Dr. Abida Bano

Designation and Administrative Responsibilities

Dr Abida Bano has a PhD in Political Science from the USA as a Fulbright scholar. Her specialization is Comparative Politics (Democratization, Civil Society, and Social Movements as subfields and political theory as a minor). During her PhD, she received intensive training in research methodologies at the Institute for Qualitative and Multimethod Research (IQMR) at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University, New York. Alongside this, she completed a year-long teaching and mentoring certificate program with the Office of Faculty Development at Western Michigan University, USA. She is a life member of the National Political Science Honor Society (PI SIGMA ALPHA – Michigan Chapter) of the United States for her academic excellence. She has also completed a year-long program on Developing Women’s Leadership in Higher Education (2023-2024) from Michigan State University, USA.

 

Research Interests

Women and Politics; Democratization; Formal and Informal institutions; Contentious politics; Radicalization and violent extremism; Terrorist organizations; Qualitative Methods

Education

  • PhD in Political Science, 2017 – Western Michigan University (USA). *Dissertation: Women’s Representation in Local Democracy: Formal and Informal Institutions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Professor Jim Butterfield, Chair
  • Phil. in Political Science, July 2012 – University of Peshawar, Pakistan. Thesis: *Women’s Empowerment Through Gender Mainstreaming in Pakistan: An Assessment of the Achievements under the Devolution Plan 2001. Professor Johar Ali, Chair, and Professor Taj Muharram Khan as Co-supervisor
  • MA in Political Science, July 2000 – University of Peshawar, Pakistan
  • Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Psychology, June 1998 – The University of Punjab, Pakistan
  • Bachelor of Education, July 2007 – University of Peshawar, Pakistan

Academic and Administrative Experience

Teaching Experience at the University of Peshawar, Pakistan

  1. Faculty member, Department of Political Science, (August 16, 2024, to date)
  2. Faculty member, Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies (IPCS|UOP) since February 04, 2019 – August 15, 2024
  3. Lecturer, Institute of Social Development Studies/Institute of Social Work, Sociology and Gender Studies/Department of Gender Studies, December 09, 2009 – February 2019
  4. Lecturer, Department of Gender Studies, October 31, 2008 – December 08, 2009

 

Administrative Experience

  1. Acting Director, Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Peshawar, February 2, 2024, to May 15. 2024.
  2. Chair, Board of Governors, Initiative for Development and Empowerment Axis (IDEA), Peshawar (2017-2023)
  3. Coordinator, Gender Studies at the Institute of Social Work, Sociology and Gender Studies, University of Peshawar, 8.10.2010 – 25.09.2012
  4. Program Director, Women Development and Gender Mainstreaming, M/S. Initiative for Development and Empowerment Axis (IDEA), September 12, 2005 – October 30, 2008

Consultancies

UN WOMEN (2026). The study title “Safe Cities: Sexual Harassment of Women in Public Spaces in Peshawar, Pakistan. 

Research Fellowships

July – August 2025    Berlin Centre for Global Engagement (BCGE) Travel Fellowship availed at the Institute of Asian and African Studies (IAAW), Humboldt-Universität, Berlin, Germany.

 June – August 2023   Colibri Research Fellowship, Institute of Asian and African

Studies (IAAW), Humboldt-Universität, Berlin, Germany.

Publications

Book Chapters

  1. Bano, A. (2023). “Hegemony and Decolonizing Research Praxis: A Researcher’s Journey in the Peripheries of Pakistan.” In edited book by Fleschenberg, A., Kresse, K., & Castillo, R. (2024). Thinking with the South: Reframing Research Collaboration amid Decolonial Imperatives and Challenges. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter. (Pp 215-248) https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110780567

Book Reviews

Bano, A. (2024). Book review: Faiza Muhammad Din: Female Madrasas in Pakistan – Religious, Cultural and Pedagogical Dimensions. [Review of the book Female Madrasas in Pakistan: Religious, Cultural and Pedagogical Dimensions, by F. Muhammad Din]. International Quarterly for Asian Studies (IQAS), 55(3). https://doi.org/10.11588/iqas.2024.3.27407 

