The Second International Conference on Critical Peace Studies at, University of Management and Technology, August 6, 2025,

The Second International Conference on Critical Peace Studies at University of Management and Technology August 6, 2025. The event was graced by distinguished professionals and scholars. Among the notable participants were Rear Admiral Jawad Ahmed, Commandant of the Pakistan Navy War College, Lahore, and Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Javed Hassan, Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Military) and Sitara-e-Imtiaz, Chief Adviser to the President, UMT. Academic leadership was represented by Dr. Asghar Zaidi, Provost of UMT. From UMT’s Centre for Critical Peace Studies (CCPS), Dr. Fatima Sajjad, Director of CCPS and Associate Professor at the Department of Political Science and International Relations (DPSIR), along with Tehreem Saeed Arain, Senior Officer and Research Associate, actively contributed to the conference proceedings.

In addition to international scholars, the gathering also featured some of Pakistan’s top academicians. National guest speakers included Dr. Shabana Fayyaz, Professor of Defence and Strategic Studies at Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad, Dr. Junaid Akhtar, Content Architect of an EdTech Startup, and Dr. Ahmad Waqas Waheed, Executive Director of the Research on Advancement and Development of Social Sciences (ROADS), and Shahzadi Fatima Ali, Junior Research Fellow at the ROADS Initiative and Visiting Faculty at Air University and Bahria University, Islamabad.

Social activists also enriched the dialogue, including Faysal Hameed, Senior Manager at Sundas Foundation, Tehseen Al Qadri, Managing Editor of Youth International E-Magazine, Wajahat Ali, PhD student in International Relations and Advisor – Youth International E-Magazine, and Ahmad Raza Khan Kirmani, Head of Partnerships and Strategic Communications at Pakistan Citizens Alliance. The conference discussed contemporary challenges and opportunities for peace.