) at Bradford University. His research interests include Race, ethnicity and multiculturalism in Britain and identity politics. Among many others, he is also the author of the book 'A Nation in Turmoil: Nationalism and Ethnicity in Pakistan 1937-58' and forthcoming titles include 'Fatal Attraction: Pakistan and the War on Terror, Hurst & Co, London.

Dr. Yunas Samad was hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society at Oriel College in May 2009.

Prof. Ishtiaq Ahmad

Jinnah Fellow at Oxford

Ishtiaq Ahmad is the Quaid-i-Azam Fellow at St. Antony’s College, Oxford University, and Associate Professor of International Relations at Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad. Dr Ahmad has published widely on South Asian security, conflict in Afghanistan, US policy towards South Asia and contemporary Muslim world issues. His publications include books such as Gulbuddin Hekmatyar: An Afghan Trail from Jihad to Terrorism (2004) and Nuclear Non-Proliferation Issues in South Asia (1996). He has written for The News International, The Nation and The Friday Times and is currently conducting research on conflict resolution in Afghanistan, exploring theoretical and practical aspects concerning the prospects of reconciliation and regionalism.

Prof. Ishtiaq Ahmad is regularly hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society as a chair on talks on the Af-Pak region.

Prof. Amin Mughal

Former Leader of National Awami Party

Amin Mughal was born in the Punjab in 1935 and has lived in England as a political exile since 1984. He is a critic of Urdu and Punjabi literature. He taught English at Islamia College and Shah Hussain College in Lahore. As a leader of the National Awami Party, he was imprisoned a number of times. He worked for the weekly magazine Viewpoint in Lahore and was editor of Awaz, an Urdu daily published in London. He was a contemporary of Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Habib Jalib.

Prof. Amin Mughal was hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society as a chair for an event in Keble College in January 2011.

Dr. Aasim Sajjad Akhtar

Dr. Aasim Sajjad Akhtar is a political activist and a member of the central committee of the Worker's Party Pakistan. He completed his PhD in political economy from SOAS, University of London and is currently Assistant Professor at Quaid-e-Azam University Islamabad where he teaches political economy and sociology while carrying out research on identity formation, social movements and the informal economy. He has also taught colonial history and political economy at the Lahore University of Management Sciences and is the co-author of 'Initiating Devolution for Service Delivery in Pakistan: Forgetting the Power Structure', published by OUP Pakistan in 2007.

Dr. Aasim Sajjad was hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society at Keble College in January 2011.

Dr. Daanish Mustafa

Lecturer at Kings College London

Dr. Daanish Mustafa obtained his BA in Georgraphy from Middlebury College, USA, his MA in Geography from University of Hawaii-Manoa in 1995 and his Ph.D. from the University of Colorado, Boulder, USA in 2000. He currently teaches at King’s College London (Geography Department) and his research interests lie at the intersection of development, water resources and hazards geography. Dr. Mustafa has received awards from the National Geographic Society, United States National Science Foundation, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency for his various research projects.

Dr. Mustafa was hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society at a conference in Oriel College in October 2010.

Dr. Adnan Qadir

Dr. Adnan Qadir Khan completed his PhD in economics from Queen’s University and has an MPA from Harvard Kennedy School. He joined the District Management Group in Pakistan after securing first position in the civil service exam, and has served at various places in Sindh and Punjab. He has worked with various international and national agencies including Finance and Education Departments and the Pakistan Administrative Staff College. His areas of research interest include political economy, decentralization and labor markets.

Dr. Adnan Qadir was hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society at a conference at Oriel College in October 2010.

Moeed W. Yusuf

South Asia Advisor at United States Institute of Peace

Moeed W. Yusuf is the South Asia adviser at the United States Institute of Peace Center in the Center for Conflict Analysis and Prevention and is responsible for managing the Institute’s Pakistan program. His current research focuses on youth and democratic institutions in Pakistan, and policy options to mitigate militancy in the country. He has worked extensively on issues relating to South Asian politics, Pakistan’s foreign policy, the U.S.-Pakistan relationship, nuclear deterrence and non-proliferation, and human security and development in South Asia. Before joining USIP, Yusuf was a fellow at the Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future at Boston University, and concurrently a research fellow at the Mossavar-Rahmani Center at Harvard Kennedy School. In 2007, he co-founded Strategic and Economic Policy Research, a private sector consultancy firm in Pakistan.

Moeed Yusuf was hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society at St. Peters College in June 2011.

Akbar Hyderabadi

Urdu Poet

Akbar Hyderabadi is a prominent UK-based Urdu poet. His works and writings in Urdu have been widely published around the world with several of his books winning awards and accolades. He is a regular performer at the annual Oxford University Pakistan Society Mushaira during Hilary Term where he often presides the proceedings.

Akbar Hyderabadi is hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society every year in Hilary Term where he performs at the annual OUPakSoc Mushaira.

