About

A vantage point, not just a beat.

Margalla Global is an independent geopolitical research and advisory firm. We analyse the forces reshaping the global order — great-power competition, the world economy, the Middle East, climate — and read them from where we stand: Pakistan. The world looks different from Islamabad than it does from Washington or London, and that perspective is the point.

We take the region named in our masthead literally. The Margalla Hills overlook Islamabad and the institutions that run the country. We report from that vantage point: close enough to understand how decisions are actually made here, and how global shifts land on a state that sits at the meeting point of China, the Gulf, South Asia, and the Indian Ocean. Pakistan is our anchor; the world is our subject. Our published analysis and our private advisory work draw on the same sources and the same discipline — primary reporting, regional networks, and a refusal to mistake activity for insight.

Our strength is a team of specialists. Each analyst owns a domain — the global economy, China and technology, regional security, climate, the Gulf — so that coverage runs deep, not just wide. The people who write the analysis are the people you work with.

The team

Leadership

Saad Rahman

Founder & Principal

Macroeconomy · Global economy

Saad founded Margalla Global after a decade analysing emerging-market sovereigns and frontier economies for institutional investors. He writes on the global economy, multipolarity, and Pakistan’s external position, and leads the firm’s investor-facing advisory work.

Hina Qureshi

Director of Research

Security · Foreign policy

Hina is a security and foreign-policy analyst who has reported and researched across South Asia. She directs the firm’s research agenda and commissioned work, and leads coverage of regional security and Pakistan’s place in a contested order.

Analysts & Contributors

Dr. Imran Shah

Senior Fellow, China & Technology

China · CPEC · Great-power competition

Imran researches China’s global rise, the technology contest, and the China–Pakistan relationship. He holds a doctorate in international relations and has held visiting positions at regional policy institutes.

Ayesha Malik

Senior Analyst, Economy & Markets

Markets · Trade · IMF

Ayesha covers Pakistan’s financial markets, the IMF relationship, and the global trade environment. She previously worked in equity research and macroeconomic strategy.

Bilal Aziz

Analyst, Security & South Asia

Border security · India · Deterrence

Bilal tracks the western border, India–Pakistan dynamics, and the regional security architecture. His work focuses on the gap between official posture and operational reality.

Fatima Khan

Analyst, Climate & Energy

Climate · Energy · Water

Fatima examines Pakistan’s energy transition, water security, and climate exposure, and the international finance and politics that shape them.

Usman Tariq

Analyst, Middle East & Gulf

Gulf · Middle East · Labour & remittances

Usman covers the Gulf states, the Middle East realignment, and the labour and capital flows that bind the region to Pakistan.

Zara Ahmed

Managing Editor

Editorial · Research operations

Zara edits the firm’s published analysis and manages the research desk, ensuring every piece meets the standard of clarity and sourcing the firm is built on.

Our analysts are supported by a wider network of regional contributors and subject-matter advisors we draw on for commissioned work.

How we work

  • Independent. We take no position we would not put our name to. Advisory clients never shape our published view.
  • Primary-sourced. We build from documents, data, and direct conversations — not from the last headline.
  • Plain. We write to inform a decision, not to impress. If we are uncertain, we say so.

Questions about our work or methods? contact@margallaglobal.org