Yasir Abbas

PhD researcher at the University of Manchester

Compiled from 2 recorded interviews. Every statement below is drawn from the passage cited beside it.

Yasir Abbas is a phd researcher and lecturer in international law at University of Manchester. Abbas spent one year with the Youth Parliament. He was a recipient of a fellowship program and travelled to the United States.

Early life and background

Abbas was born and raised in a village called Yasin, about 150 kilometres from Gilgit city. He did his primary schooling in Yasin, up to eighth grade. His father was initially in the army as a non-commissioned officer. After retiring, his father studied further and joined the judiciary. His mother is a housewife. [2]

As a young man he followed current affairs on Voice of America radio. He says a lot of sectarian tussle at the time affected education and worldview. He also says he was medically unfit because of a terrible knee injury, and that he came for medical treatment after he fractured his knee. [2]

Education

After eighth grade he qualified for a high school in Gilgit city, and he completed his matric and FSC in Gilgit. He says he was not good at physics, maths or biology, so engineering and medicine did not suit him. [2]

He applied only to Bahria University in Islamabad and chose to study International Relations. He says his grades were not strong enough for LUMS or NUST, and that he had terrible grades in his first semesters. He read the Times magazine, the Economist and the Financial Times, and says he was able to address gaps in his ability to write and to speak. He became president of his university's debating society and graduated in 2014. [2]

He enrolled in an LLB program while continuing to work for the government. He received his LLB from the University of Peshawar through an affiliate college in Gilgit. He studied law because his International Relations degree sparked an interest in international law. [2]

He applied for the Chevening scholarship and was shortlisted. He was selected for the scholarship. He pursued an LLM in International Human Rights Law at the University of Sussex, and chose the LLM to combine international relations with international law. [2]

Career

Abbas spent one year with the Youth Parliament. He was a recipient of a fellowship program and travelled to the United States. He says he did many conflict transformation activities for youth, and that he worked to empower youth and against sectarian violence. He worked as an assistant projects officer. [2]

In 2015 he joined the Ministry of Planning as a Young Development Fellow. He was placed in the peace and development unit. He rates the posting as a good experience because it showed him how government works. He says that at one point the thought came to him that he should become part of the government. He thought about the CSS in about 2017, and he failed the English essay paper. [2]

Abbas advised the then human rights rapporteur to Iran. He worked with sitting rapporteurs of the United Nations, as a requirement of a law clinic module. He worked with the NHS as a legal consultant. He led the entire research in the Black Country region. He also did extensive research on migrant youth experiences in collaboration with the University of Toronto, a university in Australia and Coventry University. [2]

He returned to Pakistan in January 2020. After returning he worked with the Research Society of International Law in Islamabad. He taught at a university in Islamabad. [2]

Political ambitions

Abbas has had political ambitions for a long time. He says he is taking an opportunity to prepare himself for a political contribution to the region eventually. [2]

Views on international law and the United Nations

Abbas says he interacts with students from the law department. He says a consensus is developing among students passionate about international law that it must be studied in order to know how useless it is. He says social media has made it easy for students to see where genocide is happening, and that students now see through the abuse and how institutions have failed them. [1]

Abbas says he sees an international order in disarray and that the whole fabric of international law has been ruptured beyond repair. He says the exploitation of the system is so brazen that it questions the usefulness of the international setup. He says the veto power serves the vested interests of powerful nations, that the UN has failed to live up to its established norms, and that UN resolutions document violations but cannot stop them. He says the biggest casualty of the crisis will be the erosion of UN legitimacy. [1]

Abbas expects institutional decay to take further root and a more unilateral pattern in international affairs, with countries acting alone based on their own interests. He expects more countries to seriously consider going nuclear and a rapid rise in countries seeking more powerful weapons. He says the SCO and BRICS have not been relevant to the current conflict. He expects new regional alliances to take shape, and realignments between countries that share economic, political or ideological ties. [1]

