Parachinar Bleeds: Understanding the Politics of Hate
Kurram district, particularly Parachinar, has endured decades of militancy and violence. Recently, Upper Kurram has been completely cut off, with escalating tensions leading to targeted killings and severe shortages of food, medicine, and essentials. While often framed as a sectarian Shi’a-Sunni conflict, this narrative oversimplifies the complex realities shaped by Talibanisation in Afghanistan, the state’s security policies, land disputes, and demographic shifts. Join us to explore the deeper causes behind Parachinar’s turmoil and envision a pathway to lasting peace.
About the Speaker:
Dr. Aasim Sajjad Akhtar is an Associate Professor of Political Economy at the National Institute of Pakistan Studies, Quaid-i-Azam University. He was previously at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). Dr. Aasim works on diverse subjects such as state theory, informality, colonial history, and social movements. He has published widely in journals such as Third World Quarterly, Journal of Contemporary Asia, Journal of Peasant Studies, and Critical Asian Studies. He is also the author of three books, most recently The Struggle for Hegemony in Pakistan: Fear, Desire, and Revolutionary Horizons (Pluto, 2022).
The session will be moderated by Hasrat Ali Turi, a student activist and the resident of Parachinar.
This session is free and open to all. Just visit the venue to attend it.
The Black Hole
Plot 5H, Street 100, G-11/3, Islamabad.
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