ISLAMABAD, Dec 07 (APP): Former Foreign Secretary Ambassador (R) Aizaz Ahmed Chuhadry on Thursday said Pakistan’s neighbourhood was still posing certain challenges to it, amid humanitarian crisis and surging terrorism in Afghanistan and state-sponsored extremist agendas in India.
He made these remarks during the fifth working session of Islamabad Conclave titled ‘Pakistan’s Foreign Policy in Emerging World Order’ organized by the India Study Centre at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI), a news release said.
Former Minister and Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Inam ul Haq, former Foreign Secretary, Ambassador Aizaz Ahmad Chuhadry; Chairperson, Department of Social Sciences, International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI), Dr Muhammad Khan; HoD, Department of Peace and Conflict Studies, National Defene University (NDU), Dr Arshi Saleem Hashmi; and Associate Professor, School of Political Science and International Relations (SPIR), Dr Farhan Hanif Siddiqui provided valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities that Pakistan faces on the regional and global stage.
Ambassador Aizaz Ahmad Chuhadry provided insights into the prospects of peace and development in South Asia. He traced out four theaters that have drawn international attentions as South Asia, Ukraine, Gaza and Indian Ocean.
He highlighted the challenges and observed that clarity about future trajectory of regional developments would emerge after upcoming elections in India and Pakistan. Due to the complexities, South Asia remained the least integrated region in the world.
He suggested that for a peaceful region, Pakistan and India needed to have communication and engagement to address the challenges in bilateral relations and realize opportunities in the regional context.
Ambassador Inam ul Haq, in his keynote address, highlighted the evolving global landscape with the rise of different poles, especially the ascent of China and Russia. He emphasized the perceived challenges to the rule-based order posed by a resurgent Russia and the economically rising China.
Discussing geopolitical shifts, he raised important questions about how Pakistan should respond to the changing world, navigate great power competition, contribute to peace and development in South Asia, and engage with the global south.
He underscored the importance of understanding and adapting to the emerging power equations and hierarchies.
Dr. Muhammad Khan discussed the challenging task of balancing in Pakistan’s foreign policy goals amid a changing world order. He briefly touched upon Pakistan’s historical choices, challenges in maintaining balance between China and the US, and the need for continued dialogue to resolve outstanding disputes.
Contrary to the notion that Pakistan’s policy lacks direction, Dr. Hashmi highlighted historical trajectories and called for a focus on ‘peace within, and peace without’, adapting to the changing international order.
Dr. Farhan Siddiqui discussed the emerging trends and the future of global dynamics, while highlighting the evolving relationship between the United States and China, emphasizing on economic partnership and trade balance.
He pointed to new term “multiplexity” to describe the move towards a post-Western order, characterized by multiple regional powers collaborating in forums such as BRICS, AUKUS, QUAD, and BRI.
The discussion underscored the interconnectedness of foreign policy with domestic factors, highlighting the need to focus on internal peace and structural reforms.
Advocating a hedging strategy, Dr. Farhan urged to move beyond a Western-centric approach and diversify the policies, particularly by engaging more with the middle powers and the developing world. The integration of strategic and economic security was emphasized, recognizing the interdependence between military and economic strength.
Chairman BoG ISSI Ambassador Khalid Mahmood presented ISSI’s memento to the esteemed panelists. Besides the distinguished speakers from Pakistan and abroad, the session was attended by a large number of scholars, academics, researchers, practitioners, students, members of the diplomatic corps, and representatives of the media.
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