Views on the war involving Iran

He does not see the war becoming a world war. He says the war has reached a threshold that the United States must manage, and that the conflict has already expanded. He says the economic cost of the conflict already does the damage that war usually does. He does not expect the war to go beyond what it has already reached. [1]

Abbas says Iran was well prepared for the war. He says Iran has survived the war and that its regime is largely intact. He says the United States has been unable to control or clear the Strait of Hormuz. He says Iran is establishing a credible deterrence and sees itself as a disruptive actor that cannot be ignored. [1]

Views on the Strait of Hormuz

Abbas does not expect Iran to charge fees for passage through the Strait of Hormuz. He says free navigation is a principle recognized by the UN, and that a Hormuz toll would not be admissible in international legal forums. He cites a precedent in which a court ruled that a state had no authority to block free navigation. He says the Hormuz toll plan serves Iran's domestic political messaging. [1]

He says the Strait of Hormuz differs from the Suez and Panama canals, which are artificially built, and that states that build canals may reasonably charge tolls on them. He warns that a Bab-el-Mandeb tax could follow if this precedent continues. He says nearby regions would be emboldened to charge tolls on narrow straits. [1]

Views on Pakistan's position

Abbas says Pakistan faced two bad options, with extreme positions harmful to the country, and that he appreciates the stance Islamabad took in the conflict. He says Pakistan has a defence pact with Saudi Arabia, very strong economic ties with the GCC states, and deep cultural and religious ties with Iran. He says Pakistan has strategic connectivity with the US, shaped by its economic vulnerability through the IMF. He says Pakistan's best role is as a channel between the warring parties. [1]

Abbas says Pakistan has been central to conflicts for about 30 years and helped bring China and the United States together. He says that once a conflict settles, nobody asks Pakistan what role it played. He says it is still not clear who is going to run Pakistan, and describes Pakistan as a jelly state. He says Pakistan lacks the institutional capacity to act consistently and that almost two of its provinces have active insurgency. He says Pakistan's failure to use its role owes more to its own institutional weaknesses than to outside factors, and that Pakistan needs institutional strengthening to raise its leverage. He says Finland, Norway and Switzerland gained from neutrality and mediation. [1]

Abbas says Islamabad has balanced its relationships with Washington and Beijing well. He says Washington does not push Pakistan to choose against China as hard as it pushes other countries, and that China sees Pakistan as a strategic partner. He says Gwadar, CPEC and BRI are becoming more important to China, and that China and Pakistan have a window to speed up their economic ties. He does not expect visible pressure from Washington on Islamabad to downgrade its ties. [1]

Views on Gilgit-Baltistan

Abbas says that in 2009, with the Gilgit-Baltistan Empowerment Package, there was for the first time a Chief Minister and a Governor. He says Gilgit-Baltistan has a very small population and a territory almost equal to that of KPK. He says that making Gilgit-Baltistan part of a proper federation does not weaken it, and that the idea of the right to self-determination has evolved a great deal in the 21st century. [2]

He says a fundamental reason for the backwardness of Gilgit-Baltistan has been that people lacked access to it. He says the youth of Gilgit-Baltistan have the ability to convert the region into a Silicon Valley of Pakistan, and that it has the potential to convert itself into a food basket for the rest of the country. He refers to an eco-friendly, locally driven tourism industry in Gilgit-Baltistan. He says the first medical university of Gilgit-Baltistan is being built. [2]

He says power shortages and outages are the biggest problem in Gilgit-Baltistan, and that the Bunji dam and the Basha Diamer dam are being built. He says CPEC is not a panacea for all the problems in the country. He says he hopes the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor will bring a massive industry. He also says it is extremely vital that the beneficiaries should be from Gilgit-Baltistan to start with. [2]

He says food, clothing and internet are basic human rights today. He says the Information Ministry, in collaboration with another organisation, was tasked with ensuring that communication channels stayed in place. He says a 4G auction opened the way for more companies to operate in Gilgit-Baltistan, and that it was the priority of the Chief Minister that more options were needed in GB. [2]

Views on governance

Abbas says the system operating in the country is the same as it was 100 years back. He says the problem is that there is fire-fighting and no prevention. [2]

Timeline

2014
Graduated.[2]
2015
Joined the Ministry of Planning as a Young Development Fellow.[2]
2017
Thought about taking the CSS.[2]
2020
Returned to Pakistan in January.[2]

Appearances

DateTitleWhere
2026-04-03 The strait of Hormuz toll is good politics, bad law Thought Behind Things
2022-01-24 Gilgit-Baltistan is the only region fighting to integrate Thought Behind Things

Frequently asked questions

Who is Yasir Abbas?

