Syed Hassan Akbar Announced as 2024-25 Wilson Center Pakistan Fellow

Contact: Ryan McKenna
Phone: (202) 691-4217
ryan.mckenna@wilsoncenter.org

WASHINGTON–The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars announced today the selection of Syed Hassan Akbar as the new Wilson Center Pakistan Fellow. Akbar will spend nine months in residence beginning in October 2024. He will conduct research on his project titled “Pakistan’s Geoeconomic Vision: Realizing Economic Gains Through Connectivity and Development Partnerships.” 

Akbar was previously a senior policy specialist with the Pakistani government’s National Security Division, where he led the Strategic Policy Planning Cell. He has also served as director of policy and programs at the Jinnah Institute, a preeminent Pakistani think tank, and held senior positions in Pakistan’s private sector and with international organizations.

“Mr. Akbar’s project looks at how Pakistan can address the considerable challenges it faces in its efforts to transition to a more comprehensive approach to national security—one that accords more space to geoeconomics," said Wilson Center South Asia Institute Director Michael Kugelman. "It’s a critical policy question, and one with notable implications for US interests. We look forward to hosting him as he pursues this important research.”

The Wilson Center Pakistan Fellowship, housed within the South Asia Institute, is a core component of the Wilson Center Pakistan Initiative, which was established in August 2022. The Fellowship and Initiative expand and strengthen the Wilson Center’s 40-plus years of in-depth scholarship and programming on security and non-security aspects of the US-Pakistan relationship. The Pakistan Initiative hosts conferences and other activities related to Pakistan that are meant to inform policymakers, business leaders, journalists, and others focused on Pakistan and US-Pakistan relations.

As the Wilson Center’s Pakistan Fellow, Akbar will actively contribute to its Pakistan programming and scholarship, which includes a substantive research product. He will write and publish blogs, articles, and other content related to his focus area with the Wilson Center and others. Akbar will also have the opportunity to interact with policymakers and thought leaders in Washington.

Information about the Wilson Center Pakistan Fellowship—including eligibility, required application materials, and the selection process—can be accessed on the Fellowship’s web page at https://www.wilsoncenter.org/pakistanfellowship. Questions about the Fellowship can be sent to pakistanfellowship@wilsoncenter.org

The Wilson Center’s South Asia Institute is grateful to the following supporters for their generous commitments in support of this Initiative: The Mashooqullah Family, Yasmin and Salim Adaya, Fazal and Shasta Sirhandi, Mossadaq Chughtai, and Najeeb Ghauri, CEO and Chairman, NETSOL Technologies.

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