Afaq is Director and Founding Member of Bureau of Research on Industry and Economic Fundamentals (BRIEF). With over 18 years of experience in policy research, Afaq specializes in international trade & trade facilitation, regional cooperation, infrastructure and the logistics sector. He has also contributed to regional economic cooperation in South Asia that encompasses work on the India-Pakistan Trade as well as Cross Line of Control Trade through Jammu and Kashmir.

As the head of BRIEF’s policy research team, he has undertaken and supervised numerous studies on trade facilitation, including areas such as tariff and non-tariff measures, value chain analysis and infrastructure gaps at ports. His works extend to collaboration with key partners, including Lands Ports Authority of India, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, NITI Aayog, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, National Committee for Trade Facilitation and more. He has also advised institutions like the Asian Development Bank on various logistics and port led programs. His experience has led to impactful research and policy initiatives in the realms of international trade and economics, along with shaping policy reforms through various projects.

Afaq also serves as a member of the working group of the Infrastructure Connectivity vertical for the Development Agenda for India@75 at NITI Aayog, Government of India. As an alumnus of the U.S. State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), he participated in a multi-regional program on “Smart Ports”.