This paper focuses on the role of peacebuilding in Pakistan's conflict-affected region of Balochistan, particularly within the higher education sector. The research serves as an extended case study of the University of Balochistan. It investigates how the institution's peacebuilding agency has historically evolved in response to ethnic conflict and the neoliberal reforms initiated by the state. This study is based on an analysis of policy documents, as well as individual and focus group interviews with various educational stakeholders. The peacebuilding agency of the institution is conceptualized according to the 4Rs, which aims to address the structural causes of conflict and theorize education in relation to its role in contributing to those causes. The analytical framework encompasses the cultural, political, economic, and social dimensions of conflict, proposing a comprehensive strategy for achieving sustainable peace. Thus, the university's peacebuilding agency is evaluated by its capacity to foster representation, redistribution, recognition, and reconciliation within its institutional framework and the wider society. The research identifies three distinct phases in the development of the university's peacebuilding agency: the era of bureaucratic-authoritarianism (1970–1988), the era of reactionary-politicization (1988–2000), and the era of securitized-neoliberalism (2000–present).
Shah et al. (Sun,) studied this question.