Ishtiaq Ahmed (political scientist)

Ishtiaq Ahmed (Punjabi, Urdu: ا ش ت یاق احمد; born 24 February 1947) is a Pakistani-Swedish political scientist, academic, and author. He is Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Stockholm University, Sweden. Ahmed is known for his research on the political history of South Asia, particularly the partition of India in 1947. His scholarly work examines the ideological foundations and consequences of the partition, with a focus on the role of Muhammad Ali Jinnah and the Two-Nation Theory.

Ahmed’s research integrates themes of religion, ethnicity, language, and identity in South Asian politics. His academic contributions include books such as The Punjab Bloodied, Partitioned and Cleansed, which received the Best Non-Fiction Book Award at both the Karachi and Lahore Literature Festivals in 2013, and Jinnah: His Successes, Failures and Role in History.

In addition to his academic publications, Ahmed has been a visiting professor at institutions including the National University of Singapore, Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), and Government College University Lahore. His views on nationalism, religious politics, and the garrison state model of Pakistan have been featured in South Asian newspapers and journals.