Regional Studies is quarterly journal published by the Institute of Regional Studies. It is also Higher Education Commission . . About IRS
The Institute of Regional Studies (IRS) is an independent, non-profit research centre devoted to the study of the region around Pakistan: South Asia, Southwest Asia (Iran, Afghanistan and the Gulf), China, Central Asia as well as the Indian Ocean region. It also studies and analyses policies of major power centers towards South Asia. The Institute was set up in March 1982. It is considered one of Pakistan's leading think tanks. The Institute covers a wide spectrum of research in foreign and internal affairs, economy and industry, science and technology.
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Recent Events
Round Table DiscussionA roundtable discussion on ‘Pakistan-India Relations’, chaired by Dr. Rukhsana Qamber, President IRS, was held at IRS on June 1, 2018. The roundtable featured a power point presentation prepared by Mr. Aarish U. Khan, Editor, into which other IRS scholars had also provided input. The presentation highlighted salient aspects of Pak-India relations including recent developments in Indian foreign relations, situation in Indian occupied Kashmir, latest developments in Pak-India relations, chances of resumption of bilateral peace process, and the upcoming 2019 general elections in India.
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THE ISLAMIC STATE IN AFGHANISTAN: AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE
AMINA KHAN AND AWAIS ALI SYEDAfter nearly two decades since the US invasion of Afghanistan, the country continues to wrestle with a plethora of problems. Political instability, deteriorating security, poor governance, unsuccessful peace talks with the Taliban, and the presence of 21 terrorist groups including the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) continue to haunt Afghanistan’s potential for a prosperous future. The official emergence of the ISKP in Afghanistan in 2015 brought with it a set of new challenges for the already war-torn country and complicated the path to peace as they came along ..
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EXAMINING INDIA’S STRATEGIC CULTURE AND MARITIME DOCTRINAL GROWTH: THE INDO-PACIFIC IN PERSPECTIVE
UMM-E-HABIBA AND MUHAMMAD AZAM KHANDuring much of the Cold War, New Delhi’s strategic perceptions remained overwhelmingly land-centric. Maritime thinking and significance of naval power took a secondary spot in the Indian strategic and security perception. A surge in the country’s economy and post-9/11 developments rapidly transformed the country’s strategic culture. New Delhi placed a renewed focus on naval modernisation, while maritime thinking (strategy and doctrinal growth), as well as blue water naval ambitions, became pronounced ..
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THE ECONOMICS AND POLITICS OF CHINA-PAKISTAN ECONOMIC CORRIDOR AND BALOCHISTAN
MANZOOR AHMEDAs part of the enormous new Silk Route project or the One Belt One Road initiative, the governments of Pakistan and China developed a proposal in the mid-2000s to create an economic corridor from Kashgar, Xinjiang, in China to Gwadar, Balochistan, in Pakistan with an aim to promote national, bilateral, and international economic integration. Essentially driven to improve regional and global trade networks, the resulting China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was formally launched in 2013 with the initially planned portfolio of infrastructure, energy, and economic projects worth around $64 billion. Amidst an optimism in Pakistan of CPEC having a transformational effect on the economy, there is an extensive public debate in Pakistan about the potential impact of CPEC on the already ..
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SOUTH ASIAN SECURITY COMPLEX AND NUCLEAR ARMS RACE
WAQAR HUSSAIN, KHURRAM MAQSOOD AHMAD, AND FAIZ UR REHMANSouth Asian security dynamics are characterised by divergent security goals of India and Pakistan. Pakistan developed nuclear weapons as a power balancer against India, which was at an advantageous position over Pakistan in terms of conventional weaponry and forces. As there exists a balance of power, thanks to the possession of nuclear weapons often referred to as the balance of terror, there is strategic stability in South Asia. However, this strategic stability comes at the expense of continued nuclear armaments and technology development by India and Pakistan. There is a peculiar nature of competition between India and Pakistan ..
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A fortnightly publication comprising selected clippings from the regional newspapers and periodicals, arranged subject-wise under five main heads.
SOUTH ASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA: BUILDING ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL LINKAGES
GLOBAL TERRORISM: GENESIS, IMPLICATIONS, REMEDIAL & COUNTERMEASURES
AFGHANISTAN: UNABATED TURMOIL
