Abdullah Burki is from the district of Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. He is a graduate of Forman Christian College (A Chartered University) Lahore with a major in Political Science. By profession, Abdullah is a research scholar and socio-political activist working on Afghan refugee issues, particularly national identity. During his MPhil study at university, Abdullah conducted research on "Identity and Belongingness of Afghan Refugees Living in Pakistan."

Abdullah was also a co-author on an international 5-year project “Disputed Territories and Memory (DisTerrMem)” fully funded by Horizon 2020, European Commission Research and Innovation. In connection with the project, he attended the fifth annual conference organized by the Memory Studies Association, “Convergences”, Warsaw, Poland (online). There Abdullah presented a paper called "Diasporic Nationalism and Agonistic Possibilities among Afghan Refugees in Pakistan" as part of the panel "The International to the Local: Women, Conflict and the Potential of Agonism in Peace Building." The district of Peshawar is a residential hub of Afghan refugees, with an estimated 90,000 refugees. Abdullah is also a member of the Pakistan-U.S. Alumni Network (PUAN).

IVLP Impact Award Project: Social Inclusion Self-Sustainability & Media Representation of Pak-Afghan Community (SISSMeR-PAC); A Triangular Approach to Interconnect Refugees with the Host Community and the State 

The project used a unique triangular model that contributed to the welfare of the refugee and host communities in Peshawar as it created social and political bonds between both communities. The marginalized communities of women in Peshawar including those with both Afghan and Pakistani backgrounds benefitted from the project in the initial phase, where two kinds of classes were offered. Basic education, in the form of vocational trainings, such as beautician training, candle making, tailoring and financial market training, among others were taught to 25 participants, while another 25 received spoken English language classes.

Eighty participants including both Afghani and Pakistani community members also attended the conference that made up the second phase of the project. The conference workshops covered topics ranging from “Media Responsibilities: Making and Shaping Public Opinions about Refugees” to “Women Empowerment: Countering Social Taboos.” These discussions helped in mainstreaming the positive image of both communities in the print and electronic media as well, since the project also engaged with an additional 35 people as part of the awareness campaign.

Pak-Afghan women participants of the “SISSMeR-PAC” project are taking vocational training such as tailoring and designing

Vocational trainer is giving instructions to the students of “SISSMeR-PAC” project

Participants taking part in Abdullah’s spoken English language class.

The final products of the candle making course.

A student’s work from the tailoring course.

Students practicing their new skills in the beautician course.

"My goal is to empower the Pak-Afghan community, create agonistic spaces for both communities, strengthen collective dialogues, ensure their collaboration and develop leadership qualities." - Abdullah Burki

IVLP Exchange Experience 

Abdullah was a participant in the IVLP Project Youth and Civic Engagement – Youth Activism (Pakistan and India), organized by the U.S. Department of State and Meridian International Center.

Abdullah's exchange experience led to the development of his IVLP Impact Award Project: "Meeting with various organizations in different states of America strengthened my leadership abilities and made me realize that I have to do something for my community."

U.S. Communities Visited

Washington, DC; Pensacola, FL; Atlanta, GA; Charlotte, NC; Columbus, OH

"[IVLP] was in fact an awakening call to realize and acknowledge issues that are on the horizon and need to be resolved." - Abdullah Burki

Country: Pakistan 

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