From Malee Zanira Khan who hails from Bahawalpur and has recently completed unique research in the field of intelligence from the University of Salford, Manchester.
Her research is about the role of women in the CIA before and after the Cold War. According to Zanira, no South Asian woman has done such research before.
Zanira Khan was interviewed in detail by Zahra Fatima for Independent Urdu in London.
Zahra Fatima: What motivated you to come to the UK from Bahawalpur in Pakistan to study this Masters?
Zanira Khan: There is a famous quote I read by Oscar Wilde. There are many things which are better for women than men in this world but there are many things which are prohibited for women.
So it is among the fields that are exclusively related to men that they can go into operational fields and thus such fields are not exclusive to women.
I have done my research on women of Karbala. I was impressed by his courage during this period when he fought for religion and fought for the development of religion.
While they can fight on the battlefield, women can fight anywhere. So it impressed me at one point.
So I did my research on her and now on the role of women in intelligence.
Zahra Fatimah: What is your research specifically focused on?
Zanira Khan: My area of research focuses on the role of women in intelligence with a particular focus on the CIA during the Cold War and post-war period.
I did the research because it was very interesting that during the Cold War women played a very important role at the operational level and also at the strategic level.
However, they were being pushed into clerical jobs and eighty-three percent of women were doing clerical jobs.
The same was true of the CIA and British Intelligence, despite having a very good profile.
However, things have changed in recent times and now they are getting higher positions.
But when it comes to regions like South Asia, so far we see that they have not been given any such task yet.
Zahra Fatima: We live in an ever-globalizing world with the emergence of AI technology and fake news and misinformation. What challenges do experts in your field face and how are they overcoming them?
Zanira Khan: There are many challenges that an expert faces in today’s era of hybrid warfare and fifth generation warfare. Sources Open sources and the open web. There is a large volume of data that needs to be analyzed.
This requires a partnership between AI tools and methods and human intelligence so that humans and machines can work together because machines can only sort through a certain amount of data but the analysis must be done by humans.
Come to disaster management. Let’s look at climate change and the environmental crisis and the wars that have to do with water.
When it comes to hydro wars and terrorism, the whole world is facing various challenges and it is more dangerous for the world because the world is now based on globalization. Therefore, the threat faced by one country is also a threat to another country.
Zahra Fatima: How important is it for global stakeholders to come together to tackle these common threats?
This section contains related reference points (Related Nodes field).
Zanira Khan: Intelligence sharing is critical when it comes to dealing with common threats. However it depends on the continent.
Regions depend on which countries are sharing. For example, if we give the example of Iran, Iraq and Syria, they participated in the Yemen war on the basis of intelligence.
Similarly we can talk about Five Eyes. They are partnering because they are dealing with common risks.
In the same way we can talk about many other countries that partnered with their allies when they were facing common challenges.
However, regions and states need to prioritize the national interest first as not all states have the same situation.
Zahra Fatimah: And finally you are quite the pioneer in this field. May I ask what are your future plans?
Zanira Khan: I would like to say that I once read that don’t go where the path leads but go where there is no path and leave the path.
I would like to do more research and I would like to be a voice for the future generation and for those who can’t come to the UK and the US to have this subject and develop a career in the relevant field.
I want to pave the way for all of them and I want to help those who want to contribute in this field and are scattered on the paths less travelled.
Click here to join Independent Urdu WhatsApp channel for authentic news and current affairs analysis.