Social Protection Resource Centre

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Board of Directors

Dr. Aliya Hashmi Khan

C.E.O
About Dr. Aliya Hashmi Khan
Dr. Aliya Hashmi Khan
Dr. Aliya Hashmi Khan is an economist and former Dean Faculty of Social Sciences, Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad. Currently she is also a member of the Economic Advisory Council of the Prime Minister & Labor Expert Group under the "Ehsaas" Social Protection Program of Government of Pakistan. She is associated in an advisory capacity as a Macro Economist and Labor Economist with various committees of the planning commission of Pakistan as well as the international organizations including ILO UNDP, UN Women, World Bank & ADB. She was awarded the President's Medal - Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah 2010 in the category of Higher Education.

Dr. Wajid Ali Ranjha

Member
About Dr. Wajid Ali Ranjha
Dr. Wajid Ali Ranjha
Dr. Wajid Ali Ranjha is an Associate Professor at the Department of Political Science, Forman Christian College (A Chartered University), Lahore. He did his Ph.D. in Politics from the University of Adelaide, Australia; his dissertation was published by the University of Adelaide, as an eBook, titled Critical Theory, Modernity, and the question of Post-Colonial identity. His areas of interest are philosophy, social theory, and political theory.

Dr. Salman Hamayun

Member
About Dr. Salman Hamayun
Dr. Salman Hamayun
Dr. Salman Hamayun is Executive Director at Institute of Social and Policy Sciences. He is a Policy practitioner with 20 years’ experience managing, designing and delivering technical assistance programs, at the highest levels of various governments, bringing considerable knowledge of public policy, public finance and governance reforms in education sector.

Dr. Shujat Ali

Member
About Dr. Shujat Ali
Dr Shujat Ali
Dr. Shujat Ali is a highly accomplished professional with a diverse background and extensive experience in various sectors. Currently serving as the Official Director of the Punjab Health Initiative Management Company (PHIMC), he has also served as a Secretary to the Government of Pakistan and as Dean of National Management College at National School of Public Policy. Dr. Shujat Ali lectures in various Public Sector Training institutions and is a leading economist in the USAID-sponsored study on supporting SMEs post-COVID-19. He has also been a renowned member of a number of boards such as the NBP and NHA. With a proven track record on corporate boards and expertise in finance and strategic planning, Dr. Shujat Ali brings valuable insights and a wealth of knowledge to drive successful outcomes for this organization.

Executive Director

Dr. Razia Safdar

Executive Director SPRC
About Dr. Razia Safdar
Dr. Razia Safdar
Dr. Razia Safdar is a public health expert with long experience working in the public sector. She is a Medical graduate from Fatima Jinnah Medical University Lahore and pursued her clinical post-graduation in gynecology and obstetrics and worked as a maternal & child health specialist. Her second postgraduate degree is Masters in Public Health from ULB Brussels, Belgium. She works on environmental health, Climate change, WASH, and inter-sectoral crosscutting public health interventions at the policy level. She is part of national and international forums on Environment and Climate Change.

Dr. Safdar Sohail

Executive Director SPRC
About Dr. Safdar Sohail
Dr. Safdar Sohail
Dr. Safdar Sohail (Ex. Special Secretary Cabinet, Distinguished Fellow/ Senior Advisor SPRC Initiative for Globalisation and Development (SIGAD). Dr. Safdar Sohail has joined the intiative as Director SIGAD from 01.11.2022. Dr. Safdar Sohail, a recently retired career civil servant, belonged to the Commerce and Trade Service, government of Pakistan. He carries an M. Phil. in Sociology and Social Demography, PhD in Sociology of Politics and PGD in Public Policy, all from France. Dr Sohail retired as Special Secretary Cabinet, Government of Pakistan in May 2020. In his civil service career spread over thirty-five years, he served in various capacities combining traditional jobs as a Ministry of Commerce Officer with policy research, training of civil servants, governance reforms and trade diplomacy. He has also served as DG National Institute of Management Islamabad, DG CPEC Center of Excellence at the Planning Commission, Pakistan’s Economic Minister to EU and Member Governance at the Planning Commission. After the retirement, he established Pakistan Alliance for Social Protection. PASP is an Alliance of 20 plus leading organizations and prominent professionals to jointly work to expedite the adoption of minimum social protection to all in Pakistan. Being committed to reform and development, he has established, in collaboration with other experts, Social Protection Resource Centre (SPRC) Islamabad to complement the ongoing efforts of positive social change in the country. Dr. Sohail has many local and international publications to his credit and has addressed/participated in numerous international and regional conferences, workshops, and Seminars.

