@2025 – All Right Reserved with CASS Lahore.
Nidaa Shahid, Associate Director at CASS Lahore, specialises in nuclear arms control and national security. With prior roles at SPD & MoFA, she is a seasoned researcher, educator, and global contributor, holding fellowships and a Gold Medal from QAU.
Education
She holds an MPhil and MSc in Defence and Strategic Studies from Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad, where she was awarded a Gold Medal for academic excellence.
She has also been awarded several prestigious fellowships, including from King’s College London, UK, the James Martin Center for Non-proliferation Studies, US, Research Society for International Law (RSIL) and the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC).
Professional Experience
She worked for a decade as an International Relations Analyst at the Arms Control & Disarmament Affairs (ACDA) Branch of Pakistan’s Strategic Plans Division (SPD). She also held a research role at the Arms Control and Disarmament Division (ACDIS) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pakistan. She has also taught at Quaid-e-Azam University and Fatima Jinnah Women University. In addition, she has participated in various Track-II dialogues around the world.
She is currently serving as an Associate Director at the Centre for Aerospace and Security Studies (CASS), Lahore.
Areas of Interest / Expertise
Her core areas of expertise include nuclear arms control, disarmament, non-proliferation, and national security. Her broader research interests span foreign policy, South Asian nuclear dynamics, and the role of media in perception management.
Academic Contributions
She has presented her research at various international platforms, including the Cooperative Monitoring Center at Sandia National Laboratories (US) and the Centre for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA), Istanbul. Before joining CASS, her scholarly work encompassed over fifteen research and opinion articles in renowned national and international forums. Prominent among them is a short paper published by BASIC UK titled, “The Potential for Developing Shared Nuclear Responsibilities in an Unstable South Asian Nuclear Relationship” (Jul 6, 2022).
Recent Publications
Research Articles
- Evaluating the Role and Effectiveness of Cross-Domain Deterrence in India and Pakistan Context – Nidaa Shahid and Sabina Babar, Working Paper, Centre for Aerospace and Security Studies Lahore, April 2025
- Two Decades of Indo-US Strategic Partnership: Implications for South Asian Strategic Stability and Future Strategic Trajectories – Nidaa Shahid and Dr Bilal Ghazanfar, Joint Working Paper, Centre for Aerospace and Security Studies Lahore, November 2024
- The Evolution of Nuclear Doctrines in South Asia: Implications of India’s NFU Policy Reassessment, CASS Working Paper, Centre for Aerospace and Security Studies Lahore, January 2024
Situational Analyses/Reports
- Unleashing the Atom: Civilian Nuclear Power in the 21st Century – Post Seminar Report, CASS, Lhr – June 2025
- An Analysis of US Sanctions on Pakistan’s Missile Programme – Post Roundtable Report, CASS Lhr – March 14, 2025
- Digital Minds: Navigating Social Media and Mental Health – Post Roundtable Report, CASS, Lhr – January 23, 2025
- Adapting to Strategic Complexities: Innovating Approaches to Arms Control in South Asia – Post Seminar Report, CASS, Lhr – September 10, 2024
- Next Generation Air Warfare: Transforming South Asian Air Forces – Post Seminar Report, CASS, Lhr – June 27, 2024
- Mastering Narratives: Navigating Disinformation and Reshaping Perceptions for Pakistan‘s Future – Post Seminar Report, CASS Lhr – January 25, 2024
- Geo-political And Military Implications Of The 2023 Hamas-Israel Conflict – Situational Paper, November 2023
- India’s Emerging Global Significance: Reshaping Regional Dynamics and Strategic Equilibrium – Post Seminar Report, CASS, Lhr – October 23, 2023
Opinion Articles
- Air Power in Contrast: India’s Spectacle vs. Pakistan’s Strategy. Strafasia, May 10, 2025
- Pahalgam: The Price of Denial in IIOJK, Stratheia, April 24, 2025
- Brahmos: Strategic Asset or Strategic Folly?, Pakistan Politico, 25 March 2025
- Paul Kapur’s Appointment: A Shift In US Policy Towards India And Its Impact On Pakistan, Friday Times, Mar 10, 2025
- A Tale of Two Policies, Pakistan Today, Feb 12, 2025
- Soaring Hopes amid Grounded Reality – Straf Asia, Jan 22, 2025
- India’s Radioactive Woes – Stratheia, Nov 22, 2024
- Squad vs Quad: The Domino Effects of Minilateralism in the Indo-Pacific, Pakistan Politico, Oct 1, 2024
- Urban Sprawls and Pakistan’s Development Imbalance, Friday Times, Aug 29, 2024
- AI Enabled Deterrence: Promises and Pitfalls, Pakistan Today, Aug 2, 2024
- Beyond the Smokescreen of Modi’s Election Rhetoric, Pakistan Politico, May 23, 2024
- The Tejas Program: Triumphs, Tragedies, and Troubles, Straf Asia Mar 29, 2024
- Diplomacy Amdist Conflict: A Kashmir Day Reflection, The Gulf Observer Feb 5, 2024
- Reviving Mr Jinnah’s Pakistan: A Critical Reflection and a Call to Action, The Nation Dec 25, 2023
- Unveiling the Ethical Paradox: Human Oversight in the age of Autonomous Weapons, Straf Asia Dec 23, 2023
- From Keystrokes to Conflicts: Safeguarding Pakistan’s Cyber Sovereignty, Pakistan Politico Oct 31, 2023
- Pakistan: Between Ethnocentrism, Xenophobia and Xenocentrism, Stratheia Sep 20, 2023
- G20 Glitz and Domestic Grit: India’s Dual Reality, Pakistan Today Sep 18, 2023
- Navigating the Social Media Battlefield in the Russia-Ukraine Conflict, Pakistan Politico Aug 19, 2023
- From Autonomy to Agony: IOK’s Journey since Aug 2019, Straf Asia Aug 5, 2023
The Centre for Aerospace & Security Studies (CASS) was established in July 2021 to inform policymakers and the public about issues related to aerospace and security from an independent, non-partisan and future-centric analytical lens.