The Pakistan Experience

Husain Haqqani is a Pakistani journalist, academic, political activist and former ambassador of Pakistan to Sri Lanka and the United States.  Hussain Haqqani joins us on this week's episode to discuss Lettergate, Foreign Relations, Memogate, Dynastic politics and the role of the Establishment in politics in Pakistan.   Haqqani has written four books on Pakistan, and his analyses have appeared in publications including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Foreign Affairs, and Foreign Policy.Haqqani is currently a Senior Fellow and Director for South and Central Asia at the Hudson Institute in Washington, D.C. and co-editor of Hudson's journal Current Trends in Islamist Ideology.   The Pakistan Experience is an independently produced podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan through conversations. Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience    And Please stay in touch: https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1 https://www.facebook.com/thepakistanexperience https://instagram.com/thepakistanexpeperience    The podcast is hosted by comedian and writer, Shehzad Ghias Shaikh. Shehzad is a Fulbright scholar with a Masters in Theatre from Brooklyn College. He is also one of the foremost Stand-up comedians in Pakistan and frequently writes for numerous publications.          Instagram.com/shehzadghiasshaikh Facebook.com/Shehzadghias/ Twitter.com/shehzad89   Chapters: 0:00 Lettergate 6:30 American Conspiracy vs Interference 13:30 Value of Personal Relationships in Foreign relations 31:30 Memogate 40:00 Dynastic politics and Interference in politics 53:00 Vote of No Confidence and Parliamentary Democracy 59:00 Memogate Evidence 1:02:00 US Military Industrial Complex 1:06:00 Hussain Haqqani's journey 1:12:00 Meeting the Establishment

We often talk over each other, rather than talking to each other.  We don't even bother listening to the other side, we read/watch to argue, not to understand, not to see where they are coming from.  Social media makes enemies out of all of us. This is why I invited a staunch PTI Supporter, a staunch PML-N supporter and a public policy expert to actually debate the things we are all talking about on social media with some actual nuance as opposed to calling each other biased, youthiyas and patwaris.  Uzair younus is director of the Pakistan initiative at the Atlantic council, a dc-based think tank, and host of the podcast pakistonomy.  Bilal Lakhani is a columnist for Express Tribune and a recipient of the James A Wechsler Award for International Reporting. Supports PTI.  Mustafa Bajwa is a public sector strategy and operations consultant. Supports PML-N. The Pakistan Experience is an independently produced podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan through conversations. Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience  And Please stay in touch: https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1 https://www.facebook.com/thepakistanexperience https://instagram.com/thepakistanexpeperience  The podcast is hosted by comedian and writer, Shehzad Ghias Shaikh. Shehzad is a Fulbright scholar with a Masters in Theatre from Brooklyn College. He is also one of the foremost Stand-up comedians in Pakistan and frequently writes for numerous publications.      Instagram.com/shehzadghiasshaikh Facebook.com/Shehzadghias/ Twitter.com/shehzad89 Chapters: Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 2:00 Why you should vote for PML-N 7:00 Why you should vote for PTI 15:00 Uzair Younus weighs in: The problems with PTI 23:00 Imran Khan refusing to engage with his opponents 30:00 The role of the Establishment in politics 54:00 What did PTI do in the 3.5 years? 1:07:00 The journey of PTI and lessons to be learnt 1:18:00 What should the future look like? 1:38:00 Creating narratives online 1:51:00 Conclusion

Raza Rumi comes on the podcast to set the record clear on everything happening in Pakistan.  Raza explains the Imran Khan phenomenon, the history of his 22 year struggle, how army interferes in politics and the philosophy of how cults operate.  Is politics in Pakistan just elite theatrics?  How do we bring real change in Pakistan?  Why should we celebrate the undoing of the Hybrid regime?  Find out this and more on this week's episode of The Pakistan Experience.  Raza Ahmad Rumi is a Pakistani policy analyst, journalist who has been the editor of Pakistan's English-language daily Daily Times. Raza Rumi is the founder of Naya Daur and an editor at The Friday Times.   The Pakistan Experience is an independently produced podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan through conversations. Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience  And Please stay in touch: https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1 https://www.facebook.com/thepakistanexperience https://instagram.com/thepakistanexpeperience  The podcast is hosted by comedian and writer, Shehzad Ghias Shaikh. Shehzad is a Fulbright scholar with a Masters in Theatre from Brooklyn College. He is also one of the foremost Stand-up comedians in Pakistan and frequently writes for numerous publications.      Instagram.com/shehzadghiasshaikh Facebook.com/Shehzadghias/ Twitter.com/shehzad89

