Sherry Rehman
President
Senator Sherry Rehman is Pakistan’s Federal Minister of Climate Change, Vice President of the UNEA, and founding chair of the Jinnah Institute, an Islamabad think tank committed to building inclusion in national security policy. Rehman has served as Pakistan Senate’s first woman Leader of the Opposition as well as Parliamentary Leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in the Senate and holds a political portfolio as the party’s Vice-President. Ranked on the Time Magazine 100 Most Influential People of 2023 and Financial Times list of the 25 most influential women of 2022, Rehman currently features on the Forbes 50 Over 50 List for women achievers for 2023 in Asia, while the Washington Post named her one of the top ten global movers and shakers to watch at COP27 for her climate diplomacy. Sherry Rehman has also served as Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States and Federal Information Minister, while holding three additional portfolios as Minister for Health, Women and Culture. As a fourth-term Parliamentarian, diplomat, journalist, and civil society activist who has received Pakistan’s highest civil award, the Nishan-e-Imtiaz. Rehman is also founding chair of the Senate Parliamentary Caucus on Climate Change and has served as Chair of Pakistan Red Crescent.
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 projects that focus on international dialogue, sustainability and development. Previously, she worked with the United Nations Association-UK on work centred around conflict resolution and institutional reform, and taught Political Science at Quaid-i-Azam university. She holds an MA in International Relations from QMUL.
Adina can be reached at adinawajid@jinnah-institute.org
Raza Arbab
Communications Officer
Raza Arbab 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).
Raza Arbab 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 the LUMS.
Nyle can be reached at nyle.murad@jinnah-institute.org
Arifa Zahoor Ahmed
Program Officer
Arifa Zahoor Ahmed is the 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). In the past she has worked with Teach for Pakistan, UNDP and SASSI. On the side, she also competes in powerlifting internationally.
Arifa can be reached at arifa.zahoor@jinnah-institute.org
Raza Rumi
Senior Research Fellow
Raza Ahmad Rumi is a Senior Research Fellow 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 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 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
Zahid Hussain is an award-winning journalist and writer. He has been a correspondent for The Times of London and The Wall Street Journal. He also has covered Pakistan and Afghanistan for several other international publications, including Newsweek, Associated Press, The Economist and India Today, and is a regular columnist for the Dawn newspaper in Pakistan. He was Pakistan scholar at Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars, Washington. D.C (2011-2012). He has also been a visiting fellow at Wolfson College, University of Cambridge (1999) and at Henry Stimson Center, Washington D.C (1994) Hussain has authored two books: Frontline Pakistan: The struggle with militant Islam (2007) and The scorpion’s tail: The relentless rise of Islamic militants in Pakistan (2010). Both books have won widespread acclaim as seminal texts on the subject. He has also contributed chapters: “Deliberate nuclear ambiguity” in the book “Pakistan and nuclear bomb”. Notre Dame University Press (1999), and “Battling militancy” in the book “Pakistan-Beyond crisis”. Columbia University Press (2011).
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.
