| Khalida Ghous | |
| Birth Date: | Karachi, Pakistan |
| Discipline: | Human rights and international relations |
| Work Institution: | University of Karachi, Social Policy and Development Center |
| Alma Mater: | University of Karachi |
| Doctoral Advisor: | Khalid M. Ishaq |
| Known For: | Human rights, gender issues |
Khalida Ghous or Khalida Ghaus (Urdu خالدہ غوث) is a Pakistani scholar of International Relations & Human Rights and an activist who was awarded the first PhD in human rights from her country. Currently, she is the managing director of Social Policy and Development Center, a Karachi based Pakistani research center.
Khalida was educated at the University of Karachi, and holds MA & PhD degrees in International Relations. She did her PhD under the supervision of jurist Khalid M. Ishaq on the Institutionalization of Human Rights with particular reference to the European Court of Human Rights.
Being one of the senior Professors, Dr. Ghous has completed her first term as Chairperson of the Department of International Relations, at the University of Karachi from September 2003 to September 2006 and is now on a long leave from the university. She has also remained the Director of the Centre of Excellence for Women's Studies at the University of Karachi. She also serves as the Honorary Director of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences and the Honorary Director of the Pakistani Center for Democracy Studies Dr. Ghous has been teaching Human Rights & Foreign Policy Analysis for more than twenty years and has written extensively on the subjects. Having a book and monograph to her credit, she has also been involved in policy-making both with the Federal and Provincial Governments on gender-related issues. She is a member of several professional bodies and is a nominee of the Sindh Government in the monitoring committee constituted on Women Empowerment.
She also teaches at the distinguished Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Karachi & gives lectures at renowned institutions in the country & abroad. Human Rights, the Far East and Pakistan's Foreign Policy are her areas of interest.
In 2006, Khalida Ghous was one of the 18 prominent people who sent an open letter to President Pervez Musharraf, calling on him to resign either as president or as Chief of Army Staff.[1]
Dr. Ghous has extensively published in internationally acclaimed journals, contributed articles in many books, and completed several research projects. She has participated in and organized many National & International Seminars & Conferences and delivered lectures at American Universities as a guest speaker and at various Staff Colleges at home.
She has been a delegate to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights & was invited by European Union to deliver a talk in Brussels. Dr. Khalida is deeply involved in the Pakistan-India back-channel diplomacy being an active member of India-Pakistan Neemrana initiative.[2] Many of her important suggestions were considered by Indo-Pak governments.
She is the author of a book on "Rights of Women in Islam", and co-editor of 'Pakistan's Foreign Policy: Problems and Prospects’.
Other notable positions include, but are not limited to: