Welcome! I am a Ph.D. student in Political Science at Boston University. My research examines everyday authoritarianism, state formation, and the role of religious movements in South and Southeast Asia, with a particular focus on Pakistan and Indonesia. 

I was born and raised in Bhakkar, a rural district along the Indus River in Pakistan's Punjab province, where two paths diverged: one leading to conventional career choices and another, less traveled, toward scholarly inquiry of religion and politics in the Muslim world. My academic journey has taken me from the University of Punjab to San Diego State University, where I completed my MA in Political Science, and now to Boston University for doctoral studies. This path across two countries, combined with my fieldwork experiences and facility with multiple languages, has made all the difference in how I approach the study of political and religious dynamics in postcolonial societies. 

My current work analyzes how Islamic movements interact with state power and how everyday practices of authoritarianism manifest in different cultural contexts. I am particularly interested in comparing how Islamic movements navigate political spaces in Pakistan and Indonesia, drawing on both theoretical frameworks and ground-level observations. This comparative approach allows me to examine how religious actors adapt to and influence political changes across different cultural landscapes while investigating the ways various stakeholders deploy religious concepts to advance political agendas. My research builds upon my previous studies of religious orthodoxy, democratization, and state formation in South Asia, all while seeking to understand the complex interplay between faith, power, and governance in the modern world. 

Throughout my academic journey, from the banks of the Indus to the shores of the Pacific and now in New England, I have developed a deeper appreciation for how local contexts shape global patterns of religious and political interaction. This perspective informs my research and my broader commitment to understanding how societies navigate the delicate balance between tradition and change, authority and freedom, religion and state power.