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Mahwish Hafeez


Research Fellow

Areas of Research:

South Asia and Jammu and Kashmir Dispute

Ms. Mahwish Hafeez joined the Institute of Strategic Studies, Islamabad as a Research Fellow and has been focusing on South Asian Affairs and the Jammu and Kashmir dispute. She holds a Master’s degree in Defence and Diplomatic Studies from Fatima Jinnah Women University, Rawalpindi, and a Bachelor’s degree with majors in Journalism and Sociology. Currently, she is enrolled in an M.Phil. Program at the School of Politics and International Relations, Quaid – i –Azam University, Islamabad with her thesis focusing on the refugee issue. She is also an alumna of the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Hawaii. She has over a decade of experience with several publications to her credit. She has represented the institute at numerous national and international seminars and conferences.

Mail mahwish.hafeez@issi.org.pk

Issue Brief on “‘Detect, Delete and Deport’: India’s Holding Centres and the Expulsion of...

Introduction Just three days after forming first Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in West Bengal, the newly elected Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari directed all 23...

Issue Brief on “New Districts in Ladakh: Muslim Concerns over Representation and Administrative Reorganisation”

Following the initial announcement by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in 2024, the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh Vinai Kumar Saxena, gave his approval for...

Issue Brief on “India’s policy in West Asia Crisis: The Dominance of Economic and...

Introduction India’s policy during the current West Asia crisis is driven by strong economic, strategic and diplomatic stakes with the US, Israel and the Gulf...

Issue Brief on “Lithium in IIOJK – Between Promise and Anxiety”

On March 15, 2023, Indian Ministry of Minerals announced discovery of 5.9 million tonnes of lithium in Salal-Haimna areas of Reasi district in Indian...

Issue Brief on “IIOJK in 2025: Governance, Human Rights, and the Politics of Control”

Introduction The year 2025 brought no respite for the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), who continued to suffer under Indian illegal...

Issue Brief on “The 1947 Jammu Massacre and the Role of the RSS: A...

The Jammu massacre of 1947, in which the Hindu extremist group, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), played a pivotal role, is a mostly unexplored episode...

Issue Brief on “The Ashoka Emblem In Hazratbal Shrine : Another Attempt of Erasing...

In September 2025, the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) once again found itself at the center of a storm. This time, a...

Issue Brief on “Revisiting the Chattisinghpura Killings: India’s Forgotten False Flag Operation”

The recent crisis between India and Pakistan following the killing of 26 tourists at Pahalgam, Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), is another...

Issue Brief on “Domicide, Arrests, and Hate Wave : Kashimiris Pay the Price of...

The 22 April attack in Pahalgam, in which 26 tourists including a national of Nepal, lost their lives caused a pall of gloom not...

Issue Brief on “Pahalgam Incident: Another False Flag Operation?”

For the past several years, Pakistan has been forewarning the international community regarding the possibility of India carrying out yet another false flag operation....