The Living Scripts | Naghmana Hashmi (Pakistan’s former ambassador to China, EU & Ireland)
The nineteenth session of IPS series of programs ‘The Living Scripts‘ was held with Naghmana Hashmi, former ambassador of Pakistan to China, European Union (EU), and Ireland, on February 12, 2021.
Shedding light on her early life, Hashmi apprised the audience that she hailed from Lahore where her aunt and grandmother played a very important role in her brought-up. Talking about her education, the speaker shared that she was an active student who participated in a host of extra-curricular activities including debates, dramas and sports during her school and college days. After completing BA in 1982, she appeared in CSS examination without much preparation, yet qualified and then got enlisted for foreign services.
Opening up about her professional life, Hashmi shared that representing Pakistan in different countries during her tenures in foreign services had taught her a great deal on how to be patient and how to deal with adverse circumstances.
Remembering her time in France as a First Secretary, Hashmi told that she witnessed first-hand how hatred against Islam and Muslims started and unfurled over there. The speaker shared that she, along with her colleagues, also had to face that hatred manier times. She however maintained that the growing Islamophobia in the country compelled her to study Islam and develop its understanding in depth.
The former ambassador also enlightened the audience about the famous visit of President General Zia-ul-Haq to India in 1987, sharing that a few days prior to the visit, the president along with his staff members were very indecisive about the gifts they had to take with them to India. Hashmi then intervened with a few ideas which were admired by the President and then the same gifts were taken to India by the visiting Pakistani delegation.
Speaking of her last posting in China, the ambassador termed it among the most difficult and challenging tenures of her professional life. The sudden outbreak of the Coronavirus in China’s Hebei province had caught everyone by surprise and the countries started to call back their citizens with a sense of urgency. There was huge political pressure from within Pakistan as well, she added, but after deep deliberations, the final decision taken was against the popular opinion. The decision, according to her, not only helped Pakistan prevent the early influx of the pandemic but also strengthened its relations with China amidst very difficult times.circumstances.
