Agenda for Social Science Research in Afghanistan

Paper Presentations Workshop on Agenda for Social Science Research in Afghanistan 24 th April 2014, 2:00 to 5:30 pm Conference Room, First Floor India Arab Cultural Centre Jamia Millia Islamia Bionotes Prof. Rani Mullen is currently a Fulbright-Nehru Senior Fellow at Jamia Millia Islamia s Afghanistan Studies Centre and a Visiting Senior Fellow at the Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi. She is Associate Professor of Government at the College of William and Mary and the author of the book Decentralization, Local Governance, and Social Wellbeing in India: Do Local Governments Matter? (Routledge, 2011, 2013). Her research and teaching focus is on democratization and development in South Asia, and democracy and statebuilding in India and Afghanistan in particular. She worked on state-building in Afghanistan at the Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination at Princeton University. She has also worked for the World Bank, was a consultant for USAID, and a legislative assistant to a member of the German parliament. She earned her doctorate from Princeton University s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and also has a graduate degree from the John Hopkins University s School of Advanced International Studies. Dr. Elvira Graner is currently heading the Heidelberg Centre South Asia (HCSA) at New Delhi as the Resident Representative of Heidelberg University. Her previous assignments include being a (Senior) Lecturer at the Dept. of Geography at the South Asia Institute (SAI) at Heidelberg, as well as Resident Representative of the SAI s Kathmandu Office. At the Institute of Governance Studies (IGS) of BRAC University in Dhaka she was active as a Research Fellow from autumn 2009 until December 2012, as an integrated expert, co-funded by the Federal German Government (BMZ, via cim). Her fields of research and expertise focus on environmental, economic and social policy and governance analyses for Nepal and Bangladesh. While based at the IGS, one major research project was to set up the first-ever Bangladesh Youth Survey (BYS) in 2011. One component of the latter also aims at setting up a Regional Policy Network in South Asia and conduct (annual) Regional Conferences. Prof. Mondira Dutta, is currently the Chairperson of the Centre for Inner Asian Studies, School of International Studies, JNU, New Delhi. Her fields of specialization include Gender Studies, Human Security and Human Development with particular reference to South Asia, Afghanistan and Central Asia. She was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the International Congress of Women for Justice, Equality, Peace and Progress, sponsored jointly by United Nations Information Centre for India and Bhutan, and Government of India in 1

2009. She has worked as a consultant with several national and international organizations such as the UN Women, Human Rights Commission - Maldives, British Council, The Ford Foundation, NOVIB (The Netherlands), the DFID, The World Bank, International Human Rights Commission, Geneva, UNESCO, and with the Government of India Dr. Ambrish Dhaka is Associate Professor at School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). He gives 2 MPhil Courses on Afghanistan and 1 MPhil Course on Geographical Information Systems focussing on Afghanistan. He has been the ICSSR Professor, India Chair at South Asia Studies Centre, Fudan University, Shanghai. He has a book and several international papers to his credit. He has supervised 15 MPhils and 6 PhDs on Afghanistan successfully. Dr. Arpita Basu Roy is a Fellow at the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies, Kolkata. She has done her Ph.D at the Department of International Relations, Jadavpur University, Kolkata on Consequences and Challenges of the Afghan Conflict: Situating Workable Response. She was the recipient of the Wrangler Pavate Fellowship for International Studies in 2010 at the Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Cambridge. She has also been the country expert (Afghanistan) for the international project V-Dem (Varieties of Democracy) conducted by University of Gothenburg, University of Notre Dam and the Hellen Kellog Institute of International Studies. She is currently working on a project entitled Afghanistan in the Regional Security Framework: Charting a Workable Response for India. She has authored several books. Her recent publication is Human Security in Afghanistan: Reconstructing an Alternative Notion of Security for Afghanistan in the South Asian Security Paradigm (Pentagon Publishers, 2013). Mr. Vishal Chandra is Associate Fellow at the Institute for Defence Studies & Analyses (IDSA), New Delhi. He joined IDSA in 2003. His core area of research is politics of Afghan conflict with special interest in Taliban resurgence, politics of reconciliation, making of the Afghan National Army, role of political opposition, regional perceptions and trends in Indo- Afghan relations. He has travelled widely in Afghanistan as part of his research at IDSA. He regularly lectures at various national institutions and is currently member of the Core Group on Afghanistan of the Indian Council of World Affairs and the India Policy Group on Afghanistan of Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, India. He recently edited the book, India s Neighbourhood: The Armies of South Asia, Pentagon Press, New Delhi, 2013. Dr. Saurabh Sharma is Assistant Professor in the Centre for Studies in International Politics and Governance, School of International Studies, Central University of Gujarat, Gandhinagar, Gujarat. He completed his doctoral thesis on Rebuilding of Afghanistan in the Post-Taliban Period from JNU, New Delhi. He has earlier worked as Research Associate in a United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) funded project on Evaluation of Regional Anti-Trafficking Programme in South Asia. His research interests include postconflict governance, peace studies, terrorism, small arms proliferation and drug trafficking in South and Central Asia. He teaches M.Phil. Courses on Global Governance and Post-Conflict Governance and an M.A. course on Peace and Conflict Studies. Mr. Omar Sadr is a research scholar in the Department of International Relations, South Asian University, New Delhi. His research interest includes issues related to intercourse between culture and World Politics. Presently, he is working on the issue of multiculturalism in Afghanistan and intellectual background of Post-colonialism in Persian language. He 2

