Pakistan Social Sciences Review

Re-Emergence of Taliban in Afghanistan: A study of Socio-economic Impacts on Pakistan

2026-03-15T04:57:32+05:00

This article examines the socioeconomic effects of the Taliban's comeback in Afghanistan on Pakistan, specifically with regard to commerce, refugee flows, and economic stability. The Taliban quickly reclaimed control of Afghanistan after the US withdrew in 2021, drastically changing the regional environment. Pakistan, Afghanistan's closest neighbour, has been directly impacted by societal pressures, disruptions in cross-border trade, and refugee movements. The study employs a qualitative research technique and draws from academic literature, government papers, policy assessments, scholar interviews, and pertinent media sources. This study examines how developments in Afghanistan inevitably affect Pakistan's socioeconomic sphere, especially after the Taliban's return to power in August 2021. This is due to the long and porous border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, as well as the shared language and cultural ties among border populations.

Factors Influencing Trust for Online Buying Behavior in Pakistan

2026-03-16T12:38:24+05:00

This paper explores the effect of transaction security, data privacy, guaranteed return policy, and perceived web image on the development of online trust and the effect of the trust on online buying intention in Daraz.PK, one of the most popular e-commerce websites in Pakistan. Based on the previous study, this study fills a gap in the Pakistani context where the problem of trust and awareness is a constraint to the growth of online shopping. The correlational research design was applied in order to gather data on 500 respondents using a structured questionnaire with a five-point Likert scale. Reliability and regression analyses established that all the four factors have significant effect on online trust which has a strong positive influence on online buying intention. The results have emphasized the importance of trust-building factors in improving consumer confidence and increasing the use of e-commerce. It is recommended that businesses should concentrate on safe, privacy-aware and convenient online platforms to increase customer confidence and online shopping habits, which leads to economic development in Pakistan.

Transformational Leadership and Human Capital Development: The Mediating Role of Knowledge Sharing Behavior

2026-03-17T13:53:59+05:00

The current research examines the central role of the concept of transformational leadership in promoting the development of human capital within the higher learning institutions namely universities and colleges in South Punjab, Pakistan, by looking at the mediating role of knowledge sharing behavior. In a dynamic environment where educational and organizational capacity is yet to be matured, it is important to adopt efficient leadership styles to exploit potential of human resource. Based on the Social Exchange Theory and the Knowledge-Based View, the study assumes that inspirational motivation, personalized consideration, and intellectual stimulation by transformational leaders increase the willingness of employees to share both tacit and explicit knowledge, which will help sustain a learning process and grow their competencies needed to drive sustainability in human-capital development. The sample of 200 educational leaders of higher-education institutions and colleges in South Punjab working in the public sector was selected through the use of the structured questionnaire based on time-lagged survey design. Through the use of structural equation modelling (SEM), the research endeavored to examine the hypothesized connections between transformational leadership styles, knowledge-sharing behavior, and developmental results of human capital. The empirical evidence illustrates that knowledge-sharing behavior has been a very important mediator between transformational leadership and human-capital development. As a result, the research will contribute to the body of knowledge in the region by highlighting the role of creating knowledge ecosystems led by leadership as a conclusive approach in empowering the working population in the developing economies. The policy implications indicate that leadership development initiatives and organizational learning cultures can be hugely used to strengthen human capital that may lead to the improvement of the institutional effectiveness and socio-economic development of South Punjab.

The INL-Supported Curriculum Development Program of the Sindh Police: How Effectively Does It Meet the Needs of Police Officers?

