Board of Directors

Barrister Salman Afridi is a seasoned legal professional with over two decades of experience in litigation, corporate law, and public policy, both in Pakistan and the United Kingdom. A Barrister-at-Law of Lincoln’s Inn and a partner at a prominent Pakistani law firm, he advises clients ranging from public institutions and multinational corporations to diplomatic missions and NGOs.

As  Secretary General of Alliance Française d’Islamabad, Salman contributes his strategic and legal expertise to support the organisation’s governance, growth, and cultural outreach. His international legal background, coupled with a passion for the arts and cross-cultural dialogue, aligns with the Alliance’s mission to build bridges between French and Pakistani communities.

Salman is committed to strengthening the Alliance’s role as a dynamic cultural institution and centre for French language learning in Islamabad.

Izza Farrakh is a Senior Education Specialist with the World Bank. She has over twenty years of experience working with consulting firms, I-NGOs and multilateral institutions on education reform. She has led several large education programs, including the FCDO-funded Punjab and Khyber Education Sector Programmes in Pakistan. Before joining the Bank, Izza worked with the UK-based consulting firm, Adam Smith International, where she most recently served as their Head of Pakistan. Izza has an undergraduate degree in Economics and English from the University of Virginia and a graduate degree in Public Policy and Management from SOAS, University of London.

Arshad Waheed is an expert in social policy and planning, gender justice, and human rights, with over 25 years of experience. He has led major development and humanitarian initiatives in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, working as a consultant with multi-lateral and bi-lateral development organisations such as the World Bank, ADB, UNDP, UNICEF, , DFID, GIZ, and Oxfam.
A graduate of the London School of Economics in Social Policy and Planning in Developing Countries, he has also held fellowships in governance and human rights at the University of Birmingham, UK and Uppsala University, Sweden. He currently serves as Director of the Institute of Social Policy in Islamabad, where he leads research and policy work focused on inclusion, disaster risk reduction, and public health and education access for marginalised communities.
Arshad Waheed is a novelist and translator as well. As a bilingual writer, Mr. Waheed has published two novels—Gumaan (1995) and Other Days (2021), the latter winning the Patras Bukhari Award for Best English Novel from the Pakistan Academy of Letters. His acclaimed translations include Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez and Immortality and The Art of the Novel by Milan Kundera. He is guest editor of Pakistani Literature, the English journal of the Pakistan Academy of Letters, and hosts a weekly literary and cultural programme Art with World on PTV World.