Dr Mohammad Reyaz is currently an assistant professor and the Head of the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, Aliah University, Kolkata. He is also a 2021 fellow of the Study of the US Institutes (SUSIs) for Scholars on Religious Pluralism being hosted at Seattle University. He recently completed an ICSSR sponsored project on ‘Stakes in India’s Soft Power: A Case Study of Afghanistan’. Dr Reyaz has done MPhil and Ph.D. in International Studies from MMA Jauhar Academy of International Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi with a specialization on Central Asia. His Ph.D. dissertation was on ‘Civil society and the role of media in Central Asia’. He has presented several papers in seminars and workshops in India, Germany, England, Turkey, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, among others. Dr Reyaz is a former journalist and continues to contribute articles to different media, besides research papers.