Centre for Strategic and Contemporary Research

The Centre for Strategic and Contemporary Research (CSCR) is an independent policy institute in Islamabad that projects strategic foresight rooted in academia on issues of significance for civil society stakeholders, policy makers, and state officials. Through research, consultancy and advocacy, CSCR is playing an instrumental role in bringing a positive perceptual shift within the targeted segments to help them understand the policy choices facing Pakistan and other countries. Established in 2014, the Centre has been working closely with various stakeholders, both institutions and individuals. Our clients and partners include currently serving representatives of the provincial governments, the media and the academia. Our work includes primary and secondary research, centered on issues of security and governance within Pakistan and the region, and is presented through varied media. As a young institution with a dynamic team, our primary objectives are to: (i) Produce quality academic and policy research, drawing from primary data accrued from our on-ground presence in the concerned regions; (ii) Engage stakeholders from the policy making elite, the academia, and the media, to apprise them of policy options on our most pressing current issues; (iii) Highlight issues of national concern by generating debate on neglected aspects, and conveying policy options to the relevant quarters; (iv) Bridge the disconnect between the policy maker and the ordinary citizen, conveying the concerns and compulsions of each side to the other in order to facilitate effective decision making; (v) Help develop and promote a national narrative that reflects a positive outlook, and one which is, more importantly, based on fact and ground realities.