Arsla Jawaid

Associate Director

  • Middle East and North Africa
  • Political and Country Risk
  • Security Risk Management
  • Organisational Resilience


Arsla leads Control Risks’ analysis of political, operational and security risks in the Afghanistan and Pakistan and across the MENA region. She supports clients in navigating numerous political and security risks, identifying opportunities and challenges for investors and operators through bespoke risk consulting across sectors as well as contributions to our subscription services. Arsla works closely with Control Risks’ security consultants across the region to deliver market entry assessments and analysis of political developments, as well as security risk management and market exit risks. 

Recent tasks that Arsla has worked on include:

  • A market exit landscape risk assessment and stakeholder mapping and management strategy for an international oil and gas company considering divestment from Pakistan. 
  • Served as an expert witness for an insurance company underwriting political and security risks for a global fuel provider in Afghanistan prior to the 2021 Taliban takeover. 
  • A political and security advisory, stakeholder mapping and risk mitigation strategy for a global mining company involved in a strategic mining project in Pakistan. 
  • An integrity and security threat assessment for a global telecommunication firm concluding operations in Afghanistan under a Taliban government and evacuation management strategy for its local employees. 
  • A sovereign and market entry risk assessment, focusing on political, regulatory and compliance risks, and sector benchmarking for a global pharmaceutical company considering operations in Pakistan. 
  • Arsla has 11 years of experience supporting private, public and multilateral organisations on security policy analysis, risk mitigation and strategic advisory. Before joining Control Risks, Arsla served as a senior political officer for the British High Commission in Islamabad, where she led counter-extremism and counterterrorism policy and research. She has worked with the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate on violent extremism and security issues, particularly in Iraq and Syria. Arsla worked with the US Institute of Peace, the Council on Foreign Relations and the International Peace Institute, providing political and security analysis on Afghanistan and Pakistan. Her analysis and research have appeared in Foreign Policy, The Guardian, Al Jazeera and the Journal of Peacebuilding and Development.  

    She regularly appears on BBC World, CNBC, Sky News and Bloomberg to comment on political and security developments in Afghanistan and Pakistan.  

    Arsla graduated with a master’s degree in international affairs with a focus on international security from Columbia University (US) and a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Boston University (US).  

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