This book narrates two stories running in parallel – the first being the experiences of the author who has spent more than 40 years of his life in diplomacy. This dovetails the story of Pakistan itself, and its journey towards finding a place in the comity of nations. As someone directly engaged with Pakistan’s most monumental foreign policy challenges of the late 20th and early 21st century, the author offers a unique vantage point to understand Pakistan’s foreign policy choices.

As Director General South Asia, the author was intricately involved with the Pakistan-India peace process, and he was serving in New York when the events of 9/11 transpired. Through describing his time as the Spokesperson and in various other prominent positions in the Ministry, he provides insight into how Pakistan faced some of its most pivotal foreign policy challenges, including the nuclearization of South Asia, the Kargil fallout, the crisis in Yemen, and others. The author also served as the country’s Foreign Secretary and Ambassador to the US during a particularly testing time, when Pakistan was presented with daunting trials in managing its relations with the US, Afghanistan and India. This memoir describes meetings with world leaders like Biden, Obama, Ghani, Karzai, Xi, Putin, Modi, and other high officials, and explains from the perspective of a practitioner some of the difficult choices faced by the country’s leadership and its diplomats.

Through sharing his experiences, the author offers an insider view towards the making of foreign policy and its execution, making it a fascinating account for anyone interested in diplomacy or foreign affairs.