LUMS Student Policy Research Initiative

16/04/2026

Registrations are now officially open for the LUMS Research and Public Writing Fellowship.

This Fellowship is designed to take you from Idea → Research → Drafting → Publication, equipping you with the skills needed to produce work that meets real-world publishing standards.

We will also be providing direct pathways and platforms for publication, ensuring your work has somewhere to go beyond the workshop. Whether you’re looking to enter research, policy, or public discourse, this is your starting point.

Workshop can be attended both in person at LUMS and online!!

Event Date: 26th April, 2026
Registration Deadline: 22nd April

Register through the link in the the comment section or by scanning the QR codes in last picture.

Limited seats. Selective intake.
For any queries, contact 03053331519

22/02/2026

We are delighted to share that we, the LUMS Student Policy Research Initiative (LSPRI), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Eon Podcast in Lahore. The MOU was signed by Summaiya Aziz, President of LSPRI, and Asad Ullah Tariq, Co-founder of EON Podcast. EON Podcast is a podcast production platform dedicated to creating meaningful conversations around ideas, society, culture, and public affairs.

This collaboration aims to produce podcasts using EON Podcast’s facilities, enabling LSPRI to highlight important policy issues in Pakistan and beyond, and to make policy discussions more accessible to the public. The MOU also opens the door for future joint projects and collaborative initiatives.

We sincerely thank EON Podcast for their partnership and look forward to a productive and impactful collaboration.

05/12/2025

A powerful opening to The Peripheries Dialogue, bringing critical voices together to unpack Balochistan’s challenges and chart a way forward.

Our inaugural session of The Peripheries Dialogue: Balochistan – Challenges, Governance, and the Way Forward brought together students, faculty, and two distinguished voices to unpack the complex political and structural realities shaping Balochistan today. The conversation explored the province’s long history of marginalisation, the limits of Pakistan’s federal system, and the persistent information and representation gap that fuels a national “voice deficit.”

We were honoured to host Mr. Rafiullah Kakar, Member Planning Commission of Pakistan, who joined us online. A Rhodes Scholar and Oxford alumnus, his academic and policy insights — grounded in ongoing PhD research at Cambridge — added rare depth to the dialogue.

We were equally privileged to welcome Mr. Khushal Khan Kakar, founder and Chairman of Pashtunkhwa National Awami Party, who joined us in person. Representing a political tradition rooted in Balochistan’s peripheries, he shed light on governance, identity politics, and the lived realities of provincial representation.

We extend our sincere appreciation to Shabbir Ahmad Achakzai and Imaan Fatima, the initiative leads whose efforts made this event possible. A token of gratitude — souvenirs and a bouquet — was presented to Mr. Khushal Khan Kakar at the close of the session.

We thank both speakers for offering clarity and courage on the crisis in Balochistan, and all participants for engaging thoughtfully. We look forward to continuing these essential conversations as the Peripheries Dialogue moves to other marginalised regions.

03/12/2025

Our first session on the peripheries, The Peripheries Dialogue: Balochistan – Challenges, Governance, and the Way Forward, brings together two distinguished speakers to unpack the complex political realities of Balochistan. This conversation will delve into the province’s long history of marginalisation and the structural injustices faced by its people, the role of Pakistan’s federal system in either mitigating or deepening these challenges, and the persistent information gap that contributes to a national “voice deficit.” Through this dialogue, we aim to foreground perspectives that are often overlooked and explore meaningful pathways toward a more equitable and representative future for Balochistan.

Rafiullah Kakar: A Rhodes Scholar and Oxford alumnus with two master’s degrees (Public Policy and Global Governance & Diplomacy), Rafiullah brings rare academic depth to our discussion. He serves as Member Planning Commission of Pakistan, where he leads policy-research, planning, and reform efforts in education, health, youth, and social sectors across provinces — including his home province, Balochistan. His ongoing PhD research at the University of Cambridge compares education policy and state capacity in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — a direct engagement with structural inequalities relevant to our talk’s themes

Khushal Khan Kakar: Khushal Khan Kakar is a politician from Balochistan and currently serves as the founder and chairman of Pashtunkhwa National Awami Party (PNAP). As the son of late senator Usman Kakar, Khushal inherits a legacy of activism and political engagement rooted in Balochistan’s marginalized peripheries. His presence on our panel is especially relevant — through PNAP, he seeks to articulate concerns around provincial governance, representation, and identity politics from a Pashtun-Balochistan standpoint.

03/12/2025

Introducing The Peripheries Dialogue

In the mainstream discourse of “Pakistan Proper,” the voices of the “peripheries” are too often neglected, unheard, and marginalised. Launched by LSPRI, The Peripheries Dialogue is a student-led initiative at LUMS committed to bringing the lived realities, challenges, and complexities of Pakistan’s peripheries into the heart of intellectual debate.

Through a series of panel talks featuring experts, policymakers, activists, and thinkers from Balochistan, KPK, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Kashmir, we aim to rethink narratives and imagine what meaningful representation should truly look like.

This initiative will be lead by Imaan Fatima and Shabbir Ahmad.

Imaan Fatima, is a Political Science student at LUMS and Director Operations LSPRI. She holds an avid interest in policy research and writing. She is deeply interested in enhancing advocacy regarding the overlooked areas and marginalised communities of Pakistan.

Shabbir Ahmad Achakzai, is a law sophomore at LUMS and Director Podcasts LSPRI. Beside his interest in politics, his upbringing in Balochistan equips him with an emic perspective that will help him in leading this initiative.

30/11/2025

Centre for Business and Society (CBS) at LUMS, in partnership with the Punjab Women Protection Authority (PWPA) and the LUMS Student Policy Research Initiative (SPRI), invites the LUMS community to stand together for dignity, justice, and a violence-free world.

Join us on Tuesday, December 2, 2025, for a powerful two-part event:

🌿 Inauguration of the Tree of Support — 6:00 p.m. | SDSB
A symbolic space where students, staff, and faculty can share words of hope and strength for survivors of abuse. Your message becomes part of a collective call for compassion, healing, and change.

🚶 Solidarity Walk Across LUMS - 6:30 p.m. from SDSB
Walk with us as we raise our voices against all forms of gender-based violence. Together, we reaffirm that every woman and girl, online and offline deserves safety, respect, and empowerment.

📝 Sign Up to Join the Walk: https://forms.gle/L69J3noVymGcFyKe7

Let’s show up. Let’s speak up. Let’s walk together.

10/11/2025

Pakistan gave the world its first Muslim woman Prime Minister — but has real representation followed? In Pakistan’s neighbour India, women now hold 14.4% of seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha — the highest ever, yet still far from parity. The Women’s Reservation Act (2023) aims for 33% representation, turning inclusion into real empowerment.

In Pakistan, women on reserved seats are chosen through party lists — often without constituency accountability, resources, or influence — serving as political tokens within dynastic structures. Yet, despite these limitations, women legislators have driven landmark reforms like the Anti-Harassment and Anti-Rape Acts.

By comparing global models — India’s constituency-based quotas, Rwanda’s holistic empowerment policies, and South Africa’s party-based gender quotas — this reel argues that Pakistan must move from selected to elected representation. Democratizing nominations, increasing women’s tickets on general seats, and investing in gender-focused education can turn reserved seats from symbolic placeholders into true platforms for empowerment.

09/11/2025

Mushtaq Ahmad Khan

LUMS...
لمز لاہور ٹیم