Peer-reviewed Articles – Published

  1. Ullah, S., & Bano, A. (2026). Politics of Media Portrayal: Analyzing the Coverage of the Fall of Kabul in Pakistani Newspapers. Journal of Asian Development Studies, 15(2), 72-83. https://doi.org/10.62345/jads.2026.15.2.7
  2. Bano, A., & Ruby, T. F. (2025). Drone attacks and non-grievable lives: erasure of collateral damage in the Northwestern borderlands of Pakistan. Contemporary South Asia, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/09584935.2025.2555175
  3. Ullah, K. & Bano, A. (2025). EXPLORING TERRORIST ALLIANCES IN NORTHWESTERN BORDERLANDS OF PAKISTAN: TEHRIK-E-TALIBAN PAKISTAN IN FOCUS. PAKISTAN, 65(2), 1–32. Retrieved from https://pscjournal.pk/index.php/pakistan/article/view/225
  4. Ullah, K., & Bano, A. (2025). Assessing the implications of TTP regional alliances on the internal security of Pakistan. Dialogue Social Science Review (DSSR), 3(9), 626–639. Retrieved from https://dialoguesreview.com/index.php/2/article/view/1024
  5. Shah, M., Ahmed, S., & Bano, A. (2025). Exploring connections between social science education and resilience against violent extremism: A study of selected universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Advance Social Science Archive Journal, 4(1), 2994–3008. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16937759
  6. Khan, S., & Bano, A. (2025). Exploring the impact of insurgency on minorities in District Buner: Tehrik e Taliban in focus. Policy Research Journal, 3(10), 861–871. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17627164
  7. Alam, A., Owais, S., & Bano, A. (2024). Bridging the climate-gender divide through climate change governance in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Migration Letters, 21(S6), 2166–2180. https://migrationletters.com/index.php/ml/article/view/11893
  8. Bano, A., & Alam, A. (2024). Women’s agency and provincial autonomy: a study of post-18th Amendment local government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Journal of Humanities, Social and Management Sciences (JHSMS), 5(1), 191–207. https://doi.org/10.47264/idea.jhsms/5.1.11
  9. Aslam, T., Rehman, A. U., & Bano, A. (2024). Exploring Causes of Radicalization and Violent Extremism among Children: The Effects of Toy Guns on Children in Pakistan. Pakistan Journal of Criminology, 16(04), 37-54. https://doi.org/10.62271/pjc.16.4.37.54
  10. Bano, A. (2021). Women’s Rights and Democratic Transitions: A Comparative Study of Democratic Transitions in Pakistan, Chile, and South Africa. Review of Human Rights, 7(1), 1-26. https://doi.org/10.35994/rhr.v7i1.164
  11. Wasai, Ullah, J., & Bano, A. (2020). Militancy and Pashtun Culture: Challenges and Developments in Pashtun Society in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Liberal Arts and Social Sciences International Journal (LASSIJ), 3(2), 115–127. https://ideapublishers.org/index.php/lassij/article/view/66
  12. *Ahmad, S., & Bano, A. (2021). Professionals unprepared: A critical appraisal of social work practice at the Drug Abuse Rehabilitation Centers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Journal of Humanities, Social and Management Sciences (JHSMS), 2(1), 108–120. https://doi.org/10.47264/idea.jhsms/2.1.10
  13. *Alam, F., Ahmad, S., & Bano, A. (2020). Jirga and Dispensation of Social Welfare Services: A Case Study of Mohmand Tribal District, Pakistan. Liberal Arts and Social Sciences International Journal, 4(1), 231–241. https://ideapublishers.org/index.php/lassij/article/view/118 https://ideapublishers.org/index.php/lassij/article/view/118
  14. Khan, S., & Bano, A. (2020). Women and Sufism in South Asia: A Survey of Historical Trends. Liberal Arts and Social Sciences International Journal, 4(2), 202–214. https://ideapublishers.org/index.php/lassij/article/view/173
  15. Faheem, F., Bano, A., & Xingang, W. (2020). Reinventing the Identity and Interests: Pakistan and the Middle East (1971 to 1979). Liberal Arts and Social Sciences International Journal, 4(2), 242–255. https://doi.org/10.47264/idea.lassij/4.2.19
  16. *Ahmad, S., & Bano, A. (2020). Rehabilitation of Children with Intellectual Disability: Challenges in Social Skills Training in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Liberal Arts and Social Sciences International Journal, 4(1), 171–188. https://ideapublishers.org/index.php/lassij/article/view/77
  17. Holz, S., & Bano, A. (2022). Navigating Respectability in Patriarchal Contexts: Ethical Dilemmas of Women Researchers in Pakistan. International Quarterly for Asian Studies, 53(4), 553–585. DOI:     https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.11588/iqas.2022.4.2080 & URL:https://hasp.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/journals/iqas/article/view/20800
  1. Ahmad, N., & Bano, A. (2019). Women’s Political Empowerment through Local Government in the Patriarchal Society of Pakistan. Liberal Arts and Social Sciences International Journal (LASSIJ), 3(1), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.47264/idea.lassij/3.1.1
  2. Ahmad, N., Bano*, A., & Rehman, A. (2017). Impact of the Informal Institutional Forces on the Local Government Elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Liberal Arts and Social Sciences International Journal, 1(1), 62–70. https://doi.org/10.47264/idea.lassij/1.1.7
  3. Khan,, & Bano, A. (2022). Religion, Community Resilience and the Politics of Development Projects: A Case of Pashtun Society of Pakistan bordering Afghanistan. PAKISTAN, 61(July-December),1–35. http://www.pscjournal.pk/index.php/pakistan/article/view/89

