Jinnah Institute Research. Advocacy. Outreach.

Jinnah Institute (JI) is a non-profit public policy organization based in Pakistan. It seeks to function as a non-partisan think-tank, advocacy group and public outreach institution. 

Mission:

• JI will seek to promote independent policy research and public advocacy in Pakistan that advances the cause of : democratic institution-building and strengthening state capacity for delivery on policy goals
• national and human security discourse with an emphasis on regional peace;
• fundamental rights entitlements;
• accountability of public bodies and government;
• public equity in a plural and inclusive national identity.

Objectives:

JI seeks to engage policy-makers, government, media organizations, civil society, state institutions and academia within Pakistan and abroad. Through this engagement, JI seeks to develop and advocate a discourse centered on the values of equitable democratic and social entitlements, pluralism, rule of law and transparent governance. JI actively seeks to articulate independent national security strategies for Pakistan that incorporate the country’s strategic imperatives while providing room for constructive engagement with the international community, policy and opinion-makers.

The choice of the name reflects the organisation’s commitment to the core values embodied in Pakistan’s enterprise of state-formation by its founder, [Quaid-e-Azam] Mohammed Ali Jinnah as reflected in his address to the first Constituent Assembly of Pakistan. It also reflects an attempt to ensure that the values of humanism and tolerance that Jinnah stood for stimulates a renewed interest in ensuring civil liberties and fundamental rights for the citizens of Pakistan. 

In the Longer-Term:

• Special fellowships will be established for bringing new scholarship to: re-examine old and new security paradigms in a changing regional and global context; building equities in regional peace.
• archive and popularize Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s approach to state consolidation and his thinking on religion, national identity and an inclusive model of citizenship.
• encourage contemporary readings of Muslim history, culture, art and social norms in order to frame current debates on human rights, statehood, politics and social change.
• recommend and monitor policy reform structures for accountable governance, priorities in public spending, and legislative outreach.
• bridge-build between civilizations through shared scholarship and dialogue seeking points of convergence, and exploring opportunities for exchange;

Legal Status:

The Jinnah Institute is a non-government organization registered in Pakistan with the status of a tax exempt entity.