Ambassador of Pakistan
Learning the Job of an Ambassador

We arrived at the PBS building, excited for an evening of interesting conversation, strong questions and difficult topics, we didn't know how fulfilled we would actually be. Ambassador Masood Khan started the talk with some opening remarks addressing the efforts Pakistan has put into democratizing itself and striving for political stability and economic reliability. During the moderator question time, he was asked a lot about Pakistan-America, India-America and Pakistan-China relations and the implications they all have on each other. He managed to, nearly within every answer, mention the investment opportunities that Pakistan holds for American investors. This got me thinking: what does the job of an Ambassador really entail? My initial thoughts are that the Ambassadors to countries are meant to represent their own and present their nation in a good light. This is especially true for a smaller country, like Pakistan, that needs the funding from well endowed personal investors. I typically thought of Ambassadors as being less political than politicians, in this sense, however, it seems my previous way of thinking has been proven incorrect.

After the moderator was able to ask relatively broad, surface level questions that gave Ambassador Khan the opportunities he needed to market his country, he was prompted with questions by the audience. Many of the questions that were asked sparked a sort of tenseness throughout the room. The first woman who asked the Ambassador a question did not feel comfortable even sharing her name. Ambassador Khan responded with surprise and a slightly confused tone, unaware of why she might feel uncomfortable sharing her identity which speaks to his unawareness about what is being reported and shared about his country. It, at points, got quite hostile, the moderator even siding with the audience when she shared that she did not have a good experience when visiting Pakistan. This part of the night made me realize that, in contrast with my initial discovery, an Ambassadors job should not take president over the truth and honesty about the current situations and conditions of the given country. Sugar coating and denying or making excuses do not begin to fix any problems that may exist. At one point, he was blaming misinformation on social media for the information that was being presented to him from the reporters. This seems, to me, as a not responsible way of approaching problems that Pakistan has. As an Ambassador, it's your job to accurately report and share your country to the world, making people aware of everything that goes on, whether it is good or bad. Truth matters.