For nearly 35 years, I was a member of the Pakistan Administrative Service, the premier and top branch of Pakistani civil services. In August 2018, I retired from the most prestigious assignments in the Government of Pakistan: Secretary of the Cabinet Division. Previously, I headed the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination and for almost two years was the longest serving Secretary of the Ministry of Climate Change. I am a committed environmentalist. I hold several master’s degrees including those in public administration from University of Hawai’i and another in defence and strategic studies from the National Defence University, Islamabad. In 2019, I was awarded one of the highest civil awards for public service by the President of Pakistan the Sitara-i-Imtiaz.

I have been traveling since childhood. I first reached the US at the age of eight - and I have the passport / visa to prove it. I did all the six continents (except Antartica, of course) in eight months of 2016. In August 2023 I did an overland trip to Europe, mostly using public transport.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

As soon as is possible after the Covid, I would like to travel as much as possible, now that I am retired and free of my obligations

Interests

• travel
• meet people
• write

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: these are so numerous I cannot remember so many but I really recall One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Around the world in 80 Days; Avatar, Shawshank Redemption, etc.
Books: The Ascent of Man

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Visited all six continents in just one year - 2016 (March: Peru; June: China and USA; July Rwanda, Austria, November: Australia, Morocco)

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach English, my native language Urdu
I'd like to learn Arabic
I can share insights into a life lived well

What I Can Share with Hosts

My versatile knowledge of Pakistan, Islam, the countries I have visited, climate change, public administration, international relations. Tips on writing, photography, etc.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Egypt, France, Germany, Hungary, Indonesia, Italy, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Peru, Qatar, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uzbekistan, Yemen

Countries I’ve Lived In

Japan, Saudi Arabia, United States