Editorials and Reviewed Articles

  1. Bano, A., Holz, S., & Tareen, M. (2023). Pashtun Millennials: Striving for Alternative Futures. South Asia Chronicle, (13), 1–17. https://www.iaaw.hu-berlin.de/de/region/suedasien/publikationen/sachronik/01-focus-bano-abida-sarah-holz-mateeullah-tareen-pashtun-millennials.pdf
  2. Alam, A., & Bano, A. (2023). A Journey of a Thousand Miles: A Step Toward a Pashtun Women’s Movement in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. South Asia Chronicle, (13), 115–142.https://doi.org/https://www.iaaw.hu-berlin.de/en/region/southasia/publications/sachronicle

Editors Experience

  1. Pashtun Millennials: Striving for Alternative Futures, edited by Mateeullah Tareen, Abida Bano, and Sarah Holz, South Asia Chronicle (13), URL:   https://www.iaaw.hu-berlin.de/en/region/southasia/publications/sachronicle

2023.      Negotiating Research Ethics in Volatile Contexts, Part II, edited by Abida Bano,                Rosa Cordillera A. Castillo, Sarah Holz and Andrea Fleschenberg, International    Quarterly for Asian Studies 54 (1),    https://hasp.ub.uniheidelberg.de/journals/iqas/issue/view/1136 

2022.      Negotiating Research Ethics in Volatile Contexts, Part I, edited by Abida Bano, \ Rosa Cordillera A. Castillo, Sarah Holz and Andrea Fleschenberg, International Quarterly                for Asian Studies 53 (4),                https://hasp.ub.uniheidelberg.de/journals/iqas/issue/view/1172

Leadership Training/Courses

FEB.-DEC. 2022       Women Leaders in Higher Education in Pakistan (February 2022 -December 2022) by Michigan State University, MI, USA, and funded by the United States Embassy, Islamabad

Teaching and Research Skills/Training

2016-2017   Graduate Student Teaching Institute, Office of Faculty Development, Western Michigan University (It was a one-year-long Teaching mentoring program to train graduate students for teaching careers at the university) 

2016     Graduate Student Teaching Intensive, Western Michigan University, Michigan (A week-long teaching training program to introduce graduate students to teaching pedagogies in diverse classrooms).

