Resume Mukhtar Ahmad Ali

MUKHTAR AHMAD ALI

H. 307, St. 67, F-11/1, Islamabad.

Tel: +92-51–2101594; (0)300-5009703

Email: mukhtar@cpdi-pakistan.org

mqur2001@yahoo.com

Date of Birth March 03, 1973

Gender Male

Nationality Pakistani

Marital Status Single

Current Position

Currently working as Executive Director with Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan).

Educational Background

M. Phil in Development Studies (with distinction) from the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), University of Sussex, UK. Session: 2001-2003.

M. Phil in International Relations (with distinction) from the Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad. Session: 1995-1997.

Work, Teaching and Training Experience

1. Executive Coordinator, Consumer Rights Commission of Pakistan (CRCP) (January-September 2001 & March 2003-May 2005).

Responsibilities included coordination, liaison with donors, research, project development and implementation, and monitoring and evaluation. Projects that I coordinated included:

· “Legislative Oversight” component of the USAID-funded project on “Strengthening National and Provincial Legislative Governance in Pakistan” (June 1, 2004 to May 31, 2005);

· “Engaging Parliamentarians for Environment Protection”, supported by GEF/UNDP (December 1, 2005 – May 31, 2005);

· “Development of a Gender Sensitive Consumer Protection Strategy”, supported by Gender Equality Project of the British Council/ DFID (October 15, 2004 – May 31, 2005);

· “Promotion of Freedom of Information in the NWFP Province”, supported by the Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC) (February 15, 2004 - August 15, 2004);

· “CRCP Campaign for Consumer Protection”, supported through local resources and donor funding (January 1, 2001 - May 31, 2005);

· “CRCP Campaign for Safe Drinking Water”, supported through local resources and donor funding (January 1, 2001- May 31, 2005);

· “CRCP Campaign for Freedom of Information”, supported through local resources and donor funding for specific projects (July 1, 2000 – May 31, 2005);

· “Regional Conference on “Governance and Market Processes: Issues of Citizenship and Consumer Protection””, British Council, FNF & ITDG (October 2003-March 2004);

· “National Consultation on the Asian Development Fund (ADF)”, Asian Development Bank (ADB) (January-February 2004);

· “Engaging Parliamentarians and Political Parties on Environment”, IUCN/GEF/UNDP, (September - November 2003);

· “Improving Ability of Citizens to Monitor Government Activity through Freedom of Information”, National Democratic Institute (NDI), (June 2003–March 2004);

· “Consumer Protection in Emerging WTO Regimes: Opportunities, Challenges and Preparedness”, Maxwell/ DFID, (October 2003 - March 2004);

· “State of Consumer Rights in Pakistan 2000-01”, (Team Member), ActionAid-Pakistan, (August 2000 - July 2001);

· “Optimization of the Draft Youth Policy: A Multi-Stakeholder National Consultation”, British Council, (March-April 2003);

· “Representation of Domestic Consumers in the Proceedings of Regulatory Bodies”, CRCP’s Local Sources, (January-September 2001);

· Preparation of a “Model Freedom of Information Act”, (Team Member), Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF), (October 2000-February 2001);

· “Model Consumer Protection Act”, (Team Member), Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF), (November 1999-February 2000);

2. Honorary Director, Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI-Pakistan), Islamabad (January – May 2005)

As an Honorary Director, I have been helping the Centre in developing its research and advocacy agenda, and mobilizing funds to develop and implement various projects. I have also been providing technical support for the capacity building initiatives of the Centre. My support has been particularly focused in the area of police reforms, social conflicts and local government.

3. Senior Research Fellow with the Area Study Centre, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad (June-December, 2000).

Responsibilities included research, teaching, coordination and facilitation of talks and seminars, and editing of the Centre’s publication, Pakistan Journal of American Studies. Research focus was broadly on economic relations between Pakistan and the United States. Also worked on the idea of South Asian Free Trade Area (SAPTA). Research had significant emphasis on the agricultural sector in Pakistan, especially how the new trends in economic relations with India and USA impact it.

4. Senior Research Fellow with the Independent Bureau for Humanitarian Issues (IBHI) (March 1996-June 2000).

Participated in research on a number of development and humanitarian projects in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bosnia & Herzegovina. Broadly, these were focused on good governance, food security, refugees and internally displaced persons, poverty, micro-credit, environment protection, and compliance with and implementation of international humanitarian law.

5. Teaching at Universities

Teaching as a visiting lecturer at various universities and research and training institutions including the Iqra University, Islamabad; Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad; and the Greenwich University, Islamabad Campus. At the Iqra University, I have been teaching courses namely Decentralization and Development, International Politics of South Asia and Basic Concepts in Development Studies.

Research and Publications

· “Freedom of Information in South Asia: Comparative Perspectives on Civil Society Initiative”, Presented at the Annual SDPI Conference (Islamabad) in December 2003.

· “Privatization of Public Utilities: How is it Generating and Impacting Conflicts in Pakistan?”, Dissertation for M. Phil in Development Studies submitted to the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), University of Sussex, UK.

· “Consumer Protection in Emerging WTO Regimes”, a report prepared for CRCP after a National Consultation in March 2003.

· “Counting the Costs: Corruption in the Agricultural Development Bank of Pakistan” (to be published by the Department of Development Studies, University of East Anglia, UK.).

· “Politics of Biotechnology Regulation in South Asia” (Draft Paper), 2002-03.

· “Environmental Standards and the Textile Sector in Pakistan” (Draft Paper), 2002.

