The Pakistan Institute of International Affairs (PIIA) () is a

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from g ...

based in

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former ...

whose mission is to analyse and promote the understanding of major international issues and

current affairs Current affairs may refer to: News * ''Current Affairs'' (magazine) a bimonthly magazine of culture and politics. * Current affairs (news format): a genre of broadcast journalism * Current Affairs, former name for Behind the News Politics * A ...

History

PIIA was founded in 1947 in Karachi in affiliation with the

Royal Institute of International Affairs Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a ...

(RIIA), London, and the

Institute of Pacific Relations The Institute of Pacific Relations (IPR) was an international NGO established in 1925 to provide a forum for discussion of problems and relations between nations of the Pacific Rim. The International Secretariat, the center of most IPR activity o ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

. The formal inauguration by the

prime minister of Pakistan The prime minister of Pakistan ( ur, , romanized: Wazīr ē Aʿẓam , ) is the head of government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen cabinet, despite the president of Pak ...

Liaquat Ali Khan Liaquat Ali Khan ( ur, ; 1 October 1895 – 16 October 1951), also referred to in Pakistan as ''Quaid-e-Millat'' () or ''Shaheed-e-Millat'' ( ur, lit=Martyr of the Nation, label=none, ), was a Pakistani statesman, lawyer, political theorist ...

took place on 26 March 1948. The draft memorandum of the PIIA was considered and approved on 28 September 1948. Housed first in the Intelligence School on Queen's Road, the PIIA later moved to Frere Hall and thence, in 1955 (when the institute's building was completed), to its present location on Aiwan-e-Sadar Road.

Standing

According to a research report published by the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Programme (TTCSP) at the University of Pennsylvania that Pakistan Institute of International Affairs have clinched position among top 20 think tanks of the world, PIIA has secured the 18th position among 95 other think tanks in South Asia and the Pacific region in 2015 Global Go To Think Tank Index Report published on January 29. The PIIA stands high in ranking of research institutes especially in the context of Pakistan. Besides other famous personalities and renowned scholars from around the world, PIIA members have also been addressed by several heads of states and government from around the world including Prof.

Arnold J. Toynbee Arnold Joseph Toynbee (; 14 April 1889 – 22 October 1975) was an English historian, a philosopher of history, an author of numerous books and a research professor of international history at the London School of Economics and King's Colle ...

, Mr. Justice

Potter Stewart Potter Stewart (January 23, 1915 – December 7, 1985) was an American lawyer and judge who served as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court from 1958 to 1981. During his tenure, he made major contributions to, among other areas ...

of the

US Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point of ...

and Mr. Justice

Philip C. Jessup Philip Caryl Jessup (February 5, 1897 – January 31, 1986), also Philip C. Jessup, was a 20th-century American diplomat, scholar, and jurist notable for his accomplishments in the field of international law. Early life and education Philip ...

of the

International Court of Justice The International Court of Justice (ICJ; french: Cour internationale de justice, links=no; ), sometimes known as the World Court, is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN). It settles disputes between states in accordanc ...

; statesmen such as

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike ( si, සොලොමන් වෙස්ට් රිජ්වේ ඩයස් බණ්ඩාරනායක; ta, சாலமன் வெஸ்ட் ரிட்ஜ்வே டயஸ் ப� ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

Clement Attlee Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee, (3 January 18838 October 1967) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1935 to 1955. He was Deputy Prime Min ...

Henry Kissinger Henry Alfred Kissinger (; ; born Heinz Alfred Kissinger, May 27, 1923) is a German-born American politician, diplomat, and geopolitical consultant who served as United States Secretary of State and National Security Advisor under the preside ...

and

Ralph Bunche Ralph Johnson Bunche (; August 7, 1904 – December 9, 1971) was an American political scientist, diplomat, and leading actor in the mid-20th-century decolonization process and US civil rights movement, who received the 1950 Nobel Peace Prize f ...

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was t ...

Sutan Sjahrir Sutan Sjahrir (5 March 1909 – 9 April 1966) was an Indonesian politician, and revolutionary independence leader, who served as the first Prime Minister of Indonesia, from 1945 until 1947. Previously, he was a key Indonesian nationalist organiz ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

; and national leaders such as Prime Minister

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese f ...

Ayub Khan Ayub Khan is a compound masculine name; Ayub is the Arabic version of the name of the Biblical figure Job, while Khan or Khaan is taken from the title used first by the Mongol rulers and then, in particular, their Islamic and Persian-influenced ...

, Prime Minister

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Zulfikar (or Zulfiqar) Ali Bhutto ( ur, , sd, ذوالفقار علي ڀٽو; 5 January 1928 – 4 April 1979), also known as Quaid-e-Awam ("the People's Leader"), was a Pakistani barrister, politician and statesman who served as the four ...

, President

General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...

