Tariq Jahan is a PhD researcher in International Relations at the University of St Andrews (UK), specializing in conflict, terrorism, and strategic communication in Afghanistan. His research focuses on how state and non-state actors—including the Taliban, the former Afghan government, and international forces—have used narratives, propaganda, and information control during Afghanistan’s post-2001 conflict. His work draws on extensive primary materials, academic research, and qualitative interviews with practitioners, officials, and analysts.
Tariq has professional experience in strategic communications and policy analysis and has worked closely with Afghan and international stakeholders on issues of security, extremism, governance, and civic space. He provides country-of-origin analysis for asylum and refugee cases, offering independent, evidence-based expert opinion on political risk, persecution, and conflict dynamics in Afghanistan. He is fluent in English, Pashto, and Dari, with working knowledge of Urdu.
Corruption & Impunity
Deportees/Criminal Deportees
Ethnic Discrimination Or Persecution
Forced Marriage
Government/State Actor Persecution
Honor-Based Violence
Journalist Persecution
Prison Conditions
Religious Discrimination Or Persecution
Risk Of Retaliation
Safe Internal Relocation
Torture
My expertise is grounded in extensive academic research, primary-source analysis, and field-informed work on Afghanistan, including systematic analysis of political persecution, armed group behavior, and risk patterns.
My background is in strategic communication and propaganda by state and non-state actors; country-of-origin risk analysis for former government officials, security personnel, journalists, and civil society actors; Taliban governance practices and enforcement mechanisms; patterns of retaliation and surveillance; documentation and verification of Afghanistan-related materials (media, statements, and official records).
A Proxy No More? Pakistan, the Taliban and the Collapse of a Patron-Proxy Model, Special Report, Afghanistan Center for the Study of Terrorism and Democracy, December 2025, https://acstd.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Special-Report___Final.pdf
Safeguarding Afghanistan's Next Generation from Taliban Indoctrination, Policy Brief, Afghanistan Center for the Study of Terrorism and Democracy, September 2025, https://acstd.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Policy-brief-3.pdf
Tajik
Hazara
Uzbek
Other Afghan ethnic communities (contextual expertise)
Former Afghan government institutions (GIRoA)
Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF)
Political factions and power networks
Armed opposition and resistance groups (contextual)
Former government officials and civil servants
Women activists and human rights defenders
Educators and students
Civil society actors
Ethnic and religious minorities
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