Imran Khan has been removed and Shahbaz Sharif has been made Prime Minister. What does the future now hold for Pakistan?  Mosharraf Zaidi, columnist, journalist, and public policy analyst, comes on the podcast to discuss the present political crisis and the potential hopes for the future.   Has Imran Khan undermined the work of Pakistani diplomats?   Is there any truth to "lettergate"?   Is it routine for diplomats to discuss possibilities with each other?   Find out this and more on this week's episode of The Pakistan Experience.   Mosharraf Zaidi is a Pakistani public policy professional and the founder and CEO of Tabadlab, an Islamabad-based policy think-tank. He writes a weekly column for The News International and is a senior advisor for the Albright Stonebridge Group.  Previously, he served as a Policy Advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs between 2011 and 2013 under Hina Rabbani Khar, the former Foreign Minister of Pakistan.[1][2][3][4]   The Pakistan Experience is an independently produced podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan through conversations. Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience  And Please stay in touch: https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1 https://www.facebook.com/thepakistanexperience https://instagram.com/thepakistanexpeperience  The podcast is hosted by comedian and writer, Shehzad Ghias Shaikh. Shehzad is a Fulbright scholar with a Masters in Theatre from Brooklyn College. He is also one of the foremost Stand-up comedians in Pakistan and frequently writes for numerous publications.      Instagram.com/shehzadghiasshaikh Facebook.com/Shehzadghias/ Twitter.com/shehzad89

Owen Bennett-Jones is a freelance British journalist and a former host of Newshour on the BBC World Service. As a former BBC correspondent having been based in several countries, he also regularly reports from around the world.  Owen Benett-Jones comes on The Pakistan Experience to discuss his latest book, The Bhutto Dynasty: Struggle for Power in Pakistan.   On this episode I ask point blank to Owen questions that have plagued the Bhutto legacy for years.  Did the US kill Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto?  Did Zardari kill Benazir?  Who covered up Benazir's assassination?  Find out this and more on this revealing episode of The Pakistan Experience.  The Pakistan Experience is an independently produced podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan through conversations. Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience And Please stay in touch: https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1 https://www.facebook.com/thepakistanexperience https://instagram.com/thepakistanexpeperience The podcast is hosted by comedian and writer, Shehzad Ghias Shaikh. Shehzad is a Fulbright scholar with a Masters in Theatre from Brooklyn College. He is also one of the foremost Stand-up comedians in Pakistan and frequently writes for numerous publications.    Instagram.com/shehzadghiasshaikh Facebook.com/Shehzadghias/ Twitter.com/shehzad89  Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 1:00 Who Killed Benazir? 7:30 Did Zardari kill Benazir? 8:45 Did Zardari kill Murtaza Bhutto? 12:00 Was the US involved in Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto's murder? 17:30 Did Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto think he wouldn't be hanged? 19:30 What is it about the Bhuttos that get them killed? 23:00 Benazir's legacy 26:30 Asserting civilian power 29:45 1971 34:00 Memogate 35:30 Is Zardari corrupt? 37:00 People's Question and Answers

Uzair Younus is the  Director of Pakistan Initiative at Atlantic Council South Asia and the host of the podcast Pakistanomy.  Salaar Khan is a Lawyer and a Columnist for The News.   We discuss what is happening on the legal and political front in Pakistan.   The Pakistan Experience is an independently produced podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan through conversations. Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience And Please stay in touch: https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1 https://www.facebook.com/thepakistanexperience https://instagram.com/thepakistanexpeperience The podcast is hosted by comedian and writer, Shehzad Ghias Shaikh. Shehzad is a Fulbright scholar with a Masters in Theatre from Brooklyn College. He is also one of the foremost Stand-up comedians in Pakistan and frequently writes for numerous publications.    Instagram.com/shehzadghiasshaikh Facebook.com/Shehzadghias/ Twitter.com/shehzad89

