June 2009: Rethinking aid: Moving beyond the rhetoric of capacity development – A presentation made at the Regional Management Team Meeting of SNV Asia (SNV- Netherlands Development Organisation) in Bangkok, Thailand as a guest speaker.

March 2010: Entitlements and the postcolonial state: E-governance initiatives in Pakistan & South Asia- presented at a capacity development workshop at the Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre.

April 2010: Endemic crisis of federalism in Pakistan, a presentation made at the Sixth Annual Conference on the Management of Pakistan’s Economy.

August 2010: Managing development in post-conflict contexts, a presentation given to multi-donor moot in Islamabad, Pakistan.

October 2010: From Crisis to Crisis-Governance & Rule of Law Assessments in Pakistan — presentation at the Regional Consultation on Access to Justice Assessments, UNDP Asia Pacific Regional Centre in Bangkok.

November 2010: Transparency and Accountability of South Asian Parliaments, a presentation made at South Asia for Human Rights (SAHR) Conference entitled The Challenges for South Asia: Human Rights & Democracy.

December 2010: Innovations in governing primary health care – the case of Punjab province of Pakistan, a presentation made at the Kerala Institute of Management, India during the annual conference of Network of Asia Pacific Schools and Institutes of Governance and Public Administration.

May 2011: Social Media, Governance & Accountability, a talk given at the First International Social Media Summit, Karachi.

June 2011: The Role of media in promoting democratic governance, a presentation made at theSouth Asian Regional Conference on Promoting Gender Responsive Democratic Governance in South Asia hosted by South-Asia Partnership, Nepal.

June 2011: Social Protection – Issues and Options, a presentation at a regional seminar on Social Protection Frameworks organized by UNICEF/Planning Commission, Bhurban, Pakistan.

July 2011: 18TH Amendment and Beyond: Rethinking Development in Pakistan, spoke and moderated a panel on environmental governance at the Inspiring Leadership for Sustainable Development, a conference by LEAD, Pakistan.

July 2011:Results based Management in Public Sector at the International Growth Conference organized by the Planning Commission of Pakistan.

September 2011: Citizens and Constitution, a talk given at a learning event, “State of Constitutionalism in Pakistan”, Centre for Civic Education, Pakistan.

September 2011: Governance & Gender: Lessons from South Asia, a talk given at the SAP event on Exploring the State of Gender Friendliness in Democratic Institutions, Lahore Pakistan.

September 2011: Elected Local Governments: Revival and Reforms, presentation at the National Roundtable Consultation organised by Sustainable Development Policy Institute, Sangat Foundation and Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Pakistan.

February 2015: Panel Discussant/speaker at National Press Club, Washington DC at the launch of World Press Freedom Index 2015 by Reporters Without Borders.

February 2015: Guest lecture on ISIS, Islam, and the Crisis of Globalization at American University, Washington DC, USA.

January 2015: Participated in a panel discussing focusing on Culture and Diplomacy after a theatrical presentation by Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics, Georgetown University.

January 2015: Spoke at a panel discussion on After Peshawar: Domestic Security in Pakistan at the United States Institute of Peace, Washington DC, USA.

January 2015: Lecture Culture and Conflict, at a graduate class at School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University (with Amb. Cynthia Schenieder).

December 2014: Media, language and power, an event organized by the Society of Urdu Literature, Washington DC USA.

December 2014: Reporting in Conflict Zones, lectured at the University of Maryland School of Journalism, Washington DC USA.

November 2014: South Asia: Human Rights and Development, a lecture delivered at a training class for State Department officials, at the Foreign Service Institute, Arlington, VA, USA.

November 2014: Spoke as 2-member panel on The Rise of Religious Intolerance in Pakistan: Implications for Democratic Development and Human Rights, a discussion organized by the National Endowment for Democracy, Washington DC USA.

November 2014: Young Leaders from Pakistan, discussion organized by the Atlantic Council, Washington DC USA.

November 2014: Culture and Peace building, spoke at an event organized by the Asian Arts Initiative, Philadelphia USA where my book Delhi by Heart was launched as well.

 

Public Events: readings, talks, lectures & panel discussions

2016

August: Lecture Citizenship, Rights, and the State in South Asia at Foreign Service Institute, Washington D.C.

August: Lecture Public Opinion, the Media and Extremism at Foreign Service Institute, Washington D.C.

August: Moderated an event The Sufi Courtyard at George Washington University, Washington D.C.

September: Reading and panel discussion at the fifteenth anniversary of ICOA

September: Panelist at United Nations on Press Freedoms, organized by Reporters Without Borders

September: Reading at Cornell University as part of the Banned Books Week

October: Talk Stranger Times: Narratives Within and Outside Pakistan at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore

October: Panel discussion on Local effects of U.S. counterterrorism policies & the rule of law at New America Foundation, Washignton D.C.

November: Panel discussion on Identity & Arts in America with artists Shahzia Sikander, organized by American Academy of Religion in San Antonio, TX.

December: Panel discussion after the performance of Opera ‘Thump Print’ at Hangar Theatre, Ithaca.

2017

January: Reading at ‘Justice for All’ event (as part of national writers’ resistance movement) organized by Ithaca community and IC Writing Department.