Yasir Abbas is a PhD researcher at the University of Manchester and a former advisor on law and public policy. He describes himself as a student of international law.[1]

What does Yasir Abbas do?

Yasir Abbas is a PhD researcher at the University of Manchester and a former advisor on law and public policy. He has also worked with the NHS as a legal consultant. He has taught at a university in Islamabad.[1][2]

Where did Yasir Abbas study?

Yasir Abbas received his LLB from the University of Peshawar through an affiliate college in Gilgit. He pursued an LLM in International Human Rights Law at the University of Sussex. He chose to study International Relations and graduated in 2014, and he was selected for the Chevening scholarship.[2]

Where is Yasir Abbas from?

Yasir Abbas was born and raised in a village called Yasin, about 150 kilometres from Gilgit city. He did his primary schooling in Yasin, up to eighth grade, and completed his matric and FSC in Gilgit.[2]

When did Yasir Abbas join the Ministry of Planning?

Yasir Abbas joined the Ministry of Planning in 2015 as a Young Development Fellow. He was placed in the peace and development unit. He rates the posting as a good experience because it showed him how government works.[2]

What does Yasir Abbas think about the Strait of Hormuz?

Yasir Abbas does not expect Iran to charge fees for passage through the Strait of Hormuz. He says free navigation is a principle recognized by the UN and that a Hormuz toll would not be admissible in international legal forums. He also says the toll plan serves Iran's domestic political messaging.[1]

What does Yasir Abbas say about the United Nations?

Yasir Abbas says the UN has failed to live up to its established norms and that UN resolutions document violations but cannot stop them. He says the biggest casualty of the crisis will be the erosion of UN legitimacy.[1]

When did Yasir Abbas return to Pakistan?

Yasir Abbas returned to Pakistan in January 2020. After returning he worked with the Research Society of International Law in Islamabad. He also taught at a university in Islamabad.[2]

