Najam Called to Comment on Pakistan Elections 2024
Adil Najam, Dean Emeritus and Professor at Boston University’s Pardee School of Global Studies, who studies South Asia society and politics, was called on by multiple television news channels in Pakistan and internationally to comment on and explain the disputed and confounding results of Pakistan’s 2024 elections. Amongst others, Prof. Najam was invited to the election transmission of BBC Urdu, TRT, Geo TV News, Dawn News, and ARY TV, to help understand Pakistan’s unfolding election and political dynamics.
Interviewed by BBC’s Urdu show Sairbeen on the implications of the disputed election results and charges of large-scale rigging, Najam pointed out that much more important than the result of the elections themselves was the serious breach of trust that now defines Pakistan society. He argued that the biggest challenge for any incoming government in Pakistan will no longer be the economy, it would be “to find ways to plug the trust deficit which is now Pakistan’s most important crisis.”
On Geo TV News and ARY TV, Najam was asked to explain the impact of the news young voters on elections this year. Building on his earlier research on youth in Pakistan, Najam pointed out that the demographic momentum that now defines the country means that new young voters will play a decisive role in all elections from now to around 2045. This election, he suggested, was especially defined by a mix of new technology and new voters.
Adil Najam is Dean Emeritus and Professor at the Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University. He served as the Inaugural Dean of the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies from 2014-2022. He is also a former Vice-Chancellor of the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). Read more about Najam on his Pardee School faculty profile.