· “Privatization of Telecommunications Industry in Pakistan: A Tool for Competing in the Global Economy?” (Draft Paper), 2003.

· “Regulation of Public Utilities: A Case Study of Pakistan” (Draft Paper), 2002.

· Participated in research for the report on the “State of Consumer Rights in Pakistan, 2000”, published by Consumer Rights Commission of Pakistan in June 2001.

· Participated in the background research and drafting of the “Model Freedom of Information Act, 2001”, published by Consumer Rights Commission of Pakistan (CRCP) in January 2001.

· “Sectarian Conflict in Pakistan: A Case Study of Jhang” published by the Regional Centre for Strategic Studies (RCSS), Colombo, Sri Lanka in January 2000.(www.rcss.org).

· Participated in the background research and drafting of the “Model Consumer Protection Act, 2000”, published by Consumer Rights Commission of Pakistan (CRCP) in January 2000.

· “Nationalism: Origins, Evolution and Future” in Pakistan Administration, Vol. 33, No. 2, June-December 1996.

· “Islamic Revivalism and the Western Responses” in FRIENDS Perspective, October 1996.

· M. Phil dissertation on “The Afghanistan-Tajikistan Relations: A Study into the Impact of Transnational Influences of Afghan Jihad and Civil War on Tajikistan” (Unpublished), 1997.

Important Papers Presented / Talks Given

· Facilitated 5 briefing sessions on “Legislative Performance” organized by CRCP for legislative stakeholders in Islamabad and Peshawar.

· Delivered talks on “transparency and freedom of information” in a series of 8 seminars and workshops organized by CRCP in 2003-04.

· “Biotechnology: Issues of Consumer Protection and Agricultural Development”, at a seminar organized by CRCP in Multan.

· “Quality Standards and Consumer Concerns in Pakistan” at a seminar organized by CRCP on the World Quality Standards Day in Islamabad.

· “Counting the Costs: Corruption in the Agricultural Development Bank of Pakistan” in an international conference on “Re/Constructing Corruption” at the East Anglia University, UK.

· “Transparency and Democratic Governance” at a panel discussion organized by the South Asia Forum, University of Sussex, UK.

· “Regulation of Education Sector under Emerging WTO Regimes” at a National Consultation organized by CRCP on GATS in Islamabad.

· “Youth and the Public Action” at the seminar organized by the Bargad, Gujranwala.

· “Sectarian Conflict in Pakistan” at the Islamabad Social Sciences Forum.

· “Sectarian Conflict in Pakistan” in a training workshop organized by the Church World Service (CWS) in Murree.

· “Food Safety and Consumer Protection” at a seminar organized by the URS in Karachi.

· “Kashmir Conflict and the Role of Civil Society in India and Pakistan” at a symposium in Delhi (India) organized by the Centre for Peace Initiatives.

· “Is There a Clash of Civilizations?” at a seminar organized by the Journalist Resource Centre in Islamabad.

· “India-Pakistan Conflict” at a panel discussion organized by Sussex Peace Action, Brighton, UK.

International Workshops and Conferences Attended

· Integrated Design Team meeting on “International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology (IAAKST), at Montpellier, France. May 22-26 2005.

· Had a Study Tour of France, involving visits to key state institutions including the National Assembly and different ministries, in April 2005. It was organized by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

· Regional Design Team meeting of CWANA region on “International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology (IAAKST), at Rabat, Morocco. March 2005.

· Global Design Team meeting on “International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology (IAAKST), at Bangkok, Philippines. February-March 2005.

· International Conference on “Legislative Responses to the Challenges of Globalization and International Security” in Manila, Philippines, December 2-3, 2004. It was organized by Centre for Legislative Development (CLD).

· Regional Conference on “Competition Law and Policy in Asia” in Dhaka, Bangladesh, September 23-24, 2004.

· “South Asia Forum on Non-Traditional Security” in Wilton Park, UK, July 2004.

· Convention of International Studies Association (ISA) at the Central European University, in Budapest, Hngary, June 26-28, 2003.

· A Regional Workshop on “Quality Standards in South Asia” in Dhaka, Bangladesh, April 2003.

· International Symposium on “Re/Constructing Corruption” at the University of East Anglia, Norwich (UK), 30 April-May 2, 2003.

· International Symposium on “What Next in Jammu and Kashmir” in Delhi (India), October 2000.

· International residential workshop on “Gender, Self and Development” in April 1999 in Islamabad, Pakistan.

· One-month training in “Consumer Rights” at the Consumer Education Research Centre (CERC), Ahmadabad (India), August 1999.

· International residential workshop on the “Transition to Rule of Law and Market Economy” at Kottenheide (Germany), June 1998.

· International residential workshop on the “Sources of Conflict in South Asia: Ethnicity, Refugees and Environment” at Hikkaduwa (Sri Lanka), March 1998.

Honors and Awards

· Recipient of International Policy Fellowship (IPF) for the year 2005-06. It is administered by the Open Society Institute (OSI), Budapest, Hungary.

· Recipient of DFID – Shared Scholarship for M. Phil at the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, UK.

· Recipient of Koddikara Award from the Regional Center for Strategic Studies (RCSS) to study the problem of sectarian conflict in Pakistan.

· Recipient of Infaq Foundation scholarship during M. Phil and merit scholarships during M. Sc., B. A., F. Sc., and school years.

· Elected Joint Secretary of the Bazm-e-Nazir (a literary society) during graduate studies at the Government College, Lahore. (1992-93).

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