References

  1. The strait of Hormuz toll is good politics, bad law . Thought Behind Things , 2026-04-03.
  2. Gilgit-Baltistan is the only region fighting to integrate . Thought Behind Things , 2022-01-24.
Show the source passages (144 statements)
  1. Yasir Abbas is a PhD researcher at the University of Manchester. a PhD researcher at the University of Manchester and former advisor on Law and Public Policy
  2. Yasir Abbas is a former advisor on law and public policy. a PhD researcher at the University of Manchester and former advisor on Law and Public Policy
  3. Yasir Abbas describes himself as a student of international law. as a student of uh international law
  4. Yasir Abbas says he interacts with students from the law department. the students I interact with who are from the law department
  5. Yasir Abbas says a consensus is developing among students passionate about international law that it must be studied in order to know how useless it is. there is one consensus that is developing within the students who are passionate about international law that we have to study it in order to know how useless it is
  6. Yasir Abbas says social media has made it easy for students to see where genocide is happening. Social media has made it extremely easy for them to determine where a genocide is happening
  7. Yasir Abbas says students now see through the abuse and how institutions have failed them. they see through the abuse, they see through how the institutions have failed them
  8. Yasir Abbas says the conflict has ideological, economic and political aspects. it has an ideological aspect to it, it has an economic aspect to it, and it has a political aspect to it
  9. Yasir Abbas says he would not accept one framework for understanding the conflict. I wouldn't agree on one framework or one prism of looking at this conflict because it it is multifaceted
  10. Yasir Abbas says he sees an international order in disarray. we see an international order in disarray
  11. Yasir Abbas says the United States has no clear end goal for the war. there is no clear uh end to what uh the US wants and there is no clarity
  12. Yasir Abbas says the United States had no direction when it went into Iran. it is now clear that America had no direction whatsoever while going in Iran
  13. Yasir Abbas says the initial stated goal of the war was to denuclearize Iran. the intended uh uh goal was initially uh bringing or denuclearizing Iran
  14. Yasir Abbas says the strong NATO nations have been vocal about not joining the war. the strong NATO nations have been really vocal about not becoming part of this adventure
  15. Yasir Abbas says he does not see the war becoming a world war. I don't see it becoming a world war
  16. Yasir Abbas says the war has reached a threshold that the United States must manage. this war has reached the threshold where it has to be managed by the United States
  17. Yasir Abbas says the conflict has already expanded. I think that the conflict has already expanded
  18. Yasir Abbas says the economic cost of the conflict already does the damage that war usually does. I see the economic cost of it already doing the damages that in ordinary circumstances would uh war do
  19. Yasir Abbas does not expect the war to go beyond what it has already reached. I don't see this war uh going beyond what it what it has already reached
  20. Yasir Abbas says Iran was well prepared for the war. Iran was more than prepared for it
  21. Yasir Abbas says Iran has survived the war and its regime is largely intact. It has survived. It has the regime which is pretty much intact.
  22. Yasir Abbas says the United States has been unable to control or clear the Strait of Hormuz. Now, imagine it's just a stretch of 35 miles, a mighty military like the United States is unable to control or unable to clear the pathway which is vital for global trade and economy
  23. Yasir Abbas says Iran is establishing a credible deterrence. yes, it is establishing a credible deterrence
  24. Yasir Abbas says Iran sees itself as a disruptive actor that cannot be ignored. I see Iran recognize itself as one disruptive player or one actor in the region which cannot be ignored
  25. Yasir Abbas does not expect Iran to charge fees for passage through the Strait of Hormuz. I don't see Iran basically converting it into a passage where they will charge a fee
  26. Yasir Abbas says free navigation is a principle recognized by the UN. the free navigation is a principle which is recognized by by the UN
  27. Yasir Abbas says a Hormuz toll would not be admissible in international legal forums. But if we will put it to the test in the international legal forums, it wouldn't be admissible
  28. Yasir Abbas cites a precedent in which a court ruled that a state had no authority to block free navigation. the court ruled that this the the the country has no vested authority to basically prevent the free navigation
  29. Yasir Abbas says the Hormuz toll plan serves Iran's domestic political messaging. It serves the political messaging for the masses within Tehran and larger Iran
