Resilience and reforms in Pakistan

The South Asia Center’s Pakistan Initiative, the premier platform for conversations on the political economy of Pakistan, is hosting its second annual Pakistan Conference, in partnership with the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies —which will focus on post-crisis reforms and a recovery roadmap for Pakistan.

The goal of the 2023 conference is to begin laying out a plan for Pakistan in 2024 and beyond, to lift the country out of its ongoing crisis and put it on the path to sustainable and inclusive growth.

Day 1
day 2

Agenda

Wednesday, November 1, 2023

Atlantic Council Studios, 1030 15th St NW 12th floor, Washington, DC 20005

Day 1

Time Session
8:30 a.m. –
9:00 a.m.		 Breakfast
9:00 a.m. –
10:00 a.m.		 Welcome remarks

 

Amb. Masood Khan, Ambassador of Pakistan to the United States
Elizabeth Horst, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary and Deputy Assistant Secretary responsible for Pakistan, US Department of State
10:00 a.m. –
11:00 a.m.		 Fireside chat: Moving beyond macroeconomic stability in Pakistan

 

Asim Khwaja, Harvard University

 

Moderator

Uzair Younus, Director, Pakistan Initiative, Atlantic Council
11:00 a.m. –
11:15 a.m.		 Break
11:15 a.m. –
12:30 p.m.		 Sustaining growth through market reforms

 

Khurram Husain, Business Journalist
Ali Hasanain, Associate Professor of Economics, LUMS
Shazia Ghani, Team Lead, Special Initiatives Cell at the Prime Minister’s Office of Pakistan

 

Moderator

Joshua White, Associate Professor, Johns Hopkins SAIS
12:30 p.m. –
1:00 p.m.		 Lunch
1:00 p.m. –
2:15 p.m.		 Is Pakistan investable amidst a polycrisis?

 

Kalsoom Lakhani, Co-founder & General Partner, i2i Ventures
Farooq Tirmizi, Founder & CEO, Elphinstone
Amjad Ahmad, Chairman, empowerME, Atlantic Council
Abbas Shahid, Vice-president of Growth, Bykea

 

Moderator

Uzair Younus, Director, Pakistan Initiative, Atlantic Council
2:30 p.m. –
3:45 p.m.		 Panel: Achieving political stability amidst democratic backsliding

 

Sarah Khan, Assistant Professor, Yale University
Niloufer Siddiqui, Assistant Professor, University at Albany-State University of New York
Umair Javed, Assistant Professor of Politics and Sociology, LUMS

 

Moderator

Safiya Ghori-Ahmad, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council
3:45 p.m. End of the day’s agenda

Thursday, November 2, 2023

Johns Hopkins SAIS, 555 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20001

Day 2

Time Session
8:30 a.m. –
9:00 a.m.		 Breakfast
9:00 a.m. –
9:15 a.m.		 Welcome remarks
9:15 a.m. –
10:00 a.m.		 Fireside chat: Economic growth in an era of artificial intelligence

 

Amir Husain, Founder, SparkCognition

Moderator

Joshua White, Associate Professor, Johns Hopkins SAIS
10:00 a.m. –
10:15 a.m.		 Break
10:30 a.m. –
11:45 a.m.		 Middle Powers in an Era of Growing Multipolarity

 

Mosharraf Zaidi, Founder, Tabadlab,
Meredith Miller, Partner, Albright Stonebridge Group,
Jonathan Panikoff, Director, Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative, Atlantic Council

 

Moderator

Kapil Sharma, Senior Director, South Asia Center, Atlantic Council
11:45 a.m. –
12:30 p.m.		 Lunch
12:30 p.m. –
1:45 p.m.		 Building a resilient energy ecosystem in an era of climate disaster

 

Ammar Khan, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council
Erum Haider, Assistant Professor of Political Science and Environmental Studies, The College of Wooster
Ghazala Mansuri, Lead Economist, Poverty Reduction & Equity Group, World Bank
Alisa Newman Hood, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Excelerate Energy

 

Moderator

Uzair Younus, Director, Pakistan Initiative, Atlantic Council
1:45 p.m. –
2:00 p.m.		 Closing remarks
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Day 2

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Faisal Mosque in Islamabad, Pakistan

Pakistan

Formed after gaining independence in 1947 from the British empire, Pakistan continues to be plagued by internal and external instability. It has been hard for Pakistan to achieve strong economic growth over the years, but it still provides opportunities for private sector investors. Security remains a primary concern for Pakistan, as the decades-long conflict in Afghanistan and tensions with its eastern neighbor India persist.

Presented by

Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies

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At the intersection of South Asia and its geopolitics, South Asia Center cultivates dialogue to shape policy and forge ties between the region and the global community.

SAC’s Pakistan Initiative is the premier platform for conversations on the political economy of Pakistan.

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