 2015    Intensive Research Methodologies Summer course at the Institute of Qualitative and Multimethod Research (IQMR) at Syracuse University, New York State, NY. 20155                                                                   

 2011       Action Research Training on Gender Issues by Kartini – Sephis Network at University de Manila, Philippines, 2011

Conference Presentations

2025     A paper titled “Unsafe Futures: Examining Sexual Abuse among Girl Children and Remedial Measures in Selected Districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan” was presented at the International Conference themed as Localizing Child Protection in the Age of Crisis: Pathways for Safety, Resilience, and Dignified Childhood by the Department of Social Work in collaboration with UNICEF, Pakistan (November 19-21)

2025    A paper titled “A Journey of Transformation and Resilience: Exploring Women’s Role in Fostering Peace in District Khyber, Pakistan” was presented at the International Conference on ‘Geopolitics from Below: Affect and Social Sciences in Pakistan’ organized by Quaid Azam University, Islamabad, in collaboration with King’s College London, UK (January 7-8)

2024     Presented a paper on “The Plight of Afghan Musicians: Navigating Necro politics, biopower, and Taliban Regime in Afghanistan” at the British Association of South Asian Studies (BASAS) at King’s College London, UK (September 9-1, 2024)

2023    Paper presented on “Exploring Intersectionality and Power Dynamics in Resilience-building Interventions for Displaced Communities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan ” at the International Conference by the Department of Political Science and the University of Sussex, UK.

2022    Paper presented on “Politics of the War on Terror: Missing ‘Gender’ in the News Media Coverage of Drone Warfare in the Borderlands of Pakistan.” Two-day International Conference on Mapping the Wounded Landscape of Swat Valley: From Taliban Violence and Iconoclasm to Social Growth and Reconciliation, organized by the British Academy Award, King’s College London, SOAS (University of London), and the University of Malakand (4 & 5 June 2022)

2021     The paper presented was “A Tale to be Told: Researchers’ Risks and Negotiations during Fieldwork in the Conflict Zones in Pakistan.”  Aman Conference: Religion, Peace, and Violence in the 21st Century, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, organized by the Department of Social Work, University of Peshawar (August 24, 2021)

2019   Paper presented on “Setting the Stage: Challenges for Governance in Erstwhile FATA, Pakistan.” International Political Science Conference, organized by Hans Seidel Foundation and Department of Political Science, University of Peshawar, Pakistan, Bara Gali, Pakistan

2018     Paper presented on “The Interaction between Formal and Informal Institutions in Women’s Representation in Local Democracy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.” American Political Science Association’s Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA. USA (August 24-30)

2017   Paper presented on “Formal and Informal Institutions.” International Graduate Students Conference, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI. USA (February 16-18).

2016   Paper presented on “Pakhtunwali: Informal Institutions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.” Junior Scholars Conference on Pakistan, Madison, WI, USA.

2015   Poster presentation on “Pro-Women Legislations in Pakistan” at the Midwest Political Science Association’s Annual Conference, Chicago, IL. USA (March)

Honours/Awards

  • Colibri Research Fellowship at Humboldt University, Berlin (July-August 2023)
  • Fulbright PhD Scholarship, 2012 – 2017
  • Borsos scholarship, Dept. of Political Science, Western Michigan University (WMU), MI, April 12, 2016
  • Claude and Philip scholarship, Department of Political Science, Western Michigan University, April 11, 2017
  • Award for Qualitative Methods – IQMR at Syracuse University, New York State, 2015
  • Research Grant by Graduate College, Western Michigan University, 2014
  • Kartini–Sephis Fellowship, Manila, Philippines, 2011
  • Sangat Fellowship, Rajindarapur, Bangladesh, 2010
  • HEC – British Council Grant to attend a Semester at Warwick University, UK, 2010