Distinguished Fellows

Prof. Dr. Zahid Asghar

Distinguished fellow
About Prof.Dr. Zahid Asghar
Prof.Dr. Zahid Asghar
Prof.Dr. Zahid Asghar is currently working as Professor, School of Economics , Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad. He is former Director, School of Economics, and has also served as Registrar of the university. He is applied econometrician and statistician with special interests in development economics, making sense of data through Data visualization and has conducted a large number of trainings on data analytics using Excel, STATA, R and EVIEWS. Professor Asghar has also served at NIBAF,State Bank of Pakistan for two years as senior econometrician. He has expertise in using R , STATA and Excel , and comfortable in using Datawrapper, Tableau, SPSS and EVIEWS for data anlysis. He is actively engaged in playing with data particularly PovCalnetR, PDHS, PSLM, WDI using R among many other survey data sets. He has published in gender, food security and other socio-economic issues both in national and international peer reviewed journals. He is keen in having better awareness of development indicators in the society and to contribute to an evidence based decision making in socio-economic policy. He has also good grasp of macroeconometrics issues.

Mr.Azhar Hameed

Distinguished fellow
About Mr. Azhar Hameed
Mr. Azhar Hameed
Mr. Azhar Hameed is the Ex. Chairman of Employees’ Old-age Benefits Institution (EOBI)

Dr. Nasir Iqbal

Distinguished fellow
About Dr. Nasir Iqbal
Dr. Nasir Iqbal
Dr. Nasir Iqbal is an economist. His specialized areas are Social Protection, Trade and Poverty. He is certified in modeling and prognosticating socioeconomic issues. He has also remained as the Additional Director General of Pakistan’s Largest social protection program (Benazir Income Support Program). He has also worked with World Bank, Asian Development Bank, DFID, ILO and MIT, Harvard and LSE universities as well.

Dr. SYED M. HASAN

LUMS
About Dr. SYED M. HASAN
Dr. SYED M. HASAN
Dr. Syed M Hasan is currently Associate Professor at LUMS in the Department of Economics. Dr. Hasan holds a PhD in Economics from Ohio State University. His doctoral research is based on spatial policy instruments and firm’s productivity. He also has several publications to his name in top-tier journals. His foremost research interests comprise urban and regional economics. Given his profound interest in sustainable development, Dr. Hasan has also conducted research on resilient cities. His primary focus of interest in this field includes water conservation, economic cost of congestion and energy consumption choices at household level etc. Apart from his academic journey, previously he has also served in civil service of Pakistan.

Abid Raza Khan

Assistant Professor Economics
About Abid Raza Khan
Abid Raza Khan
Mr. Abid Raza Khan is an economist, currently pursuing his PhD dissertation from The New School for Social Research, Newyork, USA. He has research expertise in different areas of economy including economic growth and distribution, consumption inequality and Entrepreneurial ecosystems. He has experience of teaching at many prestigious institutes including; lectureship in University of Southern Maine (USA), Teaching Fellowship at the Lang College (USA), adjunct lectureship at the CUNY John Jay College for Criminal Justice. He is also a visiting lecturer at SDSB, Lahore University of Management Sciences.

Dr. Imdad Hussain

Assistant Professor Economics
About Dr. Imdad Hussain
Dr. Imdad Hussain
Dr. Imdad is a scholar-activist in the field of policy studies. He specializes in policy design, policy analysis, and policy experiments. He has published in the areas of public policies: education policy, urban policy, water and sanitation policies, climate policy, and local governments. Recently, he is developing ideas on the intersections of technology and public policy in Pakistan. He is exploring the potential of artificial intelligence, gamification, and communication technologies in bringing about policy innovations in the Pakistani public sector. He has been associated with the Forman Christian College University, Lahore University of Management Sciences, University of the Punjab, Institute of Business Administration, and International Organizations such as the United Nations Development Program, Asian Development Bank, World Bank, and Department for International Development.

Professor Qaiser Munir

Professor of Economics and Finance
About Professor Qaiser Munir
Professor Qaiser Munir
Professor Qaiser Munir is a professor of economics and finance at the University of Bahrain. He has considerable experience in industry and academia in advisory, administration, and leadership roles. Prof Munir has extensively published peer-reviewed journal articles, conference papers, books, book chapters, and monographs. Prof Munir has expertise in economic growth, environment, energy, tourism, and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He has served as editor and referee of various international journals, and organised conferences & workshops. Prof Qaiser’s sustained excellence in teaching and research has been recognised by Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) and the Institute of Business Administration (IBA), among others.

Core Team

Dr. Ajaz Ahmad

Director Research Programmes
Dr. Ajaz Ahmad
Dr. Ajaz Ahmad
Dr Ajaz Ahmed is an accomplished academic with a PhD in Economics from Durham University, UK. He is trained in applied economic policy research and works in areas such as sustainable agriculture, water conservation, climate change, energy, and public transport, among others. Dr Ajaz has a track record of conducting high social-impact research. He has demonstrated his ability to generate income by independently securing several competitive research grants. While he has peer-reviewed research publications to his credit, Dr Ajaz also contributes to the Dawn which is one of the most widely read English daily newspapers in Pakistan.