  30. Yasir Abbas says the Strait of Hormuz differs from the Suez and Panama canals, which are artificially built. this is fundamentally different from Panama Canal because it's an artificially built canal and we this also our Suez Canal which is also an artificially built canal
  31. Yasir Abbas says states that build canals may reasonably charge tolls on them. there might be many canals which will be man-made and it would make sense for such states to charge a toll tax on that
  32. Yasir Abbas warns that a Bab-el-Mandeb tax could follow if this precedent continues. if this precedent goes on, then there will be a you know, a Bab-el-Mandeb tax
  33. Yasir Abbas says nearby regions would be emboldened to charge tolls on narrow straits. every region within the proximity of such canals, such narrow strips, then will be emboldened to basically start charging you know, money out of it
  34. Yasir Abbas says Pakistan faced two bad options, with extreme positions harmful to the country. Pakistan was in the most typical, you know, situation between the devil and dead sea basically. You know, the either options of taking any extreme position was going to be detrimental for the country.
  35. Yasir Abbas says he appreciates the stance Islamabad took in the conflict. I would basically appreciate the state the the the kind of stance that Islamabad took
  36. Yasir Abbas says Pakistan has a defence pact with Saudi Arabia. you have a defense pact with Saudi Arabia
  37. Yasir Abbas says Pakistan has very strong economic ties with the GCC states. we have very strong economic ties
  38. Yasir Abbas says Pakistan has deep cultural and religious ties with Iran. we have deep cultural religious ties
  39. Yasir Abbas says Pakistan has strategic connectivity with the US, shaped by its economic vulnerability through the IMF. we have strategic connectivity and strategic interest in the shape of our economic vulnerability through IMF
  40. Yasir Abbas says Pakistan's best role is as a channel between the warring parties. you are a channel of a communication between these warring parties
  41. Yasir Abbas says Saudi Arabia and Pakistan may have agreed on a threshold for the conflict. there is a certain threshold which the Saudis and Pakistanis might have agreed for now
  42. Yasir Abbas says Gulf states are not willing to enter direct confrontation with Iran. the Saudis or the GCC region are not too willing to get into direct confrontation with Iran
  43. Yasir Abbas says Saudi Arabia might be tempted to invoke its defence treaty with Pakistan. the Saudis might be very tempted to invoke the defense treaty they have with Pakistan
  44. Yasir Abbas says Pakistan would have to make an unpopular choice if the conflict reaches a certain point. we will have to make an unpopular choice if that you know, if the situation reaches at that point
  45. Yasir Abbas expects an off-ramp to the conflict in the coming days or weeks. I think the off-ramp will be on the offing in in the days to come
  46. Yasir Abbas says Pakistan has been central to conflicts for about 30 years. Pakistan has been very central in all the conflicts if we go back like 30 years
  47. Yasir Abbas says Pakistan helped bring China and the United States together. Pakistan was responsible in bringing China and and United States together as well
  48. Yasir Abbas says that once a conflict settles, nobody asks Pakistan what role it played. at the end of the day when the conflict settles, no one you know, gives no one asks you what you know, role did you play or how central was your role
  49. Yasir Abbas says it is still not clear who is going to run Pakistan. We are still not clear that who is going to run the country
  50. Yasir Abbas describes Pakistan as a jelly state. we are a jelly state basically
  51. Yasir Abbas says Pakistan lacks the institutional capacity to act consistently. We don't have the institutional capacity to act in a way that is consistent
  52. Yasir Abbas says almost two of Pakistan's provinces have active insurgency. almost two of of of our the provinces have active insurgency going on
  53. Yasir Abbas says Pakistan's failure to use its role owes more to its own institutional weaknesses than to outside factors. much of that is less to do with things outside Pakistan, more to do with our own institutional weaknesses
  54. Yasir Abbas says Pakistan needs institutional strengthening to raise its leverage. we need to raise our leverage and that can only happen if we will have some sort of institutional strengthening in the country
  55. Yasir Abbas says Finland, Norway and Switzerland gained from neutrality and mediation. You have the example of Finland, you have the example of Norway, you have the example of Switzerland as well, who have capitalized on their neutrality, who have capitalized on their mediatory roles
  56. Yasir Abbas says Islamabad has balanced its relationships with Washington and Beijing well. Islamabad has done well uh in in maintaining that balance between uh a relationship with Washington and at the same time uh China
