Follow Facebook MP-IDSA
Follow Page
Follow Linkdin MP-IDSA
Follow Page
Follow X MP-IDSA
Follow Page
Subscribe Youtube MP-IDSA
subscribe

Zainab Akhter

img

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” 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.

  • Research Analyst
  • Email:zainab9059[at]gmail[dot]com
  • Phone: +91 11 2671 7983

Publication

Climate Change & the Himalayas: Time for a new Sustainable Tourism Strategy?

Research Assistant, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr Zainab Akhter’s article ‘Climate Change & the Himalayas: Time for a New Sustainable Tourism Strategy’ has been published in the Sunday Special of Rising Kashmir, on 27 August 2023.

The need of the hour is a revised climate policy or a sustainable tourism strategy for the mountain regions, which must impose strict limits on a number of visitors, provide universal basic income to the local population, and invest in ecological restoration. Bhutan-style policy needs to be adopted or these areas will be destroyed, says Dr Akhter.

Read Complete Article [+]

  • Published: 27 August, 2023

Read More

Assessing the Human Impact of the India-China Border Dispute

Research Analyst, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr Zainab Akhter’s article ‘Assessing the Human Impact of the India-China Border Dispute’ has been published by South Asian Voices (SAV) on 24 October 2022.

Despite assurances by both governments and many rounds of disengagement talks, the LAC remains tense and the stalemate continues, adversely affecting the livelihoods of border dwellers and herders along the border, says Dr Akhter.

Read Complete Articel [+]

  • Published: 24 October, 2022

Read More

India-Pakistan Cross-LoC Connectivity: Bridging the Gap between Ladakh and Baltistan by Invoking the ‘Balti Culture

Research Analyst, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr. Zainab Akhter contributed a chapter titled “India-Pakistan Cross-LoC Connectivity: Bridging the Gap between Ladakh and Baltistan by Invoking the ‘Balti Culture’”, has been published in the book, ‘Gilgit-Baltistan under Pakistan's Occupation’, edited by Ashish Shukla (KW Publisher, 2021).

Read More [+]

  • Published: 2 August, 2021

Read More

Imran Khan’s Rant on ‘Kashmir’ After Judicial Snub

Research Analyst, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr. Zainab Akhter’s commentary ‘Imran Khan’s Rant on ‘Kashmir’ After Judicial Snub’ has been published by All India Radio (AIR) World Service, an external services division of AIR, on March 25, 2021.

Although, Imran Khan’s clash with the institutions is bad news for democracy, it is good for the establishment. So far as India is concerned, New Delhi has made it clear that Kashmir is India’s internal matter and the onus is on Pakistan to stop cross-border terrorism first. Terror and talks do not go hand in hand. New Delhi’s position has been consistent, credible and cohesive, writes Dr. Akhter.

Read Complete Article [+]

  • Published: 25 March, 2021

Read More

India-Pakistan Cross-cultural Connectivity: The Baltis of Ladakh & Baltistan

Research Analyst, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr. Zainab Akhter’s article, ‘India-Pakistan Cross-cultural Connectivity: The Baltis of Ladakh & Baltistan’, has been published in the Journal of Himalayan & Central Asian Studies, (Pages 51-65), Volume 24, Number 4, October-December 2020 Issue.

With the recent creation of Ladakh as a new Union Territory and the opening of the Kartarpur Corridor, the Balti people of Ladakh and Baltistan are hopeful that things might change, writes Dr. Akhter.

Download Complete [+]

  • Published: 15 March, 2021

Read More
  • Visitor No: 000058457
  • © Manohar Parikar Institute For Defence Studies and Analysis
  • XHTML validation2.0 Level Double-A Conformance
    CSS Validator
    Explanation of WCAG 2.0 Level Double-A Conformance