Karachi, January 21, 2026 — The Institute of Business Management (IoBM) hosted the book launch of “The Third Dimension: Policy Prism – Insights into Global, Regional and National Challenges”, authored by Ambassador Ghulam Rasool Baluch, former senior diplomat, academic, and public intellectual.
The event was attended by a distinguished gathering of academicians, intellectuals, former ambassadors, senior government officials, policy practitioners, and students. A panel of eminent scholars and diplomats presented objective and scholarly reviews of the book, followed by concluding remarks from the leadership of IoBM.
In his address, Ambassador Baluch reflected on the intellectual journey behind the book, describing it as emerging from “the romance with writing and the agony of awareness.” He noted that writing often begins with curiosity and reflection, but deeper engagement with global conflicts and structural injustices inevitably leads to emotional and moral reckoning.
“Awareness has a cost,” Ambassador Baluch remarked. “The more one understands injustice, the harder silence becomes. Yet writing remains an act of resistance against despair. This book does not claim to offer easy answers; it seeks to add a third dimension—beyond rhetoric and raw power—by insisting on context, ethics, history, and the human consequences of policy choices.”
He emphasized that the book is intended not as a conclusion but as an invitation—to question dominant narratives, resist intellectual complacency, and foreground the human cost of global, regional, and national policy decisions.
Dr. Masuma Hasan, Chairperson of the Pakistan Institute of International Affairs, in her scholarly review, observed that despite addressing a wide range of pressing issues—ranging from the Gaza crisis and Kashmir to great-power rivalry, shifting global order, South Asian regional dynamics, and national social challenges—the book is unified by a strong civilizational and humanistic thread. She highlighted the author’s emphasis on empathy, shared human destiny, and ethical responsibility, noting that his articulation of the “romance with writing and the agony of awareness” lends the work philosophical depth.
Ambassador Alam Brohi noted that the essays selected for the book address issues under persistent global debate and analytical scrutiny and are too important to be ignored by scholars and policymakers in Pakistan. He remarked that Ambassador Baluch writes with a strong sense of global citizenship, humanism, and commitment to the rule of law in interstate relations.
Professor Dr. Moonis Ahmar referred to the book’s articulation of a shifting global order, moving away from a rules-based framework toward increasing unilateralism, noting the clarity and relevance of the author’s analysis.
In his concluding remarks, Mr. Talib S. Karim, President of IoBM, congratulated Ambassador Baluch on the publication of his second book and reaffirmed the vision of IoBM’s founder, the late Mr. Shahjehan S. Karim, to establish the university as a center of excellence in Pakistan.”The Third Dimension: Policy Prism – Insights into Global, Regional and National Challenges” adds a reflective and human-centered lens to contemporary policy discourse and is expected to resonate with students, scholars, policymakers, and thoughtful readers alike.
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