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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IMPACT OF THE DEMOLITION OF THE BABRI MOSQUE AND GODHRA POGROM ON MUSLIM VOTING BEHAVIOUR: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF GUJARAT, UTTAR PRADESH, AND KERALA
SAEED AHMED RIDBeing around fifteen per cent of the total population of India, Indian Muslims constitute a significant minority that cannot be ignored by the political parties in India. Since partition, the Muslims were considered traditional Indian National Congress (INC) constituency, but the failure of the INC to stop the demolition of Babri mosque and Gujarat massacre pushed Muslims to look for other options. In this study, the impact of communal violence on the voting behaviour of Indian Muslims is studied with the help of a comparative study of Muslim voting patterns in Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and Kerala ..
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WATER SECURITY IN SOUTH ASIA: CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS
MUHAMMAD FAHEEM AND ASGHAR KHANThis paper explores the issue of water security in South Asia in the context of the non-traditional security framework. The dynamics of security have witnessed a considerable change in the post-Cold War era. This paper advocates for a broader and more comprehensive approach to understanding national and inter-state security in holistic terms rather than understanding it solely in traditional military terms. The paper attempts to substantiate the comprehensive security approach by analysing the increasing water scarcity between India and Pakistan as an emerging inter-state security threat in the South Asian region ..
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LESSONS FOR PAKISTAN’S EDUCATION SYSTEM FROM THE SOUTH ASIAN REGION
HUMERA IQBALThe foundation of a country’s progress is based on the achievements attained in the education sector. The paper examines Pakistan’s overall progress in the educational sector and its underlying factors. South Asia is one of the few regions marked among the illiterate of the world. Even among its peers within this illiterate region of the world, Pakistan lags behind in literacy despite its efforts. The paper analyses the causes and consequences of the poor education system in Pakistan. It also studies the impacts of educational shortcomings on the extremism landscape of the country. Best practices of Sri Lanka through a successful model of education to fight extremism and balanced religious education of the Maldives are examined for Pakistan to consider ..
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ENERGY DYNAMICS OF CHINA-PAKISTAN ECONOMIC CORRIDOR (CPEC)
SYED WAQAS HAIDER BUKHARI, MUSARRAT JABEEN, AND QAIM RAZA JAFFRYEnergy security is essential for the economic development of a state. At present, Pakistan is facing an energy shortfall of 6,000 to 7,000MW. This chronic scarcity has severely affected social lives and economic activity in the country. Energy is the pivot of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), with an estimated total investment of $4 trillion. China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), an integral part of the BRI, is an investment of $62 billion. CPEC apportions $34 billion for the energy sector ..
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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
