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Dr. Amina Khan


Director of the Centre for Afghanistan, Middle East & Africa (CAMEA)

Dr. Amina Khan is the Director of the Centre for Afghanistan, Middle East & Africa (CAMEA) at the Institute of Strategic Studies (ISSI), Islamabad, where she oversees the Centre’s research, policy engagement, and advocacy on Afghanistan, the Middle East, Africa, terrorism, and regional strategic affairs. Prior to assuming this role, she served as a Research Fellow and subsequently as a Senior Research Fellow at ISSI, specializing in Afghanistan, the Middle East, and terrorism.

With over two decades of research and policy experience, Dr. Khan has published extensively and has presented her research at numerous national and international forums. She is also the author of five edited books: The COVID Challenge and its Impact on the Middle East and Africa (2021), The Evolving Situation in Afghanistan: International and Regional Perspectives (2022), Pakistan’s Strategic Frontiers (2023), The Return of the Taliban: International and Regional Perspectives(2024) and an upcoming book, Shifting Alliances: Connectivity and Trade in an Evolving Regional Landscape ( October 2026), Transnational Terrorism: From Afghanistan to Africa (2025) and an upcoming book, titled ‘Shifting Alliances : Security, Connectivity and Trade in an Evolving Regional Landscape ‘ to be published in 2026 .

Dr. Khan is a recipient of the prestigious OSI/FCO Chevening Scholarship (2009–2010). She holds an MSc in Democracy, Politics and Governance from Royal Holloway, University of London, and an MSc in Defence and Strategic Studies from Quaid-i-Azam University. She was a Visiting Fellow at German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) in 2011.

Dr. Khan earned her PhD in Defence and Strategic Studies from Quaid-i-Azam University.

Mail aminakhan@issi.org.pk

Issue Brief on “Abdullah’s Visit to Pakistan: A New Path to Pak-Afghan Ties”

Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, Chairman of Afghanistan's High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR) paid a three-day official visit to Pakistan from September 28-30, 2020. The visit was...

Issue Brief on “Intra-Afghan Dialogue: Breaking The Ice”

After nearly nineteen years of bloodshed and instability in Afghanistan, there is now finally some concrete positive news. After months of uncertainty and waiting,...

Issue Brief on “Intra-Afghan Talks: A Ray of Hope”

Statements coming from Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, President Ashraf Ghani, and the Taliban indicate that the highly anticipated and much awaited intra-Afghan talks between the...

Reconciliation and Social Healing, Heela Najibullah, Springer, 2017, 232.

The book, Reconciliation and Social Healing, by Heela Najibullah is an analysis of past-Afghan reconciliation processes namely those in 1986 and 2010 but with...

Issue Brief on “Afghanistan and Covid-19: Opportunity for Afghans to Work Together?”

Like every other country in the world, Afghanistan has also been affected by the Corona virus also known as COVID-19. On March 22, Afghanistan...

Issue Brief on “Taliban-US Peace Deal: An Appraisal”

After nearly two decades of protracted war, bloodshed and all the baggage that war carries, the US and the Afghan Taliban finally signed a...

Issue Brief on “US-Taliban Talks: Hurdles in the Way of Peace”

July 2018 marked the beginning of the first official and direct US-Taliban talks in Doha, Qatar, igniting hopes for a peaceful settlement to end...

Issue Brief on “Elections in Afghanistan: An Uncertain Outcome”

On September 28, 2019, Afghanistan witnessed its fourth Presidential elections since the ouster of the Taliban in 2001. It was hoped that elections would...

Islamabad paper on “Extension of CPEC to Afghanistan: Pros and Cons”

Abstract The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is the flagship project of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) that will cover a distance of 2700 km,connecting...

Report – In-House Meeting with “Ethiopian Delegation”

The Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) hosted an In-House Meeting on September 12, 2019, with a 9-member Ethiopian delegation headed by H.E. Ambassador...