Raza ur Rehman Asad

Married | Lawyer | Researcher | Human Rights fellow | Consultant at National Commission for Human Rights

[Wajahat Kazmi @KazmiWajahat]

The brutal attack in Quetta has shattered innocent families, leaving mothers grieving and children's dreams buried forever. What was their fault? Just being in their homes? If killing children and ruining families is what these terrorists call freedom, it is nothing but pure cowardice and a war against humanity.

[Raza ur Rehman Asad @razarasad]

Any plans for Islamabad?

[Habibullah Khan @Huk06]

Ran into the Grade A Twitter trouble maker @DanQayyum in Lahore who started the whole Lahore Karachi food fight 2026 edition. Gaijin was full so we went to Kai. After having tuna pizza, dragon rolls and other sushi, we went to Riaz Faluda to have their pakka doodh ka falooda. Let me tell you right now he’s very satisfied with Lahore’s food.

[Azam Jamil اعظم @AzamJamil53]

To the skeptics who said no foreign investment is coming to Pakistan. 🇵🇰

[South Asia Index @SouthAsiaIndex]

Just IN:— Next round of US-Iran talks and a possible deal is expected by the end of this week in Islamabad.

▫️During Islamabad talks, US offered Iran to accept a 20 years moratorium on the uranium enrichment

▪️This was “final, best offer” that the Vice President JD Vance talked about in his press conference in Islamabad.

▪️ Iranian side was unsure whether to accept this offer or not and wanted to consult with the leadership in Iran.

▫️ Iran is now leaning to accept this 20 years moratorium on the Uranium enrichment in exchange for lifting of sanctions and more concessions.

[The Cradle @TheCradleMedia]

Pakistan opens new Iran transit corridor to Central Asia with first beef shipment to Uzbekistan
——
Pakistan has launched a new overland trade route linking South Asia to Central Asia, sending its first consignment of frozen beef from Karachi to Uzbekistan via Iran under a sealed transport system designed for temperature-sensitive exports.

According to officials, the shipment travelled through the Karachi before crossing into Iran via the Taftan–Mirjaveh border crossing and the Gabd–Rimdan border crossing, continuing onward toward Uzbekistan. The cargo was transported in sealed TIR trucks, part of an international transit system aimed at reducing delays and costs for perishable goods.

Authorities in Pakistan described the move as a breakthrough for regional connectivity, building on prior transit agreements with Iran and expanding access to Central Asian markets through shorter and more efficient land routes.

[Habibullah Khan @Huk06]

When Iran was spied on by Israel that led to precise air strikes they arrested Indians who worked for Mossad.

When Qatar broke an espionage ring that spied for Israel, it was Indians.

UAE has multiple convictions of Indians spying for RAW. 2011, 2016, 2017, 2021 that were know of.

There’s no conviction of any Pakistani spying in similar situations in the Gulf. The exact reason to have Pakistani workers is their loyalty and lack of betrayal. The fact that 40% of UAE resident population is Indian means this is UAE’s single biggest domestic national security threat.

[Tahir Imran Mian ✈ @TahirImran]

What a photo
Haven’t seen this in ages.
US airforce vip jet & behind two Iranian official vip jets.

[Wajih Sani @wajih_sani]

The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu, citing reasonable grounds to believe he is responsible for war crimes. and crimes against humanity.
So this is big, coming from an internationally wanted war criminal.
https://t.co/KQU7dD6BOB

[Pehn Di Siri @PehnDiSiri]

Modi's role in recent matters

[Jasir Shahbaz @LahoreMarquez]

Allah Pakistan ko hamesha shaad aur abaad rakhay

[Shayan Baig @BaigShayan1234]

Every Pakistani citizen should be proud of being a Pakistani today!! Here’s why??

1. When entire region including those considered heavenly safe had sleepless nights, Pakistan was enjoying a peaceful sleep.

2. When No Tanker was allowed to Pass Strait of Hormuz, Pakistan made it to its Port smoothly.

3. Pakistan bent Afghanistan/Afghan Taliban on its knees and repeatedly asked for Ceasefire which Pakistan accepted in good faith.