worked for a year in the National Centre for Policy Research at Kabul University. He has done his Masters degree in International Relations from South Asian University. Dr. Angira Sen Sarma is Assistant Professor at the Afghanistan Studies Centre, Academy of International Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. Her primary areas of research are Afghanistan and Central Asia. Before joining the Jamia Millia Islamia, she worked with Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA), New Delhi and Observer Research Foundation (ORF), New Delhi. She has done her PhD from JNU, New Delhi. Dr. K. N. Tennyson is Assistant Professor at the Afghanistan Studies Centre, Academy of International Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. Formerly, he was with the Centre for Air Power Studies, New Delhi. He is an alumnus of the South Asian Studies Division, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. His primary area of research interest includes India s foreign policy with special reference to Afghanistan, Pakistan and South Asia security issues. Mr. Mohammad Reyaz is a Delhi based Journalist and a PhD Candidate at the MMA Jauhar Academy of International Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia. His PhD topic is The Role of Media in the Civil Society of Central Asia. He did Masters in Convergent Journalism and worked briefly in a TV Production House. He has participated in workshops in Germany, Nepal, etc and has presented papers in various seminars. Recently, he is working on a paper on The Role of Media in the Presidential Election of Afghanistan. He visited Afghanistan for ten days during the last phase of the election campaign. Mr. Reyaz Ahmad Ganaie is a PhD research scholar at the Department of Political Science, Jamia Millia Islamia. He has a Masters Degree in Political Science from the University of Kashmir. He was awarded Gold Medal from Kashmir University. His research interest includes Pakistan-Afghanistan Relations since 9/11. He has published several research articles in edited volumes and journals. Participants Ambassador T.C.A. Rangachari is the Director, Academy of International Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi. Over a 36-year long career with the Indian Foreign Service, he served in a variety of posts across different continents. Starting his career in Hong Kong, he moved to Beijing in the mid-seventies. Thereafter, he was at India s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York, working on several UN committees, including human rights and on NGOs, and represented India on the Governing Boards of the UNDP, UNICEF, UNFPA. He was India s Ambassador to Algeria, Germany and France. Earlier, he spent over five years in Islamabad, Pakistan, as Deputy High Commissioner. He served in various capacities in the Ministries of External Affairs and Finance of the Government of India in New Delhi. He holds an MA degree, in History from Hindu College, Delhi University, Delhi. He speaks English, Hindi, Tamil, Chinese and French. Ajay Darshan Behera is Professor at the Academy of International Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi. He is also the Coordinator of the Pakistan Studies Programme at the Academy. His main areas of research interest are foreign policy and security issues in South Asia, Political Violence, Insurgency and Terrorism, Conflicts and Conflict Management, India s Foreign Policy, Political Development and Foreign Policy of 3

