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LAHORE:jULY 29,2026: The Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) will host AAS-in-Asia 2026, the flagship conference of the Association for Asian Studies (AAS), from September 25 to 27, marking the first time Pakistan will host one of the world’s largest academic gatherings in the humanities and social sciences.
Held under the theme “Centering Asia: Refiguring Connections, Recharting Futures,” the conference is expected to attract more than 1,000 scholars from over 37 countries. Participants will represent leading global institutions, including Peking University, Tsinghua University, the University of Tokyo, the National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, Harvard University, the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford, and Yale University.
The Association for Asian Studies has previously hosted the conference in countries including South Korea, Indonesia, Nepal, Japan, and India. Its first edition in Pakistan marks a significant milestone for both LUMS and Lahore.
Dr. Ali Khan, Bilquis Dawood Chair and Dean of the Mushtaq Ahmad Gurmani School of Humanities and Social Sciences (MGSHSS) at LUMS, said the conference will showcase Pakistan’s academic potential to the international community while strengthening Lahore’s position as a regional center for scholarship and intellectual exchange.
The conference will feature a keynote address by Dr. Adil Najam, President of WWF International, whose work focuses on international relations, sustainable development, environmental policy, and South Asia.
Conference Director Dr. Furrukh Khan said the event will bring together researchers examining Asia’s politics, cultures, economies, histories, and global connections. He added that hosting these discussions in Lahore offers a unique opportunity to place Pakistan at the center of international academic dialogue.
The three-day programme will cover a wide range of disciplines, including history, political science, anthropology, literature, economics, and the arts. It will also provide Pakistani scholars with a rare opportunity to present their research before an international audience and engage with leading academics from around the world.
To encourage broader participation, LUMS has established a Scholar Support Fund to help researchers from across Pakistan attend the conference, particularly those from smaller cities and underserved institutions.
The conference is the result of a long-term collaboration between LUMS and the Association for Asian Studies. Dr. Krisna Uk, Consultant Director for AAS and Beyond Asia, played a key role in developing the partnership and supporting the event’s planning.
On the operational side, LUMS alumna Tajwar Awan is leading conference management, overseeing outreach, sponsorships, programming, and communications. She said the university aims to give international delegates a meaningful experience of Lahore’s culture, people, and academic community while strengthening Pakistan’s profile as a destination for global scholarship.
