An international workshop on “Defence, Deterrence & Stability in South Asia” was held in Islamabad on October 29, 2015. The workshop was jointly organized by Centre for International Strategic Studies (CISS) and The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), London. Participants deliberated on the on-going tensions with India, nuclear doctrines and deterrence in Southern Asia, and Pakistan’s integration into the nuclear order. It was attended by members of the policy-making institutions, academia, and representatives of think-tanks and a delegation of IISS. Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry was the keynote speaker at the workshop.
Addressing the workshop, Foreign Secretary highlighted the fast evolving security environment in South Asia. He stressed that “conventional asymmetry between India and Pakistan continues to widen as India engages in a massive arms buildup”, while Pakistan’s policy is being guided by the principles of “restraint and responsibility”. Meanwhile strategic stability in the region is being undermined through “discriminatory nuclear cooperation agreements and waivers from long-held non-proliferation principles” to favour India. Pakistan, therefore, has to take appropriate measures for its security.
Executive Director Center for International Strategic Studies, Amb. Ali Sarwar Naqvi, welcoming participants and IISS delegation, underscored the emerging scholarly debate on dealing with de facto nuclear weapons states and their relationship with the global nuclear nonproliferation regime. He also spoke about India-Pakistan tensions and need to move forward.
