LAHORE: Professor Dr Hasan Askari Rizvi is a renowned political scientist and military analyst, currently working as professor emeritus of political science at the Punjab University.

A former visiting professor of Pakistan Studies at the Columbia University from 1996 to 1999, Prof Askari has also served as Allama Iqbal Professor at Heidelberg University, Germany, from 1988 to 1991.

He has a number of publications, including more than 1,800 op-eds and comment pieces in domestic and international newspapers and magazines and has spent over 35 years teaching and supervising research at the post-graduate level. The books include ‘Military, State and Society in Pakistan’ and ‘The military and Politics in Pakistan: 1947 – 1997’.

He has taught Master’s-level courses at local, German, and American universities on South Asian affairs, comparative politics, international relations, Pakistan’s domestic and foreign policy, civil-military relations, the Middle East and the Gulf region. He was awarded Sitara-i-Imtiaz in 2010 by the government.

Prof Askari studied at the Government College Lahore from 1960 to 1964 and also taught political science there in late 1960s.

He did his Bachelor’s in political science and English literature in 1968 from Punjab University, an MA in international relations from the University of Pennsylvania in 1979, and a PhD in political science from UPenn a year later.

He has also received an MPhil on the basis of a published thesis on South Asia and comparative government.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has named Prof Dr Hasan Askari as caretaker chief minister of Punjab.

The ECP nominated the caretaker Punjab chief minister after a parliamentary committee failed to reach a consensus over the proposed candidates. Prof Askari will take oath as caretaker chief minister on Friday (today).

Published in Dawn, June 8th, 2018