4. Pakistan exhibited excellent diplomacy by keeping its relations balanced with US, IRAN, CHINA, RUSSIA, GCC at the same time.

5. Now, on the back door, as reporter by Axios, Pakistan alongside Turkey and Egypt is Playing an active role in de-escalation of War.

Amazing times to be alive.

Pakistan Zindabad ❤️❤️

[Apolitical @Apolitical3678]

The ayatollah is the spiritual leader of Iran.

Jeffrey Epstein is the spiritual leader of America

[Peter Girnus 🦅 @gothburz]

I am a diplomatic aide in the Sultanate of Oman's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

My job is logistics. When two countries that cannot speak to each other need to speak to each other, I book the rooms. I prepare the briefing materials. I make sure the water glasses are the right distance apart. You would be surprised how much of diplomacy is water glasses. Too close and it feels informal. Too far and it feels like a tribunal. I have a chart.

We had a very good month.

Since January, Oman has been mediating indirect talks between the United States and Iran on Iran's nuclear program. The talks were held in Muscat and in Geneva. The Americans would sit in one room. The Iranians would sit in another room. I would walk between them. My Fitbit says I averaged fourteen thousand steps on negotiation days. The hallway between the two rooms at the Royal Opera House conference center is forty-seven meters. I walked it two hundred and twelve times in February. This is good for my cardiovascular health. It was less good for my knees. Both are in the service of peace.

By mid-February, we had something.

Iran agreed to zero stockpiling of enriched uranium. Not reduced stockpiling. Zero. They agreed to down-blend existing stockpiles to the lowest possible level. They agreed to convert them into irreversible fuel. They agreed to full IAEA verification with potential US inspector access. They agreed, in the Foreign Minister's phrase, to "never, ever" possess nuclear material for a bomb. I have worked in diplomacy for seven years. I have never seen a country agree to this many things this quickly. I made a spreadsheet of the concessions. It had fourteen rows. I color-coded it. Green for confirmed. Yellow for pending. By February 21 the spreadsheet was entirely green. I printed it. It is on my desk in Muscat. It is still green.

That phrase took eleven days. "Never, ever." The Iranians initially offered "not seek to." The Americans wanted "will not under any circumstances." We landed on "never, ever" at 2:14 AM on a Tuesday in Muscat. I typed the final version myself. I used Times New Roman because Geneva prefers it. The document was fourteen pages. I was proud of every comma.

Here is what they said, in the order they said it.

February 24: "We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity." — The Foreign Minister, private briefing to Gulf Cooperation Council ambassadors. I prepared the slide deck. Slide 14 was the implementation timeline. Slide 15 was the signing ceremony logistics. I had reserved the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Room XX. It seats four hundred. We discussed pen brands for the signing. The Iranians preferred Montblanc. The Americans had no preference. I ordered twelve Montblanc Meisterstucks at six hundred and thirty dollars each. They arrive on Tuesday.

February 27, 8:30 AM EST: "The deal is within our reach." — The Foreign Minister, CBS Face the Nation. He sat across from Margaret Brennan. He said broad political terms could be agreed "tomorrow" with ninety days for technical implementation in Vienna. He said, and I wrote this line for the briefing card he carried in his breast pocket: "If we just allow diplomacy the space it needs." He praised the American envoys by name. Steve Witkoff. Jared Kushner. He said both had been constructive.

I watched from the Four Seasons Georgetown. The minibar had cashews. I ate the cashews. They were nineteen dollars. The most expensive cashew I have ever eaten. But it was a good morning and we were within our reach.

February 27, 2:00 PM EST: Meeting with Vice President Vance, Washington. The Foreign Minister presented our progress. Zero stockpiling. Full verification. Irreversible conversion. "Never, ever." The Vice President used the word "encouraging." His aide took notes on an iPad. The aide did not make eye contact for the last nine minutes of the meeting. I noticed this. Noticing things is the only part of my job that is not water glasses.

February 27, 4:00 PM EST: "Not happy with the pace." — President Trump, to reporters.

Not happy with the pace.

