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Dr Zainab Akhter has a PhD from the Centre for International Politics, Organization, and Disarmament (CIPOD), School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University. She also has an MPhil from the same university as well as a post graduate degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University of Kashmir. Zainab was earlier a Research Officer with the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies (IPCS), and has also worked with the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) as a Research Associate and at India Institute as a researcher. She has interned with the Hindustan Times and has been awarded the Ladakh Women Writers Award for the year 2008 by Charkha, a Delhi-based NGO. She was selected for the India-Pakistan Legislative Fellowship 2017 by the US Government and was placed as the India Legislative Fellow at Hudson Institute, a think tank based in Washington DC.
Her areas of research interest are Soft Power, Cultural Diplomacy, India-Pakistan relations, CBMs, people-to-people diplomacy, Jammu and Kashmir (with special focus on Ladakh). She has extensively travelled in Pakistan and Baltistan. She is part of the Editorial Team for the Journal of International Association of Ladakh Studies, a member of the International Association of Ladakh Studies (IALS), Communities without Boundaries International, an international nongovernment organization that works to build peace and Women’s Regional Network, a network of women civil society leaders working together to advance women’s rights and regional peace in South Asia. She has presented papers in various national and international conferences and has published research papers and articles in journals, websites and newspapers on strategic issues related to Pakistan, India-Pakistan relations, Gilgit-Baltistan, Kashmir and Ladakh.
Her journal articles include: “India-Pakistan Relations: Efficacy of Culture,” Millennial Asia: An International Journal of Asian Studies, Vol. 7, No. 2, 2016; “Indo-Pak Diplomacy: Modi’s Pakistan Policy,” Mainstream, Vol. 54, No. 9, 2016; “The Strategic Importance of the Siachen Glacier for India,” Indian Defence Review, February 2016.
She has also reviewed a book titled Conflict in Jammu & Kashmir: Impact on Polity, Society, and Economy, which was published in Book Review, Vol. 36, No. 9, 2012. Her latest publications are In Pakistan’s Tryst with Democracy Shadow of Military looms large, published in Daily O, 18 August 2018 and Pakistan and the Politics of CPEC: A Rethink on the Anvil, published in South Asian Voices (SAV), 21 October 2018.
The Acquittal Of Aasia Bibi
Research Assistant, under the Pakistan News Digest Project, IDSA, Ms Zainab Akhter’s commentary on Aasia Bibi, titled ‘The Acquittal of Aasia Bibi’ has been published in AIR World Service, an External Services Division of All India Radio on February 03, 2019.
The commentary analyses blasphemy law in Pakistan, in wake of the violent protests by religious hardliners following Aasia Bibi’s acquittal.
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One Year of Pashtun Tahafuz Movement
Although the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement has been able to mainstream the Pashtun issue and has inspired popular empathy, its anti-establishment thrust has made it a soft target for the pro-establishment media and political actors.
Is Pakistan Cost-Cutting The CPEC ?
Research Analyst, under the Pakistan News Digest Project, IDSA, Ms Zainab Akhter’s commentary on China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects, titled ‘Is Pakistan Cost-Cutting The CPEC?’ was published in AIR World Service, an External Services Division of All India Radio, on January 17, 2019.
Imran’s China Visit: In Search Of An Economic Package?
Research Consultant, under the Pakistan News Digest Project, IDSA, Ms Zainab Akhter’s commentary on Imran Khan’s maiden visit to China, titled ‘Imran’s China Visit: In Search Of An Economic Package?’ was published in AIR World Service, an External Services Division of All India Radio, on November 05, 2018.
Pakistan and the Politics of CPEC: A Rethink on the Anvil?
Research Consultant, under the Pakistan News Digest Project, IDSA, Ms Zainab Akhter’s article on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), titled ‘Pakistan and the Politics of CPEC: A Rethink on the Anvil?’ was published in ‘South Asian Voices’ on October 21, 2018.
IMF, Pakistan And The Chinese Debt-Trap!
Research Consultant, under the Pakistan News Digest Project, IDSA, Ms Zainab Akhter’s commentary on Pakistan’s economic crisis, titled ‘IMF, Pakistan and The Chinese Debt-Trap!’ was published by AIR World Service, an External Services Division of All India Radio, on October 19, 2018.
In Pakistan's tryst with democracy, shadow of military looms large
Research Consultant, under the Pakistan News Digest Project, IDSA, Ms Zainab Akhter’s commentary on the Army’s influence on Pakistan politics, titled ‘Pakistan's tryst with democracy, shadow of military looms large’ was published in ‘Daily O’ on August 18, 2018.
The commentary analyses the ever-growing power of the military establishment, and their ever-growing interference in the 70-year-old history of Pakistan.
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The Pashtun Uprising in Pakistan: A Plea for Justice
With the ever increasing support and swelling number of protesters, Pashteen changed the name of the organisation from the Mehsud Tahafuz Movement to Pashtun Tahafuz Movement, a Movement for the Protection of Pashtuns.
CPEC and the Future of Gilgit Baltistan
Given an already upset population and the presence of anti-establishment factions, the unequal distribution of the benefits of CPEC is likely to ignite protests and cause a setback to the initiative as well to the Pakistan establishment.