A delegation of the Senate Standing Committee on Defence under the leadership of its chairperson Senator Walid Iqbal along with other senators including Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Abdur Rehman Malik, Lt Gen Abdul Qayyum (retd) and Mushtaq Ahmed, visited the Centre for Aerospace and Security Studies (CASS) here on Wednesday.
The visit aimed to provide an insight into the working of CASS, and project its expertise in the field of aerospace and security studies. The session comprised an introductory video, a presentation predicting regional dynamics after Pulwama crisis with particular emphasis on PAF Operation Swift Retort, i.e, Pakistan's response.
The session also provided an introduction to the PAF Megaproject Aviation City, which aims to develop the aviation hub concept and strengthen national efforts to boost the economy and social development through avenues such as CPEC.
Senator Waleed Iqbal thanked CASS and in particular Deputy President CASS, Air Vice-Marshal Aamir Masood for organising this introductory visit and introduced his delegation members.
President CASS Air Chief Marshal Kaleem Saadat (retd) in his welcome address thanked the senators for visiting CASS and emphasised on the need of having more interactions with the parliamentarians. He emphasised upon the need to have specific objectives and how to achieve them in an organised manner. He said that ways and strategies to achieve objectives can vary as they involve steps and measures at various levels.
The president CASS briefed the committee members about the role of this new center in assisting the Air Force as an independent research think tank to study air space power by engaging leading thinkers and researchers in the field, arranging conferences, conducting thorough research and publishing reports, research papers and articles. Prominent steps taken by the centre included round table discussion on Pulwama incident, a think tanks conference on Kashmir issue and a dialogue on quest for security and stability Pakistan.
Director CASS Air Marshal Javed Ahmed (retd) gave a briefing to the members of the committee on the predictiving regional dynamics after the Pulwama incident and on PAF operation Swift Retort. The briefing highlighted that Pakistani strikes in response to Indian aggression crossed India's embarrassment threshold and it set a new precedent in the regional calculus. He stressed that Pakistan needs to consider all elements of national power and needs to review and upgrade its security, diplomatic, economic, military and the media strategy particularly vis-à-vis India. He also stressed on the need to harness indigenous potential.
Dr Usman Chohan, Director for Economics and National Affairs, CASS, gave a detailed briefing on the aviation city project being undertaken by the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, Kamra, and shared his findings on its economic potential by connecting it with proposed Special Economic Zones, CPEC, and the new national aviation policy. He also touched upon the novel concept of Aerotropolis where the airport would be at the center of any new metropolis.
The briefing also enunciated upon the technological and economic benefits of the project as well as the environmental considerations, in addition to strategic and diplomatic challenges and resource constraints.
The comprehensive briefing was followed by an interactive and insightful question and answer session. Senator Waleed Iqbal emphasised and appreciated the role of Pakistan Air Force in not just protecting and defending the frontiers and borders but also in countering insurgency and terrorism within the country.
Senator Mushahid Hussain remarked that on the outset it may look that Pakistan has missed the opportunities but India's image has been tarnished and Pakistan is not standing alone in the global community. He also called for the need of having a sound India policy. He urged the government to make the Foreign Office more proactive.
Senator Rehman Malik observed, "We need to come up with aggressive policies as this is the age of fifth generation hybrid warfare and India is construing its narrative very actively and we despite knowing India as our biggest enemy we haven't been able to counter their narrative."
Senator Lt Gen Abdul Qayyum (retd) said, "We need to seriously analyze where we missed a significant opportunity and what could have been done better." He observed, "In order to make ourselves compatible with changing needs we ought to see and improve our defence production mechanism, state of our economy and protect and preserve our national unity." The efficiency of the armed forces is dependent on a vibrant economy according to him. Senator Mushtaq Ahmed said that more or less all humanitarian reports such as that of Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch regarding Kashmir substantiated Pakistan's stance and the narrative could be built effectively but Pakistan did not capitalise on the opportunity. He said that Pakistan is merely giving responses and needs to be proactive.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2019
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