Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses
मनोहर पर्रिकर रक्षा अध्ययन एवं विश्लेषण संस्थान

Ashok K. Behuria

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Dr. Ashok K.Behuria is a Fellow and Coordinator of the South Asia Centre at MP-IDSA. He is a Ph.D in International Relations from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India. He has worked on “India-Pakistan Relationship During the Eighties” for his Ph.D. He joined IDSA in 2003 and before that he worked as Assistant Director at the International Centre for Peace Studies, New Delhi. Dr.Behuria has also been Editor of International Studies, the prestigious research journal from Jawaharlal Nehru University, and has been in the Editorial Boards of Journal of Peace Studies and Strategic Analysis, the flagship journal from IDSA. He has taught at the University of Delhi and JamiaMilliaIslamia, New Delhi. He is a close observer of developments in South Asia and has been awarded the prestigious K Subrahmanyam Award for excellence in strategic studies for his work on Pakistan in 2009. He has published many research articles on strategic issues related to Pakistan, India-Pakistan relations, Sri Lanka, Nepal and South Asian security environment in Indian and foreign journals. He has edited several books on South Asia and continues with his research on internal politics in Pakistan, evolving strategic scenario in the Pak-Af region, radicalisation of religious discourse in the region, India’s engagement with the neighbourhood, regional security, and inter-state cooperation.

Senior Fellow

Publication

Voices of the Unvoiced: Women’s Struggle for Education in Khyber Pukhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Voices of the Unvoiced is a deeply moving and painstakingly researched book,Footnote1 which explores the various challenges faced by PakhtunFootnote2 women as they seek education in the culturally complex and war-torn province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. An academic treatise and personal testament, this book is the result of five years of intense research, including a doctoral dissertation and postdoctoral study. It combines feminist theory, socio-historical analysis, and ethnographic storytelling to highlight the tenacity and resilience of (Pakhtun) women in a patriarchal society. It offers a timely reflection on gender, education, and empowerment in a region grappling with the legacies of armed conflict and cultural conservatism.

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Ashok K. Behuria and Uttam Sinha’s Op-ed ‘The Field Marshal In His Labyrinth’ Published in The Times of India

Senior Fellows Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr Ashok K Behuria and Dr Uttam Sinha’s op-ed ‘The Field Marshal In His Labyrinth’ has been published in ‘The Times of India’ on 21 May 2025.

Islamabad is on edge post ceasefire. The #PakistanStandsUnited narrative is slipping. Gen Munir’s promotion is a stabilisation gambit against the army leadership being challenged, write Dr Behuria and Dr Sinha.

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Disclaimer: The views expressed by the author are personal and do not in any way reflect the views of MP-IDSA or the Government of India.

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The Unending Conflict: Dilemmas of Dealing with Sectarianism in Kurram

The monograph focusses on the unending sectarian conflict in the Kurram district in Pakistan. It traces the history of Kurram, the origin Tof the Turi Shias and chronicles major incidents of sectarian conflicts in the district. It argues that sectarian violence in Kurram, Pakistan, between Shias and Sunnis is deeply rooted in historical animosities, exacerbated by the state’s Sunni-Islamist orientation and external influences like the Afghan Jihad and Saudi-Iran rivalry.

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Ashok K. Behuria’s Issue brief ‘Visit of Sri Lankan President to India: Issues at Stake’ Published by International Centre for Peace Studies

Senior Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr Ashok K. Behuria’s Issue brief ‘Visit of Sri Lankan President to India: Issues at Stake’ has been published by International Centre for Peace Studies on 24 December 2024.

The issue brief isolates the India and China factors in Lankan politics and diplomacy and suggests ways in which the two countries can carry their engagement forward.

Read Complete Article [+] Disclaimer: The views expressed by the author are personal and do not in any way reflect the views of MP-IDSA or the Government of India.

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Monday Morning Meeting on South Asia Conference Organised

In the Monday Morning Meeting organised on 11 December 2023, Associate Fellow and the Conference Coordinator, Dr Anand Kumar briefed MP-IDSA scholars about the upcoming South Asia Conference on 14-15 December. The meeting was chaired by Senior Fellow Dr Ashok K. Behuria. Valuable suggestions were offered by Director General, Amb Sujan R. Chinoy.
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Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan: Origin, Evolution and Future Portents

  • Publisher: KW Publishers
This volume is a result of an abiding interest in the phenomenon of radical Islamist terror that haunts Pakistan today. The research questions that it seeks to answer are: Why do the tribal areas remain a problem for rulers and administrators throughout history? How and why did radical Islam embed itself in the terrain?

Was it influenced by the overall emphasis on Islam in Pakistani state politics? What is the role of history and politics in fuelling religious passions in the area? What has led to the survival of TTP despite humongous efforts of the Pakistan Army to decimate it? What are the future portents of such a movement? What impact is it likely to have on Pakistani society and politics?

The volume makes an attempt to understand the context in which Pakistani Taliban or TTP, as it is called now, came into being, the enabling factors that made the growth of TTP possible, the formation and growth of TTP as a militant organisation, its leadership and its activities over the years, its ideological orientation and its worldview, its aims and objectives, its relationship with other militant groups in and outside Pakistan and the efforts of the Pakistani establishment to come to terms with such a phenomenon. There is an attempt to analyse the process and study its implications for Pakistan and the region.

  • ISBN: 978-93-91490-02-7 ,
  • Price: ₹ 880/-
  • E-copy available

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