Alishba Naeem

Research Associate
About Alishba Naeem
Alishba Naeem
Alishba Naeem is a Policy Researcher. She has obtained her MPhil Degree in Public Policy from Pakistan Institute of Development Economics. Driven by motivation to work in social sector, her areas of interest include informal economy, social protection, gender disparity and urban-social dynamics. She has pursued both field and desk research in her academic career. Her expertise revolves around qualitative research, report writing, policy review and analysis. In addition to this she also actively engages in social media and web based projection of research.
Malik Arslan

Malik Arslan

IT Expert
About Malik Arslan
Malik Arslan
I am Malik Arslan Website Designer & Developer , Graphic Designer & Creative Strategist ardent about learning and experiencing new things. I am more passionate about my work rather than just earning money. I love to create and provide distinctive solutions for unique problems. My Background in Website & Graphic Design, Website Design, Marketing & Strategy has helped me out to broaden my horizons and have creative thinking. I’m always looking to connect with more people & learn more while creating work that speaks. The best way to predict about a website is to create it. I never dream about the success I work for it

Fahd Bin Tariq

Auditor
About Fahd Bin Tariq
Fahd Bin Tariq
Fahd Bin Tariq is a seasoned consultant with over 10 years of experience specializing in taxation, corporate, and accountancy services. He has a proven track record of delivering strategic solutions to diverse organizations, ensuring tax compliance, optimizing financial operations, and providing expert advice on corporate matters.

Najya Ali

Project Assistant
About Najya Ali
Najya Ali
Najya Ali is currently a student of the 5th Semester, completing her Bachelors in Public Health from University of the Punjab. She has completed her O-levels from the UAE & her A-levels from LGS, Lahore. Moreover, she served as a volunteer in the First Public Policy Conference at NSPP, 2022. Besides this, she holds interest in community work, prevention of diseases, sociology, international relations, psychology, and much more. She has also written her first research paper which is under process of being published. Her passion towards improving the future of our society has driven her to work as a Project Assistant at SPRC & give her part to contribute towards this cause. Lastly, apart from this, she is also a horseback archer & has internationally represented Pakistan in various events.

Tahreem Fatima

Manager Communications
About Tahreem Fatima
Tahreem Fatima
As a highly motivated student of BS Public Health from University of Punjab, looking to secure a position that allows me to apply and broaden my skills. During my time at university and at workplaces, I developed excellent time-management skills, work well under pressure and detail orientated. As well as the above skills, I have experience of working in a highly regulated environment. I have worked on research under the supervision of Assistant Professor as a course work. Another research was based on Identifying Gaps in Curriculum through Focus Group Discussion. Besides this, I was appointed as a volunteer for this conference, and get certified as “Volunteered in NSPP 1 st International Social Policy Conference 2022”. I have participated in many other social works like organizing Fundraising Session, Events and Programs Management as a society member, debates, and speeches etc. These experiences have allowed me to build on my hassle fixing, expand my understanding and gain hands on practice, as well as amplify transferable abilities which include commercial focus, communication and negotiation and analytical abilities. I am seeking for a new opportunity where I can use and develop both my soft and technical skills. My career intention is to benefit a role which permits me to further my expertise and is to count on a function that permits me to examine and take on increased responsibility at a market places.

Maimoona Munir

Program Officer
About Maimoona Munir
Maimoona Munir
Maimoona Munir is currently completing her bachelors in Public Health from the University of the Punjab. She holds an interest in public health, social protection, community work, social welfare, climate change, prevention of diseases, and research. She has written her first research paper, which is being considered for publication. She has taken part in a variety of social activities, such as fundraising events. Moreover , she has served as a volunteer at NSPP's ( National School of Public Policy) first international conference.

Laloona Khattak

Research Associate
About Laloona Khattak
Laloona Khattak
Laloona is a passionate Public Policy student from NUST with a deep commitment to social change. Her journey began with hands-on experience in previous roles within social work organisations, where she saw firsthand the challenges and opportunities faced by vulnerable populations. Today, Laloona channels her enthusiasm for social improvement into rigorous research, focusing on issues that matter most to society. Her interests span a wide spectrum, from poverty alleviation and healthcare reform to environmental sustainability and education equity.

Hajra Nadeem

Research Intern
About Hajra Nadeem
Hajra Nadeem
Hajra Nadeem is working as a research intern with Social Protection Resource Centre (SPRC). She has done her bachelor degree in Psychology from ICG F6/2 affiliated to the Quaide Azam University. Her areas of interest include mental well-being, social protection, gender inequality. She has done her thesis on the impact of care burden on mothers of deaf children.

Waqas Bashir

Accounts and Admin Manager