Dr. Muhammad Shabbir is an Internet governance and public-policy professional with extensive experience in board governance, multistakeholder processes, and global digital policy, particularly from a Global South perspective. He previously served as a Trustee of the Internet Society (2021–2023), where he contributed to fiduciary oversight, strategic deliberation, and collective decision-making.
Professionally, Dr. Shabbir is a Research Fellow at the National Defence University (NDU), Islamabad, where his work focuses on international relations, geopolitical dynamics, strategic risk, cybersecurity policy, and institutional governance. He has engaged with governments, regulators, civil society, and technical communities on issues at the intersection of Internet governance, public-interest infrastructure, and digital inclusion.
Within regional and global Internet governance ecosystems, Dr. Shabbir has held leadership and advisory roles across multiple platforms. He is a member of the Multistakeholder Group of the Asia Pacific Regional Internet Governance Forum (APRIGF) and a member of the Global Leadership Council of the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP). He has actively contributed to the Asia Pacific School on Internet Governance (APSIG), the Middle East and Adjoining Countries School of Internet Governance (MEAC-SIG) and the Pakistan School on Internet Governance (PKSIG), supporting capacity-building and leadership development in Internet governance.
Dr. Shabbir is also engaged in ICANN community processes, including the At-Large and non-commercial stakeholder spaces. He currently coordinates the Internet Governance Forum Dynamic Coalition on Accessibility and Disability (DCAD), contributing to global policy dialogue on inclusive and trustworthy Internet governance.
He approaches accessibility and inclusion as governance and quality-of-service considerations that strengthen institutional legitimacy, resilience, and trust, rather than as standalone advocacy. Drawing on his lived experience of disability as being blind), Dr. Shabbir brings a distinctive strategic lens to board deliberations—reinforcing attention to usability, robustness, and real-world impact of Internet policies and systems for the full diversity of Internet users. He also brings to the Board a governance-focused perspective on long-term strategy, organizational sustainability, and the external risks facing the Internet Society in a rapidly changing global environment. He approaches trusteeship with independence, integrity, and respect for the distinction between governance and management, and is committed to serving ISOC’s mission in the long-term best interests of the global Internet community.
He holds a PhD in International Relations and is based in Pakistan.
