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Tariq Jahan

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. 

Name
Tariq Jahan
Occupation
PhD Researcher (International Relations) & Country-of-Origin Expert (Afghanistan)
Expertise

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

Experience

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).

Publications

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

Languages
English, Pashto, Persian (Farsi), Urdu
Ethnic groups expertise
Pashtun
Tajik
Hazara
Uzbek
Other Afghan ethnic communities (contextual expertise)



Political groups expertise
Taliban (historical and contemporary)
Former Afghan government institutions (GIRoA)
Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF)
Political factions and power networks
Armed opposition and resistance groups (contextual)

Other social groups expertise
Journalists and media workers
Former government officials and civil servants
Women activists and human rights defenders
Educators and students
Civil society actors
Ethnic and religious minorities

Address
LJ2 LLC (DBA Communitology)
35 Muddy Dog Run
Essex Junction, VT 05452 USA