Sherry Rehman
President
Senator Sherry Rehman is Parliamentary Leader of the PPP in Senate, Chair of the Senate’s Standing Committee on Climate Change, President Pakistan National Group of The Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA), former Federal Minister for Climate Change, the first woman Opposition Leader in the Senate of Pakistan, the Vice-President of Pakistan Peoples Party, and the Former Chair of Foreign Affairs Committee. She is the Founding Chair of the Jinnah Institute, a fourth-term Parliamentarian, diplomat, journalist, and civil society activist who received Pakistan’s highest civil award, the Nishan-e-Imtiaz. Rehman was ranked among the 100 Most Influential People of 2023 by TIME magazine and named among 25 Most Influential Women of 2022 by the Financial Times. She was featured in Forbes ’50 Over 50: Asia 2023′ list and identified as one of the Top Global Thinkers of 2011 by Foreign Policy magazine. She was also cover-titled by Newsweek Pakistan as ‘Pakistan’s Most Important Woman’. She was the Chair of Senate’s Foreign Affairs committee, Chair of Pakistan Red Crescent, and a member of the Global Futures Council at the World Economic Forum.
She served as Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, and held additional portfolios of Health, Women Development, and Culture. Rehman has received several awards including the title of Democracy’s Hero; The Freedom Award for her work for media independence; the International Peace Award for Democrats; and the Jeanne Kirkpatrick Award for Women. She was the former editor of Pakistan’s Herald magazine and an award-winning journalist with 20 years of experience in both broadcast and print media. Her latest book, Womansplaining navigates modernity, politics and activism in Pakistan through the prism of 22 women activists, leaders and academics speaking in their own voices. Rehman has also co-authored the book Five Hundred Years of The Kashmiri Shawl with Naheed Jafri, which was published in 2006 and was awarded the prestigious R. L. Shep Ethnic Textiles Book Award from the Textile Society of America.
Salman Zaidi
Director Programs
Salman Zaidi works as Director Programs at Jinnah Institute. He was part of the Institute’s founding team in 2010 and leads on multiple thematic areas, particularly Track 2 diplomacy projects, democratic governance, and climate change. Zaidi also consults with international development agencies on improving federal and provincial policy frameworks for security, technology, economic growth, and climate change. He is currently a member of the PM’s Advisory Council on Climate Change and has previously been a member of the National Security Advisory Group on Gender. He has authored and edited multiple publications, and holds an MSc in Violence, Conflict and Development from SOAS, UK.
Salman Zaidi can be reached at salmanzaidi@jinnah-institute.org
Syed Mustehsan Rasool
Director Finance
Syed Mustehsan is Director Finance at Jinnah Institute. With 13 years of experience in the field of Accounting and Finance, he is responsible for managing treasury functions of the Jinnah Institute. He holds an Executive Masters of Business Administration (EMBA) from the Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology (SZABIST).
Syed Mustehsan Rasool can be contacted at mustehsan@jinnah-institute.org
Adina Wajid
Program Manager
Adina Wajid is a Program Manager at Jinnah Institute, where she leads regional dialogue and research initiatives on peacebuilding, climate resilience, and sustainable development in South Asia. She has previously worked with the United Nations Association-UK on conflict resolution and institutional reform, and taught Political Science at Quaid-i-Azam University. She holds an M.A. in International Relations from Queen Mary University of London (QMUL).
Adina can be reached at adinawajid@jinnah-institute.org
Arbab Ahmad Raza Khan
Communications Officer
Raza works as a Communications Officer at Jinnah Institute. He has developed the Institute’s social media strategy and produces design content for dissemination material. Raza has carried out extensive videography for JI’s projects, and has also produced a series of documentaries. He holds a degree in Visual Communications Design from the National College of Arts (NCA).
Arbab Ahmad Raza Khan can be reached at arbab.raza@jinnah-institute.org
Nyle Murad
Project Officer
Nyle Murad is a Project Officer at Jinnah Institute where he assists the team with projects centering around climate change, resilience and development. He has worked on several research initiatives, including a senior thesis on colonial hydrology and collaborations with the LUMS Digital Archive. Previously, Nyle worked as a writing tutor for the Academic Support Lab at LUMS. Nyle holds a BA in History from LUMS.
Nyle can be reached at nyle.murad@jinnah-institute.org
Arifa Zahoor Ahmed
Program Officer
Arifa Zahoor Ahmed is a Program Officer at Jinnah Institute where she supports research and policy works. She has a degree in Sociology and Anthropology from the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). Prior to joining the Institute, she worked with Teach For Pakistan, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the South Asian Strategic Stability Institute (SASSI). She has also represented Pakistan in powerlifting at international competitions.
Arifa can be reached at arifa.zahoor@jinnah-institute.org
Willson William
Executive Assistant
Willson William is Executive Assistant at the Jinnah Institute. William provides support in maintaining accounts and provides administrative support to the Institute while managing logistics and procurement.
Ammara Durrani
Honorary Fellow
Raza Rumi
Senior Research Fellow
Raza Ahmad Rumi is a Pakistani writer and a public policy specialist currently based in Ithaca, USA. He is the Director, Park Centre for Independent Media, Ithaca College and has been teaching in the Journalism department since 2015. He is also visiting faculty at the Cornell Institute for Public Affairs and teaches courses in international development and public policy. Earlier, Raza was a global faculty fellow at the Gallatin School, New York University (Spring 2016).
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 the 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 has authored several research papers and publications on governance, institutional development and South Asian arts and culture. 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 holds a Bachelor (Economics) and Master’s 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.
Zahid Hussain
Senior Research Fellow