Professor Ahmet. T. Kuru comes on The Pakistan Experience to discuss Authoritarianism and Underdevelopment in Islamic Countries. We get into a deep dive on whether Secularism is Islamic, the Ulema-State nexus and Modernity.  Ahmet T. Kuru (PhD, University of Washington) is the director of Center for Islamic and Arabic Studies and Bruce E. Porteous Professor of Political Science at San Diego State University. He was a postdoctoral scholar at Columbia University. Kuru is the author of Secularism and State Policies toward Religion: The United States, France, and Turkey (Cambridge University Press, 2009), which received Society for the Scientific Study of Religion (SSSR)’s Book Award. He is also the co-editor (with Alfred Stepan) of Democracy, Islam, and Secularism in Turkey (Columbia University Press, 2012). Kuru’s articles appeared in various journals including World Politics, Comparative Politics, and Political Science Quarterly. His recent book, Islam, Authoritarianism, and Underdevelopment: A Global and Historical Comparison (Cambridge University Press, 2019) became the co-winner of the American Political Science Association's International History and Politics Section Book Award and received honorable mention of SSSR’s Book Award. Kuru’s works have been translated into Arabic, Bosnian, Chinese, French, Indonesian, Malay, Persian, and Turkish.  Chapters: 0:00 Secularists vs Islamists 12:00 Is Islam against Secularism? 20:00 Is there evidence for Secularism? 32:30 Abrogation Principle and understanding Verses 37:30 The Ulema-State unison in Sunni history 47:30 Why did Islamic societies not progress? 53:30 Is Modern Islam compatible with Modernity? 1:01:00 Democracy and Underdevelopment in Islamic countries 1:15:30 Peoples Q&As The Pakistan Experience is an independently produced podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan through conversations. Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience And Please stay in touch: https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1 https://www.facebook.com/thepakistanexperience https://instagram.com/thepakistanexpeperience The podcast is hosted by comedian and writer, Shehzad Ghias Shaikh. Shehzad is a Fulbright scholar with a Masters in Theatre from Brooklyn College. He is also one of the foremost Stand-up comedians in Pakistan and frequently writes for numerous publications.    Instagram.com/shehzadghiasshaikh Facebook.com/Shehzadghias/ Twitter.com/shehzad89

Joyeeta Dutta comes on the podcast to discuss Bollywood, Shahrukh Khan, her process, a Suitable boy, socializing and more!  Joyeeta is an Indian actor who has worked in television and theatre. In July 2020, Joyeeta made her screen debut in BBC One’s A Suitable Boy, a series directed by Mira Nair on a screenplay by Andrew Davies. Released on BBC One and Netflix, A Suitable Boy is an adaptation of Vikram Seth’s novel of the same name. Prior to this Joyeeta was also a part of Mira Nair’s Monsoon Wedding Musical in 2019, a stage adaptation of her BAFTA - winning movie. Joyeeta has trained in a 2-year acting program under the tutelage of director N.K. Sharma as part Act One, a New Delhi based theatre group. She has also briefly trained with actor Adil Hussain. Before being bitten by the acting bug, Joyeeta worked at McKinsey and Co. after having graduated in Political Science from Lady Shri Ram College for Women, New Delhi. The Pakistan Experience is an independently produced podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan through conversations. Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience And Please stay in touch: https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1 https://www.facebook.com/thepakistanexperience https://instagram.com/thepakistanexpeperience The podcast is hosted by comedian and writer, Shehzad Ghias Shaikh. Shehzad is a Fulbright scholar with a Masters in Theatre from Brooklyn College. He is also one of the foremost Stand-up comedians in Pakistan and frequently writes for numerous publications. Instagram.com/shehzadghiasshaikh Facebook.com/Shehzadghias/ Twitter.com/shehzad89 Chapters: 0:00 Turning it on for the camera 4:40 Getting into Acting: Joyeeta's Tamasha moment 12:30 Getting noticed in Bollywood 17:00 Meeting Shahrukh Khan 24:00 Dealing with Fame 26:00 The Acting Process 30:00 Commercial Cinema vs Parallel Cinema 35:30 Networking and Socializing 42:00 Shahrukh Khan obsession part 2 45:20 Rang De Basanti and Highway 51:00 Wokeness, Representation and being critical of the past 57:30 What are we watching? 1:02:30 Tabu obsession 1:09:30 What's your journey? 1:14:00 People we want to work with 1:18:00 Chilling

Michael Kugelman is the Deputy director of the Asia Program, South Asia senior associate at TheWilsonCenter and Writer of the Foreign Policy's weekly South Asia Brief. Michael Kugelman comes on the podcast to discuss India launching a missile into Pakistan, Global Power Politics, US, Russia-Ukraine war, Imran Khan's statements and anti-Americanism in Pakistan. Was the missile launch an accident?  Is the United States being hypocritical?  Why does Biden not call Imran Khan?  Find out this and more on this week's episode of The Pakistan Experience. The Pakistan Experience is an independently produced podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan through conversations. Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience And Please stay in touch: https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1 https://www.facebook.com/thepakistanexperience https://instagram.com/thepakistanexpeperience The podcast is hosted by comedian and writer, Shehzad Ghias Shaikh. Shehzad is a Fulbright scholar with a Masters in Theatre from Brooklyn College. He is also one of the foremost Stand-up comedians in Pakistan and frequently writes for numerous publications. Instagram.com/shehzadghiasshaikh Facebook.com/Shehzadghias/ Twitter.com/shehzad89 Chapters: 0:00 India's Missile Launch into Pakistan 8:30 Pakistan's Image problem and Global Politics 13:00 Return of McCarthyism? 17:30 The 'Putin is a big bad guy' narrative in US Politics 23:30 Putin's Response 28:00 US's Hypocrisy 38:00 Are we headed for WWIII? 45:00 Double Standards and Hypocrisy 50:30 The Media's portrayal of the war 54:30 The Nuclear option 57:30 Imran Khan's statements and US's reaction 1:06:30 Imran Khan's visit to Russia 1:12:00 Anti-American populism used 1:19:30 People's Questions

Wajahat Saeed Khan, is an Emmy Award-nominated Pakistani multimedia journalist based in New York City who is currently an editor and correspondent at Nikkei Asia. Khan has produced, reported and anchored for Pakistan's major cable networks, as well leading U.S., U.K. and Indian publications.  Wajahat S. Khan comes on The Pakistan Experience for a deep dive on the role of the Pakistani military in politics. From Zia-ul-Haq to Musharaf to the current political climate, we discuss how we got to where we are.  Does the Establishment want to oust Imran Khan?  What are the inner workings of the Military Establishment?  What does it mean to report on the Military?  Find out this and more on this week's episode of The Pakistan Experience  The Pakistan Experience is an independently produced podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan through conversations.   Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience   And Please stay in touch: https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1 https://www.facebook.com/thepakistanexperience https://instagram.com/thepakistanexpeperience   The podcast is hosted by comedian and writer, Shehzad Ghias Shaikh. Shehzad is a Fulbright scholar with a Masters in Theatre from Brooklyn College. He is also one of the foremost Stand-up comedians in Pakistan and frequently writes for numerous publications.    Instagram.com/shehzadghiasshaikh Facebook.com/Shehzadghias/ Twitter.com/shehzad89     Chapters: 0:00 No Confidence and Extension 11:00 General Kiyani and General Musharraf 15:00 Extensions 20:30 The Current Situation and how we got here 25:00 Imran Khan's Grooming and rfits with the Establishment 33:30 The Army's role in Politics 40:00 The Opposition's Calculations 44:00 Reporting on the Military vs Reporting for the MIlitary 50:30 Lying in the Prime Minister's bathtub and Musharraf's Mahaz 1:02:30 Laughing with Musharaf  1:07:30 The Soldier and The Institution 1:21:00 Bloody Civilians 1:26:00 Peoples QandAs