User:Dr Ishtiaq Ahmad

Dr Ishtiaq Ahmad

Dr Ishtiaq Ahmad is an Associate Professor of International Relations at Quaid-i-Azam University in Islamabad, Pakistan. He has a distinguished professional career in academics and journalism spanning nearly two decades. A Fulbright scholar, Dr Ahmad has authored several books, book chapters and journal articles. A prominent Pakistani new columnist and political analyst, he speaks frequently at international conferences and has received a number of awards, including a gold medal from late Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto for human rights reporting. Dr Ahmad’s current academic research focuses on security issues in South and South-West Asia, particularly the War on Terror in Afghanistan and India-Pakistan relations, and the Muslim world’s relationship with the West both in historical and contemporary terms.

Dr Ahmad has a Masters in Defense and Strategic Studies, and Ph D and M Phil in US Studies (History and International Relations) from Quaid-i-Azam University. Before joining his present position in April 2005, he served as Editorial Assistant, The Muslim (1990-93); Diplomatic Correspondent, The Nation (1993-96); Senior Research Fellow, Area Study Centre, Quaid-i-Azam University (1996-98); and Vice Chair/Assistant Professor of International Relations, Eastern Mediterranean University, North Cyprus (1998-2005). He has been a visiting faculty at Foreign Service Academy, Islamabad; Department of Peace and Conflict Studies, National Defense University, Islamabad, and Department of Defense and Strategic Studies, Quaid-i-Azam University. He has also edited Pakistan Journal of American Studies and is an Editorial Board member of weekly magazine, Pulse.

Dr Ahmad has published eight books, including Gulbuddin Hekmatyar: An Afghan Trail from Jihad to Terrorism (2004); India and Pakistan: Charting a Path to Peace (2004); The Nuclear Danger: Going Down to Minimum Deterrence (1996); and Nuclear Non-Proliferation Issues in South Asia (1996). He has contributed several articles in scholarly journals, including Perceptions, Marmara Journal of European Studies, Pakistan Journal of History and Culture and IPRI Journal, and chapters in edited volumes, including Beyond Regionalism (Ashgate, 2008), Encyclopedia of Religion and War (Berkshire/Routledge, 2003), and A Global Agenda (United Nations Association of the USA, 2003, 2004, 2005). Dr Ahmad has contributed news reports and columns to several national and international newspapers, including The Muslim, The Nation, The Friday Times, Turkish Daily News, Tehlka.com and Deccan Chronicle. He has been interviewed by a number of international news networks and wire services, including Aljazeera, CNN, NTV, Press TV, US News and World Report, VOA, Reuters, AFP, AP and Bloomberg.

Dr Ahmad has received a number of international fellowships, including Fulbright (University of California, Santa Barbra, USA, 2006), International Committee of the Red Cross (National Law School of India University, Bangalore, India), Hanns-Seidel Foundation (Christian-Albrechts University, Kiel, Germany, 1997), and US International Visitors Program (USA, 1990). He has been a frequent participant in several international conferences held in the United States, Italy, Russia, Hungary, Slovenia, the United Arab Emirates, Azerbaijan, and organized, among others, by International Studies Association, USA, World International Studies Committee, USA, Social Sciences Research Council, USA, and Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, Italy. He is a member of International Studies Association, American Political Science Association and Council of Social Sciences of Pakistan.

The son of late Fazal Muhammad, who was a known philanthropist in Pakistan’s southern Punjab region, Dr Ahmad lives in Islamabad with his wife Ayesha and daughters Mishal and Myra.