We had achieved zero stockpiling. Full IAEA verification. Irreversible fuel conversion. Inspector access. And the phrase "never, ever," which took eleven days and cost me two hundred and twelve trips down a forty-seven-meter hallway.

Every American president since Carter has failed to get Iran to agree to this. Forty-five years.

Not happy with the pace.

February 27, 9:47 PM EST: The Foreign Minister's flight departs Dulles for Muscat. I am in the seat behind him. He is reviewing Slide 14 on his laptop. The implementation timeline. Vienna technical sessions. The signing ceremony. The pens.

I fall asleep over the Atlantic. I dream about water glasses.

February 28, 6:00 AM GST: I wake up to push notifications.

February 28: "The United States has begun major combat operations in Iran." — President Trump.

Operation Epic Fury. Coordinated airstrikes. The United States and Israel. Tehran. Isfahan. Qom. Karaj. Kermanshah. Nuclear facilities. IRGC bases. Sites near the Supreme Leader's office. Israel called their half Operation Roaring Lion. Someone in both governments spent time choosing these names. Epic Fury. Roaring Lion. I spent eleven days on "never, ever." They spent it on branding. The President said Iran had "rejected American calls to halt its nuclear weapons production."

Rejected.

Iran had agreed to zero stockpiling. Iran had agreed to full verification. Iran had agreed to "never, ever." Iran had agreed to everything in a fourteen-page document that I typed in Times New Roman.

The President said they rejected it.

I do not know which document the President was reading. I know which one I typed.

February 28, 18:45 UTC: Iran internet connectivity: four percent. — NetBlocks, confirmed by Cloudflare. Ninety-six percent of a country went dark. You cannot negotiate with a country at four percent connectivity. You cannot negotiate with a country that is being struck. You cannot negotiate. This is not a political opinion. This is a logistics assessment.

February 28: The governor of Minab reported forty girls killed at an elementary school.

I do not have logistics for that. There is no slide for that. The water glass chart does not cover that.

February 28: Lockheed Martin: up. Northrop Grumman: up. RTX: up. Dow futures: down six hundred and twenty-two points. Gold: five thousand two hundred and ninety-six dollars. An analyst at AInvest published a note titled "Iran Strikes: Tactical Plays." The note recommended positions in oil, defense stocks, and gold.

The most expensive cashew I have ever eaten was nineteen dollars. The most expensive pen I have ever ordered was six hundred and thirty dollars. The math suggests I have been working in the wrong industry. Defense stocks do not require water glasses. Defense stocks do not require eleven days. Defense stocks require one morning.

February 28: Israel closed its airspace and its schools. Iran launched retaliatory missiles toward US bases in the Gulf. The Supreme Leader promised a "crushing response." Israel's defense minister declared a permanent state of emergency. Everyone is using words I recognize in an order I do not. I recognize "permanent." I recognize "emergency." I do not recognize them next to each other. In diplomacy, nothing is permanent and everything is an emergency. In war it is the reverse.

February 28: The Foreign Minister has not made a public statement.

The briefing card is still in his breast pocket. It still says "within our reach."

[Raza ur Rehman Asad @razarasad]

@SalAhmedPK Congratulations

[Fasi Zaka @fasi_zaka]

Of all the videos this 14th August, this is my favourite. Its so lovingly made, nothing grandoise - just captures the everyday flippantly of our eccentrics and their jugaars.

This is from asimkhan4897's account on Insta.

[Raza ur Rehman Asad @razarasad]

Baat kukri tak puhanch gaye hai! @shahrukhmalic

[Madhur @ThePlacardGuy]

It’s all fun and games until the Gorkha regiment shows up with their Khukuri.

[Raza ur Rehman Asad @razarasad]

Thora utay ker fir sahi jaasi!

[iffi @iffiViews]

taxpayers are closely monitoring whether their taxes are being used effectively or not

[Raza ur Rehman Asad @razarasad]

Yeh bandar numa kuttay kider gaya? @shahrukhmalic

[Rishi Bagree @rishibagree]

Noor Khan Airbase, Rawalpindi 💥

[Faizan. @thoraoffbeat]

jo jo loan maaf karega sirf usko batayen ge