Sherry Rehman is the founding Chair of the Jinnah Institute. Before her current designation as Pakistan’s Ambassador to United States, Sherry Rehman was Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from the Pakistan Peoples Party. She has served as Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Pakistan (2008-09) and as a ranking member of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security. She has also held three additional portfolios of Health, Women's Development and Culture as Federal Minister. For her services to Pakistan, Sherry Rehman has been awarded the state's highest civil award, the Nishan-i-Imtiaz in March 2013.

As Federal Minister, Sherry Rehman made history by presenting a comprehensive briefing on National Security to an in camera joint sitting of Pakistan’s Parliament in October 2008. She is also the architect of the first parliamentary charter and bill for women empowerment, mover of the Hudood Ordinances Repeal Bill, mover of the Anti-Honour Killings Bill, as well as the Freedom of Information Act 2004. Her bills include the removal of colonial press laws in Pakistan, as well as legislation on Domestic Violence and Affirmative Action for Women.

Rehman is also an award-winning journalist from Pakistan with 20 years of experience in both the broadcast and the print media. She is the former editor of the Herald news magazine, and was recognized by the UK House of Lords for independent journalism at the Annual British Muslim Ceremony in 2002. She serves as the Chair of the Lady Dufferin Foundation Trust, the largest non-profit provider of women and children’s subsidised healthcare in the province of Sindh. She has also served on the board of the Sindh University and the International School in Karachi as well as the Mohatta Palace Gallery Trust. Rehman is also one of the founding members of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.

Raza Ahmad Rumi is the Director Policy & Programs at Jinnah Institute. Raza is an international development expert, a renowned writer and journalist. Prior to joining JI, he was working for the Asian Development Bank, Manila as an economist/governance specialist. Earlier, he has worked for the Government of Pakistan, a number of Pakistani NGO networks, the United Nations and has consulted extensively for various development agencies. Raza is also an academic adviser to Network of Asia Pacific Schools and Institutes of Public Administration and Governance; Public Policy Adviser to Leadership for Environment and Development, Pakistan; and a member of the Advisory Board of ASR Resource Centre and South Asian Institute of Women's studies, Lahore.

Raza's research interests and advisory skills include: security, justice and counter-terrorism, public policy, governance & anticorruption; decentralization; capacity development; and change management. He has authored several research papers and publications on governance, institutional development and South Asian arts and culture. Some of his writings are archived on www.razarumi.com. He also writes for the Pakistani and regional media. Rumi has been a consulting editor at The Friday Times and Himal SouthAsia. His columns are frequently published in daily Express-Tribune and The News in Pakistan; and The Hindu, Asian Age and other publications in India. Raza also founded popular blogs such as www.pakteahouse.net; and www.lahorenama.wordpress.com.

Raza holds a Bachelor (Economics) and Master degree (Social Planning) from the London School of Economics, UK. He has also been trained in law and public administration and law at the Civil Services Academy, Pakistan.

Raza Rumi can be contacted on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Salman Zaidi leads JI's Strategic Security Initiative and works on the Indo-Pak and Pak-Afghan Track II dialogues, in addition the Institute's Water Security project. He has authored multiple institutional papers, including the report 'Pakistan, the United States and the End Game in Afghanistan: Perceptions of Pakistan's Foreign Policy Elite' as well as 'Extremism Watch: Mapping Conflict Trends in Pakistan 2010-2011'.

Mr. Zaidi holds an MSc. in Violence, Conflict and Development from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and a BSc. in Development Studies (Iqra).

Salman Zaidi can be contacted on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Huma Yusuf is an award-winning columnist and investigative journalist. She writes a weekly column in the leading Pakistani English-language daily, Dawn, on topics related to security, foreign relations, and human rights. Her column has twice won the Best Column Award from the All Pakistan Newspapers Society (2008 and 2010). She also contributes articles on a freelance basis to papers in the US and India, including The Christian Science Monitor and Indian Express.

In 2010-11, Yusuf was the Pakistan Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (Washington D.C.) During her fellowship, she researched the impact of the independent Pakistani media on politics, foreign policy (particularly US-Pakistan relations), and society for a forthcoming book.

Previously, as a staff writer for Dawn and its current affairs monthly, the Herald, Yusuf specialized in human rights reporting and investigated subjects such as ‘honour’ killings, gang warfare, ethnic conflict, and the state’s ineffective prosecution of rape cases. Her reporting was awarded the UNESCO/Pakistan Press Foundation ‘Gender in Journalism′ Award (2005) and the European Commission’s Prix Natali Lorenzo for Human Rights and Democracy Journalism (2006).

Mehmoona Bashar is a Public Affairs Officer at Jinnah Institute where she is responsible for media outreach and strategic communications. She assists research on extremism in Pakistan and other SSI outputs. Ms. Bashar has a keen interest in social justice, human rights and women's empowerment. She holds an undergraduate degree in Business from the University of London.

Mehmoona Bashar can be contacted on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Ahmer Naqvi is a journalist, filmmaker and blogger. He has worked as a reporter and producer for DawnNews TV in Pakistan and Ahlulbayt TV in the UK. He has also written for various Pakistani newspapers and magazines, including Dawn, Express Tribune, The News, Pique and others. His work has appeared on a range of national and international blogs and websites. Naqvi currently lectures on Pakistani film and visual media at NCA Rawalpindi, Fatima Jinnah Women's University and SZABIST Islamabad.

Ahmer Naqvi can be contacted on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Mazhar Abbas Zaidi is Director Finance and Human Resources at Jinnah Institute. He is an associate member of Institute of Cost and Management Accounts of Pakistan (ICMAP) and has attended various short courses and seminars organized by ICMAP, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP) and the Institute of Bankers. Mr. Zaidi has over 20 years experience in finance, accounts, taxation , corporate affairs and cost and budgeting activities in various large corporations.

Mr. Zaidi has previously worked at Saudi Pak Leasing Company Limited in the capacity of Chief Financial Officer.

Mazhar Abbas Zaidi can be contacted on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Syed Mustehsan Rasool works as a Finance Assistant at Jinnah Institute and has previously trained at Millennium Securities and Investments, Islamabad. He holds a Bachelors degree in Commerce from the University of Punjab.

Syed Mustehsan Rasool can be contacted on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .