Past Events

Migration Research Cell, Department of Political Science, University of Peshawar, in collaboration with Sussex Center for Migration Research, UK, organised the 2nd International Conference on ‘Protracted Displacement Crises in Pakistan’ at the University of Peshawar campus. The conference was attended by scholars from the University of Sussex, the University of York, the University of Oxford, and the Samuel Hall organisation from the UK. Several scholars from Pakistani universities also participated in the event. Three professors from the University of Sussex—Prof. Michael Collyer, Dr. Tahir Zaman, and Dr. Ceri Oeppen—travelled to Peshawar to attend in person.

The Department of Political Science, since 2011, has organised 10 annual international conferences on the Pak-Afghan Borderland. These conferences have been organised in collaboration with a German organisation, namely the Hanns Seidel Foundation. They have attracted scholars from around the world, including the UK, USA, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, who have presented their papers. The proceedings of these conferences are published for a much wider public.

The Department of Political Science at the University of Peshawar, in collaboration with the University of Sussex, UK, organised an international conference on the theme of ‘Protracted Displacement Crises in Pakistan’ at Sahabzada Abdul Qayyum Museum Hall, University of Peshawar, on 5th May 2023. Ms. Aneela Mehfooz Durrani, Secretary of the Higher Education Archives and Libraries Department of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, was the chief guest on this occasion. Academics such as Prof. Michael Collyer and Dr. Ceri Oeppen from the University of Sussex, Dr. Yasmin Fedda from Queen Mary University of London, Muhammad Salman from King’s College London, Dr. Claude Samaha from Basmeh and Zeitooneh, Lebanon, Bilal Khan and Dr.. Rashid Ali from Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Faraz Ali from the University of Swabi, Dr. Rizwan Zeb from PAF Air War College Institute, Karachi, and Dr. Abdul Rauf, Dr. Shahida Aman, Dr. Ayub Jan, Dr. Abida Bano, and Shahzad Ali from the University of Peshawar, participated. In addition to academics, delegates from UNHCR, the International Organisation of Migration, representatives of local NGOs, media personnel, and a large number of students and faculty from various educational institutions across Pakistan attended the conference.

The Migration Research Cell organised and hosted a roundtable meeting of stakeholders under the ‘Better Assistance in Crises’ project, which is jointly managed with the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, and the Department of Political Science, University of Peshawar. The meeting was attended by NGOs/INGOs, IOM, UNHCR, and various government departments involved in providing social assistance to migrants (IDPs and Afghan refugees) in Pakistan. Dr Tahir Zaman and Dr Michael Collyer from the University of Sussex, along with Dr. Shahida Aman and Dr. Ayub Jan from the University of Peshawar, participated in the meeting. The discussion sparked an engaging debate about the challenges and opportunities associated with social assistance for IDPs and Afghan refugees in Pakistan.

Past Events

2nd International Conference by MRC, Department of Political Science and Sussex University

Annual International Conferences on the Pak-Afghan Borderland

1st International Conference of the Department of Political Science and Sussex University Protracted displacement crises in Pakistan

MRC’s Stakeholders' Meeting