By Roy Lie Atjam
The Embassy of Pakistan in The Hague organised a talk by Ambassador Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, former Foreign Secretary and Pakistan’s former Ambassador to the Netherlands on his book “Diplomatic Footprint” (memoir). The book reading was on 5 May 2023, “Bevrijdingsdag”, liberation day in the Netherlands.
Diplomatic Footprint is a memoir offering commentary and first-hand accounts of topics from the perspective of an experienced diplomat. The 654 pages book in the English language was first published in 2021.
Hardcover, ISBN-10 : 9693533682, ISBN-13 : 978-9693533682.
Diplomacy according to Mr Aiza A. Chaudhry, is a profession which requires diligence, finesse and tact. Chaudhry offers a unique points to understand Pakistan’s foreign policy choices.
Mr Aiza A. Chaudhry’s memoir describes meetings with world leaders like Biden, Obama, Ghani, Karzai, Xi, Putin, Modi, and other high officials, explaining from the perspective of a practitioner some of the difficult choices faced by the country’s leadership and its diplomats.
Mr Chaudhry has also written a book “Pakistan Mirrored to Dutch Eyes”, recounting an experiment in public diplomacy.
The event was organised to highlight the significant relationship between Pakistan and the Netherlands in connection with 75 years of bilateral relations, celebrations in Islamabad and the Hague. Among the attendees were members of the Dutch parliament, representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, academia, journalists and members of the Pakistani community.
Ambassador Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry talking about his book Diplomatic Footprint, underlined the importance of bilateral relations between Pakistan and the Netherlands and Pakistan’s overall foreign policy. Ambassador Chaudhry appreciated efforts by the Pakistan Embassy in further strengthening bilateral relations in areas of mutual benefit.
It was an enormous pleasure listing to the emeritus Ambassador Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry.
Ambassador Suljuk Mustansar Tarar briefed the participants about enhanced bilateral cooperation including in the fields of trade and investment, water and agriculture between Pakistan and the Netherlands over the last 75 years.
