Shibil Siddiqi

"Afghanistan-Pakistan Relations: History and Geopolitics in a Regional and International Context" - Forward and executive summary - Part I - Afghanistan-Pakistan Relations: History and Geopolitics in a Regional and International Context - Part II - Theoretical framework (forthcoming)

Bio

Shibil is currently working as a Community Legal Worker with Neighbourhood Legal Services, a community based legal aid clinic in downtown Toronto, where he is engaged in providing legal advice for some of the most poverty stricken communities in the city. He recently returned to Toronto after spending 9 months in Kabul, Afghanistan, as a Research and Project Development Consultant with the National Democratic Institute. His work there included undertaking needs assessments, and developing implementation projects aimed at bolstering the research and legislative capacity of the National Assembly of Afghanistan. In addition, he volunteered as a lawyer-mentor at the Legal Aid Organization of Afghanistan, where he trained and assisted young lawyers in political policy analysis, legal research and professional ethics.

Shibil has also worked extensively with a number of community based organizations in Pakistan towards the development of urban slums and squatter settlements, and has volunteered with international organizations such as the Permanent Peoples Tribunal and Transparency International.

Shibil holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from the University of Warwick, UK (2001). After moving to Toronto in 2001 he obtained a Master of Laws (LLM) degree from the University of Toronto (2002). His thesis there focused on human rights and development in the context of Pakistani squatter communities. Shibil grew up in the massive port city of Karachi in Pakistan, and is fluent in English, Urdu and Hindi.

Issue of Investigation

As a 2007 Gordon Global Fellowship recipient, Shibil undertook a study of Afghanistan-Pakistan relations. He examined the troubled history of relations between the two countries within the context of regional and international geopolitical considerations. His research assessed the implications of a contextualized approach for Canadian foreign policy with respect to both Afghanistan and Pakistan.