Muhammad Shahid Anwar is the Founder and Director of the Parallel Learning Space (PLS), a grassroots initiative in Islamabad that cultivates informal, dialogical, and community-based learning. Under his leadership, Mukalma 2.0 has sustained more than 190 weekly sessions since September 2021 (excluding Ramadan and Eid), while Mulaqat has convened 49 monthly gatherings from October 2021 to October 2025, and the Islamabad Readers Club has hosted *around 80 fortnightly meetings since September 2022. Together, these forums have become vibrant, enduring platforms for civic dialogue, reflective learning, and transformative education. Entirely volunteer-driven, PLS is now evolving into a replicable framework for community-based education across the Global South.

Anwar retired from the Higher Education Department of Pakistan as an Associate Professor of Political Science, where he established a Postgraduate Department of Political Science and led the creation of a new college as an institutional head. His academic journey reflects a consistent commitment to transformative educational cultures that extend beyond classrooms into society and lived experience.

Recognized for his initiative, persistence, networking, and team-building, Anwar has engaged leading scholars, authors, and public intellectuals in his forums. He also contributes to national English dailies and appears as an expert commentator on Voice of America and BBC.