The Centre for Critical Peace Studies at the University of Management and Technology convened an intellectually rich afternoon under the Books, Ideas & Coffee series, featuring Dr Ahmad Waqas Waheed, Executive Director at Roads Initiative. Drawing from his book The Myth of Decolonization and the Global South: Mapping Coloniality through Pakistani International Relations, Dr Waheed challenged prevailing assumptions about how knowledge and power continue to shape Pakistani and regional scholarship.
Dr Waheed’s remarks explored the hidden continuities of colonial power within knowledge production, arguing that intellectual and cultural dependencies persist long after formal independence. He questioned the dominance of Eurocentric paradigms and called for a sustained effort to reframe International Relations through local histories, epistemologies, and the lived realities of communities across the Global South.
The discussion pushed beyond political decolonization to consider decolonization as an intellectual and moral undertaking, urging scholars to reclaim their capacity to think, write and produce knowledge rooted in regional experience. Participants reflected on practical steps for embedding diverse epistemologies into teaching and research within Pakistan’s academic institutions.
The event reaffirmed CCPS’s commitment to creating critical spaces where dialogue, scholarship and reflection converge to challenge inherited assumptions. By foregrounding decolonization in conversation and practice, the session sought to inspire Pakistani researchers and students to contribute new ways of seeing International Relations from the Global South.