  57. Yasir Abbas says Washington does not push Pakistan to choose against China as hard as it pushes other countries. You don't see Americans pushing Pakistan um against taking, you know, or taking a stance against China as much as they do to other countries
  58. Yasir Abbas says China sees Pakistan as a strategic partner. China sees Pakistan as a strategic partner
  59. Yasir Abbas says Gwadar, CPEC and BRI are becoming more important to China. the question of Gwadar, the question of CPEC, the question of BRI uh is now becoming increasingly important for the Chinese
  60. Yasir Abbas says China and Pakistan have a window to speed up their economic ties. this is a great window of opportunity for China and Islamabad to basically fast track their economic linkages
  61. Yasir Abbas does not expect visible pressure from Washington on Islamabad to downgrade its ties. I don't see there will be any sort of uh visible pressure from Washington uh to basically downgrade
  62. Yasir Abbas says the whole fabric of international law has been ruptured beyond repair. the whole fabric of international law has been um ruptured beyond repair
  63. Yasir Abbas says the exploitation of the system is so brazen that it questions the usefulness of the international setup. the abuse or the basic the exploitation of the system has been such brazen, such rampant that it basically questions the effective utility of having this uh setup altogether
  64. Yasir Abbas expects institutional decay to take further root. I see uh the an institutional decay which will take further roots
  65. Yasir Abbas expects a more unilateral pattern in international affairs. there will be a more pattern of unilateralism
  66. Yasir Abbas expects countries to act alone based on their own interests. countries uh going solo conducting uh their international engagements based on their own vested interest
  67. Yasir Abbas expects more countries to seriously consider going nuclear. potentially more countries seriously considering uh to go nuclear
  68. Yasir Abbas expects a rapid rise in countries seeking more powerful weapons. You will also see uh a rapid um uh resurgence uh in countries uh desiring more powerful weapons
  69. Yasir Abbas says the veto power serves the vested interests of powerful nations. the whole idea of uh veto power is used uh for the vested interests of the powerful nations
  70. Yasir Abbas says the SCO and BRICS have not been relevant to the current conflict. we saw SCO, BRICS uh which are, you know, not uh relevant uh in the current conflict as well
  71. Yasir Abbas expects new regional alliances to take shape. There will be new regional alliances uh which I see will take shape
  72. Yasir Abbas expects realignments between countries that share economic, political or ideological ties. there will be realignments between countries who share shared economic and political or ideological, you know, space
  73. Yasir Abbas says the biggest casualty of the crisis will be the erosion of UN legitimacy. the biggest casualty uh of the current crisis will be the further uh you know, erosion of United Nations legitimacy
  74. Yasir Abbas says the UN has failed to live up to its established norms. UN unfortunately has failed uh to basically live up to its established norms and uh conditions
  75. Yasir Abbas says UN resolutions document violations but cannot stop them. We are there to document what's happening, but we are unable to do to stop it.
  76. Yasir Abbas was born and raised in a village called Yasin. I was born and raised in a village called Yasin.
  77. Yasin is about 150 kilometres from Gilgit city. Yeh Gilgit city se taqreeban 150 kilometer door hai.
  78. He did his primary schooling in Yasin, up to eighth grade. Primary schooling meri wahin pe rahi. Till, I think, eighth grade, I was there.
  79. After eighth grade he qualified for a high school in Gilgit city. after eighth grade, I was able to, you know, qualify for this relatively good high school in in Gilgit city.
  80. He completed his matric and FSC in Gilgit. Maine matric, FSC wahin se kiya in Gilgit se.
  81. His father was initially in the army as a non-commissioned officer. My father, he was initially in the army as a non-commissioned officer.
  82. After retiring, his father studied further and joined the judiciary. woh khud unhone retirement ke baad hi pursued education and eventually ended up in the judiciary.
  83. His mother is a housewife. My mom, she's she's a housewife.
  84. As a young man he followed current affairs on Voice of America radio. Main radio bahut frequently sunta tha, us time Voice of America hota tha, usmein bahut se ek current affairs shows hote thay.
  85. He says a lot of sectarian tussle at the time affected education and worldview. Us waqt, you know, there was a lot of sectarian tussle going on, that impacted our education and also our worldview.
  86. He says he was not good at physics, maths or biology, so engineering and medicine did not suit him. For engineering, I was not good at physics, maths, and for medical, I was not good at biology.
  87. He says he was medically unfit because of a terrible knee injury. I was medically unfit because of a, you know, a terrible knee injury.
