Komal Ali Shah has become the first Pakistani & Pakistani woman to get selected for the Hiroshima-ICAN Academy on Nuclear Weapons and Global Security 2021. She is one of the 41 participants chosen for this year’s program. The training program was introduced in 2019 and takes place every year.
ICAN is a 2017 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. The organization aims to discourage and prohibit the use of nuclear weapons. It seeks to create a safe and secure world and encourages world leaders and citizens to work towards nuclear disarmament.
Komal Ali Shah broke the news on her Instagram account with a caption, “Humbled to share my major breakthrough of 2021: took my shot amidst self-doubt and applied for the ICAN Academy 2021. Grateful and happy to be the first Pakistani ever to get selected for this prestigious program!”
What Komal Seeks To Learn From The Program
Through this program, Komal will “enhance the discussion by encouraging campaigns about nuclear disarmament from an educational perspective.” Moreover, she wants to focus and shed light on the humanitarian aspect of nuclear policies. Additionally, Komal will also be looking into environmental degradation caused by nuclear testing.
The program is divided into two parts. The first part of the training included online sessions, webinars, and essays, which Komal has completed by submitting her final essay. Now she awaits the second part of the training which will take place in Hiroshima, presumably in February or March of next year.
About Komal
Komal is a Karachi-born 25-year-old MPhil student from the National Defence University, Islamabad. She has previously pursued a Master’s degree in Strategic and Nuclear Studies. Before moving to Islamabad in 2011, she was living in Karachi with her parents and one younger brother.
This is indeed a very proud moment for Pakistan. We wish Komal the very best of luck for the second part of the program!
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Sources used in this article include Startup Pakistan & Samaa TV.