Travel Grants

  • Travel grant, British Association of South Asian Studies (BASAS), 2024.
  • Travel grant, American Political Science Association, Philadelphia, PA. 2018
  • Travel grant, East-West Center, the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu. 2017
  • Travel grant, Department of Political Science, Western Michigan University, MI. 2017
  • Travel grant, American Institute of Pakistan Studies, Madison, WI. 2016
  • Travel Grant, Institute of International Education (IIE), Department of State, USA 2015

 

Research Supervision

Supervised MS/M.Phil. Theses

  1. Aziz Ahmad (Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies). (2026). The study title is “Pakistan’s Security Imperatives: Challenges in Nuclear Arms Control.”
  2. Karim Ullah (2025). The study title is “Terrorists in Alliance: A Study of Tehrik Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and its Alliances with the major regional Terrorist Organizations.”
  3. Tahir Zaman (2025). The study title is “Governance Issues and Informality in Tribal Districts: A Case Study of North Waziristan, Pakistan.”
  4. Abdul Ali Khan. (2024). The study title is “A Critical Analysis of the USA’s Peacebuilding in Afghanistan (2000 – 2021).”
  5. Sajjad. (2023). The study title is “Afghan Musicians Displaced: An Analysis of Post-Taliban Takeover (2021) in Afghanistan.”
  6. Yusra Khan. (2023). “The Role of Women’s Empowerment in Peacebuilding in District Khyber, Pakistan.”
  7. Bashir Ahmad. (2022). “Women’s Role in Peacebuilding: A Study of Post-conflict Swat (2009-2019)”. 

 

PhD. Co-supervision (Completed)

  • Aisha Alam. (2026). Her study title is “Feminization of Energy Poverty in Changing Climatic Conditions: Exploring gender inequalities in renewable energy resources in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.”
  • Mudassir Shah (2025). The study title is “The Role of Social Sciences Education in Countering Violent Extremism: A Study of the Selected Public Sector Universities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.”
  • Majid Khan (Submitted dissertation for evaluation). His study is titled “Propaganda, a System for Competitive Control: A Study of Tehrik Taliban Pakistan (TTP).”

 

Service to the University of Peshawar

  1. Member, ASRB Social Sciences Subcommittee I, March 2024 to March 2026
  2. Member, ASRB Social Sciences Sub-Committee II, 08.03.2022-07.03.2024
  1. Member, Graduate Studies Committee at the Department of Social Work, University of Peshawar, 09.03.2022 to date
  2. Member of the Graduate Studies Committee at the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, 2019 to August 2024.
  3. Member of Graduate Studies Committee at the Department of Social Work, University of Peshawar, 09.03.2020 to 08.03.2022
  4. Executive committee member of Community Service Program (CSP), University of Peshawar

Activities with the Social Sector

  • Moderator, Consultative Dialogue on *Community Resilience and Civic Engagement with thought leaders, clerics, locals, and Women at Orakzai Tribal District, CRA-N project, November 15, 2022
  • Trainer, *Gender Sensitive Reporting in the Conflict Zones, with local journalists of Peshawar, September 14-15, 2022.
  • Trainer, Conflict Management, Public Health Engineering Dept, Govt of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, at Pearl Continental Peshawar, April 15, 2022.
  • Training of Trainers, Reporting from the Conflict Zones, by MTRC and Search for Common Ground at Baragali Summer Camp, University of Peshawar, July 26 – 31, 2022.
  • Training of Trainers, Mehergarh: A Center for Learning: Training on Anti Sexual Harassment Legislation, 06 – 12 June 2011
  • Training of Trainers, British Council Pakistan: Active Citizens Training, 08 – 12 July 2010

Languages Proficiency

Pashto (mother tongue); English (proficient); Urdu (Proficient); Arabic (Functional level); Persian (Functional level); Punjabi

Memberships/Affiliations

  • Life member, Pi Sigma American Political Science Honor Society, USA
  • Member, British Association of South Asian Studies (BASAS)
  • Member, American Political Science Association (APSA)
  • Member, Fulbright Alumni Association, Pakistan
  • Member, Pakistan – US Alumni Network, Pakistan (PUAN)