  88. He came for medical treatment after he fractured his knee. I came here for my medical treatment when when back when I had fractured my knee
  89. He applied only to Bahria University in Islamabad. the only university I applied was Bahria University in Islamabad
  90. He chose to study International Relations. and immediately I decided to study International Relations.
  91. He says his grades were not strong enough for LUMS or NUST. mere grades itne koi stellar nahi thay ki main kisi bade university ke liye main ambition rakhun, LUMS chale jaun ya NUST chale jaun
  92. He says he had terrible grades in his first semesters. that explains why I had terrible grades in the first two, one, two, you know, one, three, you know, semesters.
  93. He read the Times magazine, the Economist and the Financial Times. I read basically everything which was on the Times magazine, which was on the Economist, which was on the Financial Times.
  94. He says he was able to address gaps in his ability to write and to speak. I was able to address the communication margins that I had, my ability to write, my ability to speak.
  95. He became president of his university's debating society. I also ended up becoming the president of the debating society of my university
  96. He graduated in 2014. So, I graduated in 2014.
  97. He spent one year with the Youth Parliament. Toh mera ek saal maine youth parliament ke saath guzara.
  98. He was a recipient of a fellowship program and travelled to the United States. to go to the United States as the as a recipient of this fellowship called the Emerging Leaders of Pakistan fellowship program.
  99. He says he did many conflict transformation activities for youth. I used to do a lot of, you know, conflict transformation activities for youth
  100. He says he worked to empower youth and against sectarian violence. we used to work to empower youth over there, we used to work against, you know, sectarian violence over there
  101. He worked as an assistant projects officer. So I was their assistant projects officer.
  102. In 2015 he joined the Ministry of Planning as a Young Development Fellow. So 2015 I joined the Ministry of Planning where I was working as YDF, Young Development Fellow
  103. At the Ministry of Planning he was placed in the peace and development unit. where I was placed in the peace and development unit.
  104. He rates the Ministry of Planning posting as a good experience because it showed him how government works. I would rate it as a good experience because one I was able to figure out that you know how government functions.
  105. He says that at one point the thought came to him that he should become part of the government. mujhe beech mein khayal aa gaya ki main government ka main hissa ban jata hoon
  106. He thought about the CSS in about 2017. So I thought about CSS as well in 2017 ghaliban.
  107. He failed the English essay paper. I failed the English essay paper and yeah, so I never looked back after that.
  108. He enrolled in an LLB program while continuing to work for the government. I continued my work with the government and then meanwhile while I was pursuing my journey for the CSS, I also enrolled myself in an LLB program.
  109. He received his LLB from the University of Peshawar through an affiliate college in Gilgit. So I had that from the University of Peshawar through an affiliate college based in Gilgit.
  110. He studied law because his International Relations degree sparked an interest in international law. the reason I studied law was because back in back in my bachelor's program jab main IR padh raha tha toh mujhe ek natural curiosity aati thi international law ke hawaley se.
  111. He applied for the Chevening scholarship, was shortlisted and was interviewed. I came across Chevening, I filed my application, I was shortlisted, interview happened.
  112. He was selected for the Chevening scholarship. I was fortunate enough to get the scholarship, you know, eventually I was selected
  113. He pursued an LLM in International Human Rights Law at the University of Sussex. then I went to the went to, you know, the UK at the University of Sussex. I pursued my LLM in International Human Rights Law.
  114. He chose the LLM to combine international relations with international law. So I wanted to have this blend of international relations and international law to understand things better.
  115. He advised the then human rights rapporteur to Iran. I was advising the, you know, the the the then basically human rights rapporteur to Iran.
  116. He worked with sitting rapporteurs of the United Nations, as a requirement of a law clinic module. I was fortunate enough to work with, you know, sitting rapporteurs of the United Nations which was a requirement under the law clinic module that we had.
  117. He worked with the NHS as a legal consultant. right after I worked with NHS as their legal consultant
  118. He led the entire research in the Black Country region. So I was leading the, you know, entire research in the black country region