Pakistan and Sri Lanka. He has also been a Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution, Washington, D.C. from October 2001 to June 2002 and the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign, USA from September 1997 to January 1998. He teaches courses on International Relations Theory, Security Studies and Pakistan. He is the author of a book Violence, Terrorism and Human Security in South Asia and a monograph The Politics of Violence and Development in South Asia and has co-edited the book Pakistan in a Changing Strategic Context. Dr. Mathew Joseph C. is a Reader in the Academy of International Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi. He is associated with Pakistan Studies Programme at AIS. He has a Ph. D in South Asian Studies from South Asian Studies from the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Before joining the AIS he was with the Department of Strategic and Regional Studies (DSRS), University of Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir. Currently he specializes in studies related to Pakistan. His major publications include a book titled Ethnic Conflict in Bhutan and Pakistan in a Changing Strategic Context, a co-edited volume with Ajay Darshan Behera. Mr. Rana Banerji is a Visiting Professor, Pakistan Studies Programme, Academy of International Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia and concurrently a Distinguished Fellow at the IPCS, New Delhi. He joined the Indian Administrative Services in 1972 and worked in field assignments in Assam for eight years. Subsequently, he served the Central Government for 28 years, retiring as Special Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat in October 2009. During this period, he dealt with security and intelligence-related issues impinging on National Security Policy formulation, with focused expertise on the South Asian region. In 2010-11, he headed a Task Force at the IDSA on Intelligence Reform in India: The Way Ahead. He has published several papers on Pakistan on themes related to democratic consolidation, Islamisation and Pakistan Army, Pakistan Elections, US-Pakistan relations, etc. Prof. Suresh Sharma, Visiting Professor, MMAJ Academy of International Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. Prof. Sunanda Sen has retired as Professor from Centre for Economic Studies and Planning (CESP), JNU in 2001. Since then she has been a Visiting Professor in Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi and recently also a Visiting Professor at the ISID, New Delhi. She has been a Visiting Professor in various Universities and institutions at home and abroad, including Delhi University, Barcelona University, Grenoble University, Hans Lim A Po Institute at Suriname etc. Also a Visiting Fellow at ISS (Netherland), IDS (Sussex), University of Cambridge (where she is a Life member). In addition, she has been a Consultant at various United Nations organisations. She was a member of the Forwards Market Commission (1994). Prof. Tasneem Meenai is presently the Director of the Nelson Mandela Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. She is also the Dean of the University s Students Welfare. Her research interests include humanitarian dimensions of armed conflict, humanitarian protection, multilateral institutions and conflict resolution, United Nations Peacekeeping, Peacemaking and Peace Building, and issues of conflict resolution, peace and security, especially in South Asia and West Asia and Peace Education. She has undertaken several initiatives in the field of peace education notably with the United Nations University for Peace, Costa Rica; UNESCO-National Council for Teacher Education, 4

New Delhi; Centre for Dialogue and Reconciliation, Gurgaon; and the Asia South Pacific Bureau of Adult Education. Dr. D. Suba Chandran is Director at the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, New Delhi. His primary area of research includes Pakistan; Afghanistan; and Jammu & Kashmir. He is currently working on two books titled The Gathering Storm: Pakistan in the Next Decade and State Failure, Fragility and Stability in South Asia. He edits an annual titled Armed Conflicts in South Asia, published by Routledge. He is an Associate at the Pakistan Study Research Unit, University of Bradford. Earlier he was a Visiting Professor at the Pakistan Studies Programme, Jamia Millia Islamia and a Visiting Fellow at Department of Peace Studies, University of Bradford; ACDIS, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and the University of Jammu, J&K. Maj. Gen. Ashok Mehta, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES), Convener, Indian Policy Group on Afghanistan Ms. Sarah Hees, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES), New Delhi Mr. M. Ashraf Haidari is serving as the Deputy Chief of Mission (Minister Counsellor) of the Embassy of Afghanistan in New Delhi, India. From June 2011 to July 2012, he served as the Deputy Assistant National Security Advisor of Afghanistan. From 2004 to 2011, Mr. Haidari served the Embassy of Afghanistan in the United States in various capacities including: Chargé d Affaires, Deputy Chief of Mission, Political Counsellor, and Acting Defence Attaché. He is also an author and TV & radio commentator on Afghanistan and regional affairs. Mr. Haidari is educated in the United States, Switzerland, and Afghanistan. He holds a Master of Arts in Security Studies from the Georgetown University and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and International Relations from Wabash College. Mr. Haidari was born and grew up in Afghanistan, and shares a personal story that resonates with millions of other ordinary Afghans touched by decades of conflict. He experienced these hardships firsthand both under the Soviet occupation in 1980s and the Taliban rule in 1990s. Dr. Tasawwur Husain Zaidi is Project Associate at the Pakistan Studies Programme, Academy of International Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. He holds a PhD degree in Geography from Jamia Millia Islamia. He also has an Advance Diploma in RS and GIS Applications. He has published articles in various journals. 5