Keep in touch www.lancaster.ac.uk/alumni Aziz was involved in ensuring his stay was comfortable, and through their regular conversations, the two men discovered their shared link to Lancaster as former students in the Department of Politics and International Relations, albeit 30 years apart. Dr Mills said of their meeting, “There was an immediate degree of trust established because of our common experience at Lancaster University. We were a South African and a young Afghan with nothing to bind us but that. We had an immediate connection and I knew I would keep an eye out for him in future.” The two men connected and remained in touch. Aziz was involved in the arrangements for Dr Mills’ second trip to Kabul in July of 2021 when he was visiting the President again with his friend and colleague, the former President of Nigeria, President Olusegun Obasanjo. A relationship forged between two men in Kabul through their Lancaster University alumni bond resulted in what they describe as a race against the clock for survival. Aziz Amin (MA Conflict, Development and Security 2017, Graduate) was working as Special Secretary and Personal Assistant of President Ghani (President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan) in the first half of 2021, when he met Dr Greg Mills (MA International Relations & Strategic Studies, 1986, PhD Politics 1990, Fylde). Visiting Afghanistan in February to complete research for a book, Dr Mills stayed at the Presidential Palace as a personal guest of President Ghani. DRAMATICKA 9 Aziz Amin Dr GregMills
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