  119. He did extensive research on migrant youth experiences in collaboration with the University of Toronto, a university in Australia and Coventry University. I got an opportunity to do an extensive research for the migrant youth experiences in collaboration with University of Toronto, University of Deakin in Australia and Coventry University in the in the UK.
  120. He returned to Pakistan in January 2020. I came back in January 2020.
  121. After returning he worked with the Research Society of International Law in Islamabad. started working with with with a research institute in Islamabad which is called the Research Society of International Law
  122. He taught at a university in Islamabad. meanwhile I was teaching in National Defense University in Islamabad.
  123. He has had political ambitions for a long time. I all you know always had these political ambitions.
  124. He says he is taking an opportunity to prepare himself for a political contribution to the region eventually. So I'm taking this opportunity to prepare myself, you know, for for good, you know, political, what you can say contribution for the region eventually down the road.
  125. He says that in 2009, with the Gilgit-Baltistan Empowerment Package, there was for the first time a Chief Minister and a Governor. fast forward in 2009 we had the Gilgit-Baltistan Empowerment Package. For the first time we had our Chief Minister, for the first time we had a Governor.
  126. He says that making Gilgit-Baltistan part of a proper federation does not weaken it. GB ka status aap ek proper federation ka isko hissa banate hain toh isse weaken nahi hota.
  127. He says Gilgit-Baltistan has a very small population and a territory almost equal to that of KPK. GB ki population bahut kam hai, territory is almost equal to KPK.
  128. He refers to an eco-friendly, locally driven tourism industry in Gilgit-Baltistan. To Gilgit-Baltistan mein ek eco-friendly, environmental friendly, ek local driven ek tourism industry.
  129. He says the idea of the right to self-determination has evolved a great deal in the 21st century. 21st century mein the right to self-determination ka jo concept hai, yeh bahut evolve hua hai.
  130. He says a fundamental reason for the backwardness of Gilgit-Baltistan has been that people lacked access to it. Gilgit-Baltistan ka jo major backward rehne ka jo ek fundamental reason yahi raha hai shuru se hi ki logon ko access nahi tha wahan ka.
  131. He says the youth of Gilgit-Baltistan have the ability to convert the region into a Silicon Valley of Pakistan. I think that the youth of GB has the ability to convert the region into a Silicon Valley of Pakistan.
  132. He says Gilgit-Baltistan has the potential to convert itself into a food basket for the rest of the country. GB has the potential to, you know, convert itself into a food basket, you know, for the rest of the country
  133. He says the first medical university of Gilgit-Baltistan is being built. Medical university GB ka first, uh, woh wahan pe ban raha hai.
  134. He says the system operating in the country is the same as it was 100 years back. But the system, you know, operating, uh, in this country is the same as, you know, 100 years back.
  135. He says the problem is that there is fire-fighting and no prevention. hamara problem yeh hota hai fire fighting hoti hai, hamara prevention nahi hota.
  136. He says power shortages and outages are the biggest problem in Gilgit-Baltistan. the biggest problem right now in Gilgit-Baltistan mein power ka hi hai. Power outage hai.
  137. He says the Bunji dam and the Basha Diamer dam are being built. hamare paas Bunji dam abhi ban raha hai, hamare paas, uh, Basha Diamer dam ban raha hai
  138. He says CPEC is not a panacea for all the problems in the country. I don't think that it's not a panacea, you know, to all your problems, uh, in the country.
  139. He says it is extremely vital that the beneficiaries should be from Gilgit-Baltistan to start with. it's extremely vital that the beneficiaries, uh, should be, uh, you know, from the Gilgit-Baltistan to start with.
  140. He says he hopes the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor will bring a massive industry. hum chaah rahe hain ki China-Pakistan Economic Corridor se ek massive industry wahan pe lagti hai.
  141. He says food, clothing and internet are basic human rights today. I generally say that, uh, roti, kapda and internet. These are your, you know, basic, uh, human rights now.
  142. He says the Information Ministry, in collaboration with another organisation, was tasked with ensuring that communication channels stayed in place. they tasked, uh, you know, the the Information Ministry in collaboration with SCO to basically ensure that communication ke channels wahan pe rahe.
  143. He says a 4G auction opened the way for more companies to operate in Gilgit-Baltistan. the 4G auction humne ki and now the window is open for all the companies to basically come and operate, uh, in Gilgit-Baltistan.
  144. He says it was the priority of the Chief Minister that more options were needed in GB. Chief Minister sahab ki yahi priority thi ki we need more options in GB.