Mr. Sarmad Zia

Mr. Sarmad Zia | Affiliate Researcher, London Dialogue

Mr. Sarmad Zia is a strategic studies and defence policy professional with over a decade of experience across Pakistan’s premier defence research institutions, think tanks, and academia. He spent seven years at the Army Institute of Military History (AIMH), GHQ, where he was a founding member of the pioneer team and served as Assistant Director (Research). He is a Non-Resident Fellow at the Maritime Centre for Excellence (MCE). He previously served as a Research Officer at the Centre for International Strategic Studies (CISS). He holds an M.Phil. and an MSc (Gold Medallist) in Defence and Strategic Studies from Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad. He has taught at both QAU and SZABIST as Visiting Faculty. His research spans strategic stability, nuclear policy, arms control, and foreign policy, with peer-reviewed papers in HEC-recognised journals. His commentary has appeared in leading national and international outlets. He is a regular television commentator on defence and strategic affairs.

He is the author of Rescuing the US Rangers: Mogadishu, 3rd October 1993 — A Pakistani Account (Vanguard Books, 2026), a national bestseller. He is also the Founder and Director of the Centre for Policy & Leadership Mentorship (CPLM).