February 10: Panelist at ‘India & Pakistan: Journalism and War Hysteria’ with Steve Coll, Seema Sirohi at Columbia Journalism School, New York.

February 17: Panel Discussion at Cornell University on Travel Ban & Immigration organized by Cornell Institute for Public Affairs (CIPA).

February 20: Book Launch – Identity Faith & Conflict (published by ICOA) at Queens Museum, NY

March 30: Panel discussion on Human Rights and Development organized by CIPA Cornell.

April 15: Panelist at a discussion on U.S.-Pakistan relations at Soch Festival, Columbia University, New York.

April 17: Panelist at discussion on religious minorities in Pakistan at Harvard Pakistan Forum, Harvard University.

April 29: Panelist at a discussion on Civil Service Reform in Latin America at Columbia University, New York.

May 7: Panelist at Lahore Literature Festival on Sufi poetry & music at Asia Society, New York.

May 15: Panelist at an event on translating Langston Hughes in Urdu Language held by Urdu literary society (Halqa e Arbab e Zauq) in Queens, New York.

May 28: Commencement Speaker at Graduation Ceremony for CIPA graduates at Cornell University.

August 23: Discussed Trump’s strategy in Afghanistan on a CCTV show at Cornell studios.

August 25: Discussed Trump’s announcement on escalation of the U.S. war in Afghanistan, on show ‘Democracy now’.

September 03: Spoke at an event dedicated to ‘Lal Shahbaz Qalandar’ at an Islamic centre in Queens, New York.

October 03: Spoke at a panel on “Anti-democratic trends and the University Space” at the launch of the report “Free to Think” published by ‘Scholars At Risk’ in New York.

October 09: Read a paper ‘Tearing Everything Up: Manto and the Partition’ at the Urdu conference in New York University.

November 09: Moderated a panel discussion on International development at Cornell University.

November 10: Spoke on “Democratic Transition in Pakistan: Prospects and challenges” at Brown University.

December 03: Spoke about the future directions of Pak US relations on Pakistan television.

 

2018

January 09: Attended ‘American Pakistan Foundation’ meeting at The John Hopkins University in Washington DC.

January 11: Spoke on religious freedom in South Asia, at a panel at The Wilson Center.

February 08: Attended a rally by ‘Black lives matter’ activists in Ithaca, New York.

February 14: Spoke about Asma Jahangir on ‘Voice of America – Urdu’.

February 14: Spoke about Asma Jahangir on ‘TRT World’.

February 20: Spoke at a remembrance for Asma Jahangir at Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

February 20: Spoke about “Pakistan: Continuity and change” at the Harvard Kennedy School.

February 23: Spoke about Asma Jahangir’s immense contribution to the national and international human rights movements at Cornell University.

March 27: Visited Trinity College to speak on ‘US-Pakistan relations and the future of Afghanistan’.

March 28: Attended Shahbaz Taseer’s talk at Cornell University organized by Pakistan Society.

April 01: Spoke at Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs on twenty years after the nuclear tests by India and Pakistan.

April 06: Attended a symposium by University of Virginia on the past and future of Middle Eastern area studies.

April 21: Talked on the undeclared censorship on ‘Voice of America – Urdu’.

April 25: Attended the Izzy Award ceremony organized by ‘Park Centre for Independent Media’ in Ithaca.

May 07: Attended a private concert by Amir Vahab in New York.

May 09: Spoke at the conference at Hagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies at NYU.

May 14: Spoke at a panel entitled ‘Pakistan At 70’ at LLF 2018, in New York.

August 07: Held ‘Being Pakistani’ Book launch at ‘The Second Floor’, Karachi.

August 13: Held ‘Being Pakistani’ Book launch in Islamabad organized by ‘Kuch Khaas’.

August 23: Held ‘Being Pakistani’ Book launch in Lahore at ‘Books and Beans’.

August 30: Received the award from Aligarh alumni association in New Jersey named after Hasrat Mohani, the firebrand poet and activist of early twentieth century India.

October11: Spoke at an event organized by Aligarh Alumni association in Maryland, DC.

October 14: Participated in a Panel discussion organized by SAPRI and AdvoPak around my book ‘Being Pakistani’.

October 18: Participated in a panel discussion at The Wilson Center as part of a conference in Washington DC.

October 23: Spoke in a Panel discussion on majoritarian politics in South Asia, at Yale MacMillan center.

November 08: Talked about my new book Being Pakistani (and living in America at this moment.) at an event ‘a conversation with Prof Sadia Abbas’ entitled Postcolonial Questions and Performances, in Rutgers University.

November 15: Spoke about ‘Democracy and its Discontents: Project Naya Pakistan’ at the Institute for South Asia, University of California, Berkeley.

November 16: Book tour event by Pakistani American Community Center in San Francisco Bay Area.

November 16: Took part in a discussion moderated by Sannia Abdullah on the role of institutions in strengthening democracy & tackling corruption, at World Affairs, San Francisco.

November 26: Took part in a Panel discussion—Society in trouble: myth or reality, at Aga Khan University Karachi.

November 30: Participated in a cross disciplinary teaching on Pakistan elections at Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs.

December 04: Took part in a panel discussion on ‘media freedom across the globe’, at St. John’s Episcopal Church, Georgetown, Washington DC.

December 13: Spoke on global media freedom at an event organised by Park Center for Independent Media.