Zia-ul-Haq, Prime Minister

Benazir Bhutto Benazir Bhutto ( ur, بینظیر بُھٹو; sd, بينظير ڀُٽو; Urdu ; 21 June 1953 – 27 December 2007) was a Pakistani politician who served as the 11th and 13th prime minister of Pakistan from 1988 to 1990 and again from 1993 ...

Chief Justice of Pakistan } The Chief Justice of Pakistan (Urdu: ) ( initials as CJP) is head of the court system of Pakistan (the judicature branch of government) and the chief judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan. The officeholder is the senior most of 17 senior ...

Justice

Syed Sajjad Ali Shah Syed Sajjad Ali Shah ( ur, سید سجاد علی شاہ; 17 February 1933 – 7 March 2017) was a Pakistani judge who served as the 13th Chief Justice of Pakistan from 4 June 1994 to 2 December 1997. He had been appointed as Chief Justice ...

, Foreign Minister

Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri (Urdu: خورشيد محمود قصورى; born 18 June 1941), is a Pakistani politician and writer who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan between November 2002 until November 2007. He is the Senior Ad ...

, Admiral

Afzal Tahir Admiral (Pakistan), Admiral Muhammad Afzal Tahir ( ur, ; b. 4 January 1949) was a Pakistan Navy officer, writer, and the military historian currently serving in the faculty at the Pakistan Navy War College, Naval War College of Pakistan Navy ...

and President General

Pervez Musharraf General Pervez Musharraf ( ur, , Parvez Muśharraf; born 11 August 1943) is a former Pakistani politician and four-star general of the Pakistan Army who became the tenth president of Pakistan after the successful military takeover of t ...

. In April 2017, National Security Adviser to the

prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

Nawaz Sharif Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif (Urdu, Punjabi: ; born 25 December 1949) is a Pakistani businessman and politician who has served as the Prime Minister of Pakistan for three non-consecutive terms. He is the longest-serving prime minister of Pak ...

, Mr Janjua addressed an event arranged by the Pakistan Institute of International Affairs.

Objectives

The institute is a nonofficial, nonpartisan, nonprofit body. Its objectives are to encourage and facilitate an understanding of international affairs, and of the conditions and attitudes of foreign countries and their peoples; and to promote the scientific study of international politics, economics and jurisprudence.

Areas of research

Foreign relations and diplomacy, security and defense, development studies, economic issues, political issues. Conflict Resolution, Human Rights, Armament, Disarmament and Dynamics of Security in the World.

Funding sources

Self generated. Rental income (80%), membership fees (3%), sales of publications(3%). Does not accept contract research. Budget (2000): USD 47,430.

Staff

Twenty one ( 19 male, 2 females ), including two in research, one professional librarian, and 18 among administrative staff members. ''Executive Officers'' *

Masuma Hasan Masuma Hasan is a Pakistani diplomat, chairperson of Pakistan Institute of International Affairs, who served secretary to the government of Pakistan and later ambassador of Pakistan to International Atomic Energy Agency. In 2014, she was name ...

(Chairperson)Recognition: Dr Masuma Hasan named goodwill envoy
The Express Tribune (newspaper), Published 16 July 2014, Retrieved 12 September 2020 * Saqib, Amjad (Secretary)

Periodicals

''Pakistan Horizon'', founded in 1948 is the oldest research journal of international affairs on the Indian sub-continent. (English, quarterly, exchange/subscription) Library: 30,557 books, 225 periodicals.

Research findings

All accessible. Some recent titles of Pakistan Horizon include: Kashmir (April 2003); Pakistan-India Relations (July 2004); Afghanistan after 9/11 (January 2006), Pakistan's Foreign Policy Analysis (April 2007), Challenges to Global Security (July 2007, Women's Concerns in International Relations (October 2007)and Founding Members' Number (January–April 2008).

Former research officers

* Khalida Qureshi from 1962, later director of research and editor Pakistan Horizon, a position she held until her death in 1983 * Ambassador Karamatullah K. Ghori *

Zubeida Mustafa Zubeida Mustafa (born 1941) is a freelance journalist from Pakistan. She became one of the first woman to work in the country's mainstream media, when she joined the Dawn newspaper in 1975. Early life Born in British India, Zubeida Mustafa move ...

* Prof. Dr. Naveed Ahmed Tahir * Prof. Dr. Moonis Ahmar * Prof. Dr. Sheikh Mutahir Ahmed * Tehmina Mehmood * Dr. Samina Ahmed * Nausheen Wasi * Syed Junaid Ahsan * Nabiha Gul * Sanam Noor * Fizzah Ali * Yasir Hanif * Muhammad Adeel Qureshi

Head of Research

* Dr.

Former chairpersons

Fatehyab Ali Khan Fatehyab Ali Khan (1936 – 26 September 2010) was a Pakistani social and political activist and lawyer, who served as chairperson of the Pakistan Institute of International Affairs, president of Mazdoor Kisan Party, and the first-ever presiden ...

, (1936 – 26 September 2010)