My research looks at how the civil-military interplay in Pakistan impacts on China-Pakistan relations, and I have therefore been in Pakistan for 6 weeks for the fieldwork. The importance of conducting interviews and archival research in Pakistan was two-fold: on the one hand, I was able to gather a wealth of empirical data, crucial to provide a well-rounded and in-depth analysis of the research topic; on the other hand, the time spent in Islamabad has been indispensable for grasping the true nature of the domestic political environment in Pakistan. In this respect, the interviews conducted in Islamabad focused primarily on politicians, high level officials and bureaucrats (including retired, and active, members of the foreign office and the military), academics and journalists. A number of conferences were also attended, through which I developed my own network in the policy and academic communities of Pakistan.
Against this background, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to the School of Politics and International Relations, the Institute of Asia and Pacific Studies, and the Centre for Conflict, Security and Terrorism for their generous financial support. It was indeed a unique experience, for both my professional and personal growth, that has had a crucial impact on my research project.
Filippo Boni, Doctoral Researcher
Posted on Monday 30th March 2015