Dr Smruti S Pattanaik

Dr Smruti S Pattanaik is a Research Fellow at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis, New Delhi (India). After completing her PhD in South Asian Studies, from the School of International Studies, JNU, she joined the IDSA in 1998. Her area of specialization is South Asian politics focusing on role of military, politics of identity and dynamics of India’s relations with its neighbours.

Her current study focuses on Political Islam, Islamic militancy and the States in South Asia making a comparison between Pakistan and Bangladesh the two most important Muslim countries in the region. She was a visiting Asia fellow at the Department of International Relations, Dhaka University for a year in 2004 studying the politics of identity in Bangladesh and in 2007 she was again affiliated as a visiting Fellow in the Dhaka University to study the politics of religion and the role of Jamaat Islami Bangladesh.

She has received numerous international fellowships like the Kodikara Award (RCSS, Colombo), Asia Fellowship (2003, Asian Scholarship Foundation, Bangkok), Follow up grant (Asian Scholarship Foundation, 2006), Hermes Postdoctoral Fellowship (Fondation Maison des Science de l’Homme, Paris, 2008). She was attached to the Centre for International Relations Research (CERI) and MSH (Paris) to conduct post doctoral research on “Broadening Consensus in Fighting Religious Militancy/terrorism: Can Democracy in Pakistan Ensure regional stability”.

She has published a number of articles in reputed journals, and has contributed chapters in books, delivered lectures on security issues both in India and abroad. She has published a book titled “Elite Perception in Foreign Policy: Role of Print Media in influencing Indo-Pak relations” (Delhi, RCSS and Manohar, 2004).

Dr Pattanaik's presentation at the Countering Militancy in Pakistan: Domestic, Regional and International Dimensions Conference was, Militancy in Pakistan: Exploring a Regional Approach to the Problem.