Quarterly Issue 41 & 44

Abstract

The year 2018 marks the fruition of the CPPG as a Think Tank driven by research, teaching, international exchanges and persistence in encouraging academic and policy engagement through its Seminar Series. In this spirit, it gives me pleasure to report several accomplishments. First, the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and FCC have given us approval to launch our PhD program in Public Policy. Our faculty deserves credit for designing and developing the program and we remain deeply indebted to all the academic bodies that contributed towards achieving this milestone, in particular the Rector, FCC for his support and guidance at various stages of planning the program. We aim to start the PhD in Public Policy in Fall (September) 2019.

Second, back in 2014, with the financial and academic support of the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), the CPPG initiated a unique and merit-driven program for providing research grants to MPhil Students to conduct field research within the domain of Peace and Conflict Studies. The USIP agreed to provide six research grants per year for two years, which were advertised nation-wide, and through a competitive and transparent selection process, were eventually awarded to selected students. Besides completing their field research and MPhil theses, the students were also required to submit a related 3,000-word research article. These articles are currently undergoing the Peer Review Process and we plan to publish them as part of an edited volume by Summer 2019.

Third, in the summer of 2018, the CPPG MPhil students got a unique opportunity to visit South Africa for a joint faculty student research project on “Gennarrations of Reconciliation, Violence, and forms of Political Participation in Post-Apartheid South Africa” along with faculty and students of Hope College and Bratislava International School of Liberal Arts. This educational trip was a culmination point of an equally innovative initiative of collaborative teaching of a course titled “Peace & Conflict Narratives” among the three universities, taught by Mr. Raheem ul Haque, Senior Research Fellow on CPPG’s behalf. This course made a new beginning and the CPPG is working on the modalities of how to sustain and expand upon such an opportunity

Fourth, Dr. Imdad Hussain, Assistant Professor, spent nine months spread across two universities: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA and University Technology Malaysia; he won this award through a globally competitive process and is now in the process of completing his research on the role of refugee-focused NGOs in providing services to refugees in Malaysia.

Fifth, Dr. Raja M. Ali Saleem, Assistant Professor, published his pioneering book titled; State, Nationalism, And Islamization: Historical Analysis of Turkey and Pakistan by Palgrave Macmillan in late 2017. Dr. Ali Saleem had been working on this book for over two years. His forthcoming monograph on Religious Nationalism is undergoing the Peer Review process and should be published during the summer. Dr. Saleem was also invited to write an article on “Religious Values and Worldviews” for the prestigious Oxford Encyclopedia of Politics and Religion based on his excellent work as a reviewer for the encyclopedia. He submitted the article in July 2018 and recently, the article was accepted for publication.

Sixth, our ‘China Cell’, which has been building connections with Chinese universities and also conducting research imperceptibly on China for the past four years, has gained momentum and visibility with the publication of a Monograph by myself and Saba Shahid, China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC): Demands, Dividends and Future Directions. Currently, we are expanding our research with our next study on CPEC and the Changing Dynamics of China- India Relations.

Seventh, it is comforting to report that as of 2018, eighteen students have earned their MPhil degrees from our program that was initiated in 2014. As we prepare for the launch of our PhD program, the research and evidence-based policy research component of our program will give further boost to our Think Tank aspirations.

Finally, we are very pleased to receive an invaluable donation of books from the family of the illustrious Mr. Jamshed K. A. Marker, a distinguished Formanite and accomplished Pakistani diplomat. These books are being catalogued and will be housed in the FCC Public Policy Resource Centre. A good library is an asset for any academic program and we are proud that it is growing both in terms of number of volumes and richness of knowledge resources. The CPPG’s academic programs and research credentials are portends of a promising future for young scholars, policy analysts and those who aim to pursue Public Policy as a means to contribute towards public service. It is hard to believe yet true that the Quarterly is also ten years old, may it continue to grow and get greater academic recognition!!