Pakistan aims to steer regional discussion on security

With an aim to reinforce the need for regional cooperation to deal with existing and emerging challenges in a rapidly changing security landscape, the second iteration of the Islamabad Security Dialogue is all set to take place in the federal capital.

The list of attendees includes National Security Advisers (NSA) from China, Middle East, and Central Asia. Missing from the scene will be the Indian NSA who has not been invited to take part in the regional discourse on security.

During the two-day hybrid event, organized by the National Security Division, the Pak-China Friendship Centre in the federal capital, will be a vital venue for policymakers, experts, scholars, thinkers, and serving National Security Advisers from China and several other countries in the region.

According to Dr. Moeed W. Yusuf, the National Security Adviser to Prime Minister, Imran Khan, the purpose of the event is to have an intellectual discourse on some of the most pressing challenges and opportunities facing Pakistan and the wider region.

Commenting on the concept behind the security dialogue that will be inaugurated by the premier on April 1 and attended by Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, the National Security Adviser said: “It is critical that we explore avenues as a country in conversation with the best minds in the world and find ways to cooperate with other regional players to deal with upcoming security challenges.”

When asked how Pakistan was positioning itself as the host of the event, Dr. Yusuf said: “We hope to be seen as a country that is willing to partner with everybody in peace but not be affected or dragged into conflicts that are not of our making.”

According to details available with the Express Tribune, the conference will have a total of six sessions, including the National Security Advisers Forum on challenges to international security. Unlike the Munich Security Conference, which brings together heads of state, diplomats and business leaders from the leading democracies, the Islamabad Security Dialogue aims to gather a significant number of local, regional, and foreign experts to discuss emerging threats in a highly contested security environment.

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While National Security Advisers from several Middle Eastern and Central Asian countries will be joining virtually for the dialogue that ends on April 2, India has not been invited to take part in the event that is expected to be a bellwether for issues to surface in the regional security landscape in the near future.

“We don't have a dialogue with India at the moment,” Dr. Yusuf told the Express Tribune. “If India continues to violate international laws, act like a rogue actor, and not do what is required in Kashmir, according to international law, then unfortunately, we will not be engaging with them,” the NSA said.

Some of the topics that will be discussed during the Islamabad Security Dialogue have also been highlighted in Pakistan’s recently launched National Security Policy. One such session titled ‘Leveraging Geo-Economics Through Growth and Connectivity’ aims to explore the role of geo-economics in expanding regional and global cooperation, and the challenges facing globalization and economic connectivity. Speakers, including University of Oxford’s Peter Frankopan and German Marshall Fund’s Andrew Small, will be on the panel to debate the subject. Participants of the conference will also shed light on emerging threats such as the spread of disinformation.

During the dedicated session between National Security Advisers, Dr. Yusuf said the future of Asian security will be discussed. “Our goal is to look at where countries stand and how we can cooperate to deal with upcoming security and other challenges.”

When asked about the takeaway for those attending the conference, the National Security Adviser said: “We are presenting ourselves as a country dedicated to cooperation, to playing a role in helping other nations resolve their disputes and conflicts, and not wanting to become part of any camp or contestation.”

When asked what Pakistan aims to achieve from the conference, the NSA reiterated: “We remain a major regional and global player in terms of the debates and discussions on international security."