Published by Peace Direct
Zahid Shahab Ahmed
Dr. Zahid Shahab Ahmed received his PhD from the University of New England (UNE) in Australia. He has an MA in Peace Education from the United Nations mandated University for Peace in Costa Rica, and an MA in Sociology from the University of Agriculture Faisalabad in Pakistan. Currently, he is an Assistant Professor at Centre for International Peace and Stability (CIPS), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Pakistan. Previously, he has taught Asian Studies at University of New England, and Charles Sturt University in Australia. Since 2003, he has been working with local and international development agencies in South Asia, in particular in Pakistan, on various peacebuilding and development projects. He has published and presented papers on a wide range of issues, such as Islam, human rights, peace & conflict, regionalism, and regional security. In 2010, he co-authored with Balasubramanian R. a study entitled “Extremism in Pakistan and India: The Case of the Jamaat-e-Islami and Shiv Sena”.
From the field: Pakistan: A look back at 2012
In 2012 Pakistan faced another wave of terrorism-related violence and instability. In this article, Zahid Shahab Ahmed, Insight on Conflict’s Local Correspondent for Pakistan, focuses on a variety of issues, including terrorism and counterterrorism, to see where Pakistan is heading in coming years and what should be done to improve the situation. Read more »
From the field: Sectarian violence in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan
Whilst sectarian violence is rife within Pakistan, it is often misrepresented as terrorism. This is causing the issue to go undiagnosed and thus resources are not adequately directed to cure the problem. Zahid Shahab Ahmed explores the issue of sectarian violence within the city of Gilgit-Baltistan in the north of Pakistan. Read more »
From the field: The future of Afghan refugees in Pakistan
As the international presence in Afghanistan winds down, Zahid Ahmed, Insight on Conflict’s local correspondent for Pakistan, asks what does the future hold for the three million Afghan refugees in Pakistan? Read more »
From the field: Muslims, Christians make Ramadan friendships
The work of the Inter-Faith Youth Forum in Lahore, Pakistan has been recognized by UCA News. Read more »
From the field: Pakistan: Peacebuilding in an impossible context?
Zahid Ahmed, Insight on Conflict’s Local Correspondent for Pakistan, explains how, caught between the restrictions placed on them by the state and a relationship with the general public framed by suspicion of collaboration with the West, Pakistani peacebuilders need to articulate their work on their own terms. Read more »
From the field: Promoting peace through education in Pakistan
The World Learning Grammar School in from Lyari, a troubled district in Karachi, Pakistan is part of he peace education efforts of the Peace Education Welfare Organization. Insight on Conflict’s local correspondent in Pakistan, Zahid, reports on how PEWO is promoting peace through schools in Pakistan. Read more »
Commentary: Islamabad Peace Exchange
Zahid Shahab Ahmed, Insight on Conflict’s local correspondent for Pakistan, reports on a recent conference. In April, the Islamabad Peace Exchange brought together 20 peacebuilding organisations from across Pakistan for three days of capacity-building, collaboration and networking. Read more »
From the field: Pakistan: challenges of conflict-induced displacement
Zahid Ahmed, Insight on Conflicts local correspondent for Pakistan, looks at the issue of conflict-induced displacement in the country. Military conflicts have displaced millions of people in recent years. Many have now returned, but there are still 500,000 internally displaced people in Pakistan. For those that have returned, the legacy of violence presents unique problems. Zahid hopes to start a discussion on what he sees as a fairly new phenomenon in Pakistan. Read more »
Commentary: India-Pakistan relations and SAARC
It is an ‘unusual’ occasion in the history of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) that a summit is following by some positive developments in India-Pakistan relations. SAARC has long suffered from bilateral rivalry between India and Pakistan slowing its progress on a range of issues, particularly free trade in South Asia. Read more »
From the field: Lyari, Karachi’s ‘no-go area’
Pakistan’s volatile border areas receive much international attention. But conflicts of a different nature are playing out in other parts of the country. One such place is Lyari, a part of Pakistan’s financial capital Karachi. This article is a reflection of my visit to Lyari, right before fighting between rival gangs paralysed the whole area in July 2011. Read more »