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About

The Pakistan Playbook

The Pakistan Playbook is an independent, media-led intelligence platform covering Pakistan, South Asian geopolitics, regional security, and strategic communications. It does not simply report what happened — it interprets what it means for the people making decisions.

It is built for a narrow, high-value audience: policymakers, diplomats, defence and intelligence analysts, investors, journalists, and researchers — in the Islamabad policy corridor and across the international community in London, Washington, Brussels, and the Gulf. The register is analytical, neutral, and fact-based — closer to Reuters than to opinion-led media. Where genuine insight is not available, we do not fill the space.

Our two core products

The Playbook — a weekly long-form video podcast built around a single clear question, recorded in Islamabad. One guest or a tightly structured roundtable, chosen for substance rather than visibility. No panel chaos, no performative debate — the host interrogates the thesis.

The Playbook Brief — a subscription intelligence newsletter on Pakistan's geopolitical, defence, and policy landscape. Each edition is built around four consistent sections: Top Line, Behind the Scenes, The Signal, and Watchlist.

Both products are launching soon. The Playbook Brief is a paid subscription product — but early sign-ups may receive a complimentary subscription. Register your interest in the newsletter → or follow the podcast →.

Editorial Independence

The Pakistan Playbook is the editorial publication of Captiv8 Strategies (UK) Ltd, a London-registered strategic research and communications firm. The publication is self-funded. Editorial direction, analytical conclusions, source selection, and research priorities are determined independently of any government, institutional client, or commercial sponsor. It operates free from ethnic, religious, sectarian, or ideological leanings, and carries no advertising beyond the promotion of its own products.

The Editor

Dan Qayyum is a writer, media strategist, and long-standing advisor to government institutions and media organisations across the region. His work explores the intersections of geopolitics, military doctrine, and regional transformation. His upcoming book, The Other Side of Endurance, examines his own journey through crisis, resilience, and reinvention.