Yale Forges New Bonds With Pakistan Trip

Pakistan, the world’s fifth-most populous country, has often been underrepresented in the study of South Asia. Over the last few years, Yale has worked to change that. In December 2023, Vice Provost of Global Strategy Steven Wilkinson led a delegation of Yale faculty and staff on a 10-day trip to engage with Yale alumni as well as three of Pakistan’s premier universities: Lahore University of Management Science (LUMS), Beaconhouse National University (BNU), and Aga Khan University (AKU). In addition to Wilkinson, Nilekani Professor of India and South Asian Studies and Henry R. Luce Director, MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies, the Yale delegation included Anthony Acciavatti, Diana Balmori Assistant Professor at the Yale School of Architecture, and Robert Bonds, Yale Alumni Association (YAA) Regional Representative.

Working across disciplines, faculty and staff sought to foster relationships with key institutions in the Global South and develop close ties with regional universities, as well as deepen Yale’s regional programming. Wilkinson said, “There are excellent educational institutions in Pakistan and our group had the chance to interact with some of these and learn about what they are doing. AKU in Karachi has long been a leader in health and we learned about their new initiatives and growing strength in the Arts and Sciences. LUMS, which has many ties with Yale faculty, has long been a powerhouse in the social sciences.” During the trip, the Yale delegation worked with leading faculty at LUMS to finalize preparations for a co-organized climate justice conference in June 2024, revitalize Urdu instruction partnerships between Yale and LUMS, and support LUMS’ archival projects. They also opened initial conversations with both BNU and AKU about academic collaboration.

The delegation also worked to broaden connections with alumni and demonstrate Yale’s deep commitment to the region. They hosted alumni receptions in Karachi and Lahore on behalf of the YAA, and also organized individual meetings with prominent alumni in the public and private sectors. Wilkinson noted, “We also had the opportunity to reconnect with our energetic alumni population in Karachi and Lahore, and we’d like to thank them for their hospitality.” Alumni engagement is a key part of Yale’s engagement with Pakistan, and was the focus of both a trip to the country in December 2022 and a reception hosted in London in 2023.

In addition to the alumni and academic engagement portions of the trip, the delegation had the opportunity to explore parts of Lahore and Karachi. Wilkinson said, “Highlights were touring the old city of Lahore and the Lahore fort, as well as the Mohatta Palace museum in Karachi, which had a terrific photo exhibit on Pakistan’s post-independence period.” Acciavatti, who facilitated conversations with architecture faculty at BNU, added that “Traveling to Karachi and Lahore to not only meet with Yale alumni, but also to meet with scholars at institutions in both cities was an eye-opening experience. I was impressed by how diverse and expansive the work was by alumni and faculty. And the trip led to deepening connections with institutions in Pakistan that show great promise for academic collaborations going forward.”