Introduction
The Center for International Strategic Studies (CISS), Islamabad, organized a one-day seminar to commemorate Youm-e-Takbeer 2025 titled “Pakistan’s Nuclear Weapon Program: Guarantor of Peace and Stability in South Asia” at the CISS Conference Hall on Friday, May 30, 2025. The seminar began with welcome remarks by Ambassador Ali Sarwar Naqvi, Executive Director, CISS, followed by a plenary session featuring a keynote address delivered by Lieutenant General (Retd) Khalid Ahmad Kidwai, advisor to the National Command Authority (NCA) and former Director General (DG), Strategic Plans Division (SPD). The working session included four speakers. Mr Muhammad Naeem, advisor SPD and former Chairman, Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), spoke on the Role of Scientists in Pakistan’s Quest for Nuclear Weapons. Brigadier (Retd) Zahir ul Haider Kazmi, Advisor, Arms Control SPD, discussed Nuclear Deterrence and Strategic Stability in South: Challenges and Opportunities. Air Commodore (Retd) Dr Adil Sultan, Dean of Faculty of Aerospace and Strategic Studies (FASS), Air University Islamabad, presented on Airpower, Conventional Escalation, and the Nuclear Overhang, Drawing Lessons from Operation Bunyanum Marsoos. Ambassador Sohail Mehmood, DG, Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) and former Foreign Secretary, Pakistan, addressed the Prospects for Crisis Management Mechanisms and Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) in post-Pahalgam South Asia. The seminar concluded with the closing remarks delivered by Dr Bilal Zubair, Director Research, CISS Islamabad.