Ayesha Ijaz Khan

Mrs. Ayesha Ijaz Khan began her career as a lawyer, working for both Pakistani and American law firms in the fields of banking and finance law. In 2002, she wrote a fictional piece on Saudi women that won an Economist-sponsored competition. Through her writing and broadcasting efforts, she speaks vocally against racial profiling of Muslims in the post 9/11 western world, and equally argues for greater women’s rights in the Muslim world. Her particular area of interest is Pakistan.

Ayesha Ijaz Khan was hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society at Oriel College in May 2009.

Shayma Saiyid

Shayma Saiyid creates performance narratives and choreography drawing on the Kathak and Modern Dance languages, and also performs classic choreography. Shayma trained in Kathak since age six in Lahore under Pakistan's iconic teacher, Mahraj Ghulam Husain, and with Nighat Chaodhry. She trained in Odissi and yoga with Sheema Kermani and has been inspired by Nahid Siddiqui and Jahanara Akhlaq. She studied choreography and Modern Dance at Grinnell College under B. G. Voertman, danced/choreographed for the Grinnell Dance Troupe and further trained at Barnard College, the American Dance Festival, Dance New Amsterdam and Dance Space among other institutions. Shayma's writings on dance in Pakistan have been published in the International Encyclopedia of Dance, (Oxford University Press-USA, 1998).

Shayma Saiyid was co-hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society and Oxford Indian Society for a performance at Wolfson College in July 2011. She performed dances to Faiz’s poetry and classical Kathak to commemorate Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s centennial birth anniversary.

Yashab Tamanna

Urdu Poet

Yashab Tamanna is a prominent UK-based Urdu poet. He is a regular performer at the annual Oxford University Pakistan Society Mushaira during Hilary Term.

Yashab Tamannai is hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society every year in Hilary Term where he performs at the annual OUPakSoc Mushaira.

Noor Jahan Noori

Urdu Poet

Noor Jahan Noori is a prominent UK-based Urdu poet and ghazal singer. She is a regular performer at the annual Oxford University Pakistan Society Mushaira during Hilary Term.

Noor Jahan Noori is hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society every year in Hilary Term where she performs at the annual OUPakSoc Mushaira.

Aisha Ghazi

Urdu Writer/Poet

Aisha Ghazi is a prominent UK-based Urdu poet and writer. She completed her first Master's degree in Zoology in Pakistan and second Master's degree in Molecular Biology from the University of Westminister in London. He is an avid reader and writer of Urdu literature. Most of her work is in Urdu and her first book "Jahan Per Lafz Rukte Hain" has been published in Pakistan.

Aisha Ghazi is hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society every year in Hilary Term where she performs at the annual OUPakSoc Mushaira.

Basir Sultan Kazmi

Urdu Poet

Basir Sultan Kazmi is a poet in the ghazal tradition of his illustrious father Nasir Kazmi (late). He studied/taught English Literature at the Government College Lahore. He edited Ravi (1974) and was the office bearer of the college literary and dramatic societies. He did his M.Ed (1991) and M.Phil (2000) from the University of Manchester and PGCE in English (1995). He currently teaches in Manchester. He also worked for BBC’s Asian programme (19991-92) and has been conducting poetry/drama workshops all over the UK. He has an Urdu poetry collection Moj-e-Khayal (1997) and translations of ghazals in A Little Bridge (1997), Generations of Ghazals (2003) and in several magazines and anthologies. His Urdu play Bisaatwas published in 1987 and its translation The Chess Board in 1997. He won the North West Playwrights Workshop Award in 1992. His plays have been performed in northern theatres. He has recited his poetry in several cities of Europe, Pakistan and the USA.

Basir Kazmi is hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society every year in Hilary Term where he performs at the annual OUPakSoc Mushaira.

Faizan Arif

Urdu Poet

Faizan Arif is a prominent UK-based Urdu poet and has regularly performed his poetry on several TV channels. He is a regular performer at the annual Oxford University Pakistan Society Mushaira during Hilary Term.

Faizan Arif is hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society every year in Hilary Term where he performs at the annual OUPakSoc Mushaira.

Khalid Yusuf

Urdu Poet

Khalid Yusuf was a prominent UK-based Urdu poet and his works had been widely published in literature. He was a regular performer at the annual Oxford University Pakistan Society Mushaira until he passed away in October 2009. The Oxford University Pakistan Society dedicated the 2010 Mushaira to his memory.

Khalid Yusuf was hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society every year in Hilary Term where he performed at the annual OUPakSoc Mushaira.

Salman Sheikh

Mr. Shaikh, apart from his other numerous preoccupations, is a consultant for Gallup, disseminating the famous book "Who Speaks For Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think", which is a dispassionate and objective study summarising years of collected data. The data are answers to questions put to Muslims from every walk of life and location and the book therefore reflects facts, as opposed to conjecture or supposition, which public opinion and prevailing views in the the media are often based upon. 

Salman Sheikh was hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society at Oriel College in May 2009..