2026-03-18T17:05:25+05:00

The current research evaluates the extent to which the texts of the curriculum fulfill the professional needs of law enforcement personnel in matters of criminal investigation, procedural knowledge, and application of case law. The Curriculum Development Program, funded by the INL and carried out by the Sindh Police, was initiated with the objective of developing the capacity for investigation through the use of six specialized textbooks in response to the Supreme Court of Pakistan’s directive for the development of uniform handbooks for investigations. The qualitative survey was conducted with 100 randomly chosen police officers of Karachi Range, including Inspectors, Sub-Inspectors, and Station House Officers, from 100 police stations of the city. A questionnaire and discussion with police officers measured the perception of police regarding the usability, comprehensibility, and applicability of the six curriculum books. However, they found it wanting in aspects pertaining to the integration of judicial precedents. The Handbook of Criminal Investigation was found to be legally correct but impractical for implementation in the field. Basic Investigation was found practical but wanting in aspects pertaining to case laws. Advance Investigation was found to bridge the theory and procedure gaps but was found to be crime-specific in nature. Forensic Investigation was found to provide insight but was lacking in aspects pertaining to admissibility of evidence. Criminal Law was found to be introductory in nature but lacking in-depth case laws. Police Station Working Module was found to be practical in nature but lacking in legal substance. Changes to the curriculum should include the analysis of case law at all procedural levels, merging legal theory with practical applications in the field. Future print versions should include precedents from judicial decisions without making the product less user-friendly, include guidelines for the admissibility of forensic evidence, and improve analytical strength to increase conviction rates.

Arousal Attenuates Directed Forgetting of Affective and Neutral English Words in an Item-Method Recognition Paradigm

2026-03-23T13:17:35+05:00

This study examined whether item-method directed forgetting (DF) for English words is better explained by affective categories or item-level valence, arousal, and dominance (VAD). Directed forgetting is a laboratory model of intentional memory control, but it remains unclear whether forgetting varies more by emotional category of words or their emotional dimensions. This distinction has received limited direct testing. A quantitative experimental design was used with 67 Pakistani adults recruited through convenience sampling; after prespecified exclusions, 60 were analyzed. Participants studied positive, neutral, negative, and threatening words followed by remember or forget cues, then completed a recognition test. Category effects were tested with binomial logistic regression, and dimensional effects with weighted models. A robust DF effect emerged. It was largest for neutral words and smallest for threatening words. Arousal significantly weakened the forget effect, whereas valence and dominance did not. Future work should prioritize arousal-sensitive models and culturally grounded verbal stimuli.

Self-identified and Clinically Diagnosed Mental Health Issues due to Gender-Based Marginalization: Lived Experiences of Women from Pakistani Diaspora in Canada

2026-03-25T22:38:27+05:00

The present study examines self-identified and clinically diagnosed mental health issues due to gender-based marginalization through the lived experiences of women from Pakistani diaspora in Canada. Pakistani women face deep-rooted and culturally supported gender biasness within their households under strict patriarchal hierarchies. The situation persists regardless of their geographic location in Pakistani households. For investigation, phenomenological approach under the qualitative research methodology and eight semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with participants living in most densely populated Pakistani neighborhoods across the major urban centers of Canada. As per participant responses conducted through thematic analysis, eight categories emerged: constant guilt, sleeplessness, self-doubt, tension, anxiety and panic attacks, validation, media reinforcement, obsessive-compulsive disorder and body-shaming. The findings highlighted that the present study is at the intersection of gender, migration, and racialization. The results suggest that participants face vulnerabilities due to migration challenges, social constraints, cultural gendered expectations and deep-rooted familial hierarchical structures. The study emphasizes on the need for social reforms that collectively converge migration challenges, cultural understanding, education and empowerment.

Climate Change and Environmental Ethics in Islam: A Global Responsibility Analyzing Islamic Teachings on Stewardship (Khilāfah) and Sustainability

2026-03-27T14:09:03+05:00

Climate change is an existential threat to the well-being of the ecosystem, people, and stability across the globe. In the context of scientific analysis and policy-making, religious systems are still underrepresented in the literature, even though they can be used to mobilize billions of followers to act in an ethical manner towards the environment. The teachings of Islam being among the major religions of the world provide some of the foundations of environmental stewardship (khilafah), equity, and moderation (mizan). These principles not only encourage responsible consumption of the natural resources, but also have moral requirements to the planet and all forms of life. This study explores the ecology of Islamic environmental ethics, which primarily focuses on the ways in which classical and modern Islamic teachings could be considered in the global sustainability models. This paper examines the main Islamic texts such as the Quran, Prophetic traditions (hadith), and jurisprudential interpretation.