An Academic Way towards Peace, Progress and Prosperity
October 26, 2025
Jamshed Rehan and Javed Awan Rawalpindi — A wave of encouragement has come from Mr. Javed Awan, a proud alumnus of Government Graduate College Asghar Mall Rawalpindi, who has now established his own media enterprise in France, titled “La Voix du Monde Média” (The Voice of the World Media). He has expressed deep appreciation for
READ MOREJamshed Rehan (Islamabad) Rawalpindi — Government Graduate College Asghar Mall Rawalpindi, a distinguished institution with more than one and a half centuries of academic legacy, has proudly announced admissions open for BS International Relations — the first-ever programme of its kind in the entire Rawalpindi Division. This newly launched programme is a transformative academic development
READ MOREDr. Muhammad Asim In an era where national security extends far beyond the battlefield, Pakistan’s armed forces and the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) have emerged as the twin pillars of the country’s economic resilience and developmental direction. Their partnership reflects a decisive shift from conventional military engagements to a comprehensive model of economic defence,
READ MOREMaryam Habib (Director at the Islamabad Institute for Interfaith Harmony and Public Life, Islamabad, and the Founder of “Rehmat and Maryam Researches Islamabad”) South Waziristan remains one of Pakistan’s most economically fragile yet strategically important districts. According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP, 2023), its Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) stood at 0.64 — among
READ MOREReport: Zolaikha Anwar, Shama Naqvi and Naila Bilqees The post-insurgency landscape of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Pakistan–Afghanistan frontier has evolved into a complex discursive field where governance, identity, and militarisation converge. The reports and reflections by Abdul Rahim (Frontier Times, 12 March 2022), Farzana Ali (Daily Mashriq, 27 May 2021), Khalid Mehmood (The Frontier Post,
READ MOREMuhammad Aftab Khan and Dr. Muhammad Asim Islamabad — The research collective Rehmat and Maryam Researches Islamabad, in collaboration with political scholar Muhammad Aftab Khan, has extended the application of its newly developed framework, Militarised Constructivist Institutionalism (MCI), to a range of conflict-affected states including Afghanistan, Iran, Sudan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Myanmar, South Sudan and
READ MOREDr. Muhammad Asim Islamabad — In a major academic breakthrough, the policy research group Rehmat and Maryam Researches Islamabad has introduced a new theoretical model that reshapes how scholars understand military-led governance in Pakistan’s tribal districts. Developed through close collaboration with Muhammad Khan, a researcher specialising in borderland politics, the model — called Militarised Constructivist
READ MORESeminar Proceedings Title: Borderland Securitisation and Counter-Narratives in South Asia Organised by Rehmat and Maryam Researches, Islamabad Introduction Rehmat and Maryam Researches, Islamabad, convened a high-level academic seminar to discuss Uzma Taaj Shah’s groundbreaking 2024 study, “Borderland Securitisation and Counter-Narratives in South Asia”. The event brought together scholars of political science, security studies and international
READ MOREMaryam Habib (Director at the Islamabad Institute for Interfaith Harmony and Public Life, Islamabad) The Pakistan-Afghanistan Durand Line remains one of the most complex security frontiers in contemporary South Asia. It is a zone where state sovereignty, transnational militancy, and local tribal structures intersect in a continuous struggle for authority and legitimacy. In this setting,
READ MOREShah Hussain and Dr. Abdur Rehman In Pakistan’s national imagination, the military is not simply a defence institution but a central architect of the state’s identity and security discourse. Nowhere is this more evident than in the borderlands of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, particularly South Waziristan, where the Pakistan Army’s discursive power has redefined the meaning of
READ MOREAbdul Rauf and Dr. Zeenat Aslam Pakistan’s borderlands, stretching from the rugged terrains of Balochistan to the tribal districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, have long functioned as both security frontiers and cultural margins. These regions, historically autonomous and socially diverse, have undergone a deep transformation under the influence of state-led militarisation. Through the framework of Sociological
READ MORENoor-e-Najaf (Research Scholar) and Dr. Muhammad Asim (Research Supervisor) Khomeinism emerged as one of the most transformative political ideologies of the twentieth century, built upon the synthesis of Islamic theology and revolutionary politics. Rooted in Shia jurisprudence yet expressed through a populist revolutionary voice, it represented a moral, spiritual, and political awakening against colonial subjugation
READ MOREMaryam Habib (Director at the Islamabad Institute for Interfaith Harmony and Public Life, Islamabad) Tehran’s corridors of power continue to echo the intellectual legacy of Imam Khomeini as Iranian policymakers navigate the complex terrain of international politics. More than four decades after the Islamic Revolution his teachings remain the compass for Iran’s foreign policy. The
READ MOREMaryam Habib (Director, “Islamabad Institute for Interfaith Harmony and Public Life”) The case of the two couples residing in Qom between 2011 and 2013 embodies a profound moral and sociological contradiction within contemporary Iran. Both pairs — postgraduate students from diverse religious backgrounds — shared a house where they lived as “married” couples under false
READ MOREZulhajr Bano-Shah (15 September 2025) Rehmat and Maryam Researches Islamabad has recently concluded a series of surveys and seminars across eight Pakistani cities, highlighting a rarely discussed but deeply significant issue: the psychological and behavioural influence of Afghan refugee children on their Pakistani classmates in primary schools. The project, conducted from March to August 2025,
READ MOREDarakhshan Afsari The return of the Taliban to power in August 2021 reignited fears of sectarian violence and ethnic marginalisation, particularly for the Hazara community, who had historically suffered under Taliban rule. However, contrary to the expectations of total repression, the Taliban have demonstrated conditional tolerance and administrative leniency in Hazara-dominated regions such as Bamyan,
READ MOREISLAMABAD/QOM – As intellectual cooperation becomes increasingly crucial in an evolving geopolitical landscape, the Pak-Iran Intellectuals Forum (PIIF) has emerged as a leading platform connecting scholars and researchers across Islamabad and Qom. With its twin offices operating in both capitals, PIIF is committed to enhancing academic, cultural, and policy-level understanding between Pakistan and Iran, rooted
READ MOREKAZAN, RUSSIA – In an era marked by shifting global alliances and the reconfiguration of regional power dynamics, the Kazan-Multan Cultural Studies Centre has positioned itself as a strategic intellectual institution championing a nuanced understanding of Russia-Pakistan relations through cultural diplomacy, academic collaboration, and interdisciplinary research. Located in Kazan, a historic city that has long
READ MOREKAZAN, RUSSIA – In a significant development for cross-regional academic diplomacy, the Kazan-Multan Cultural Studies Centre (Kazan, Russia) and Rehmat & Maryam Researches (Islamabad, Pakistan) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at fostering collaborative research, faculty exchange and joint publications in the fields of international relations, cultural studies and strategic diplomacy. The partnership,
READ MORETABRIZ, IRAN – In a distinguished academic gathering hosted in Tabriz, the Pak-Iran Intellectuals Forum paid tribute to Dr. Aytan Farzaneh, a renowned scholar from Ardabil, for the launch of her seminal book, “Axis of Instability or Balance? Regional Security Complexes and the Evolution of Pakistan-Russia Ties”. The event, attended by diplomats, researchers, and strategic
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