ISLAMABAD: President Dr Ari Alvi, on Wednesday, deplored the “alarming sign of the apathy of the world,” for its failure to prevent the massacre of innocent Palestinian people including women and children by the Israeli occupation forces during its ongoing invasion of Gaza and the West Bank.
Speaking as a chief guest at the inaugural session of the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI)’s two-day “The Islamabad Conclave 2023” titled, “Pakistan in a Changing World,” President Alvi further deplored by saying that “the civilized world today has forgotten the principles of morality and is witnessing the prevalence of wars waged by powerful against weaker segments.”
“The situation in Gaza is an alarming sign of the apathy of the world which could not stop the massacre of innocent people including women and children…The gruesome images coming out of Gaza have failed to awaken the world’s conscience,” he said, adding that the current world urgently requires an approach centered on love, empathy, and forgiveness.
The president said that war is not a solution to resolve any conflict and always results in a never-ending vicious cycle of violence. He also expressed disappointment over the approach of democratic countries supporting wars, saying that morality must be the anchor of human thinking.
He also expressed concerns over the prevailing global scenario, citing the need for a return to principles of morality. He emphasized the importance of justice, consistent application of international rules, and respect for the rights of Palestinians.
Sharing insights on Pakistan’s dynamic approach in the face of global challenges, DrAlvi stressed the importance of the strategic shift to geo-economics, aligning policies with regional and systemic developments. He called for a conscious rediscovery of Pakistan’s vision amid superpower rivalries and interference from neighbouring states.
The president also called for socio-economic justice, equal opportunities, and empowerment of women to ensure real progress.
In his address, General Zubair Mahmood Hayat (retired), former chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), said that the emerging global landscape was marked by evolving defence partnerships, military build-up, expansion of alliances, collapsing existing arms control regime, nuclear modernization, militarization of outer space, cyberspace, artificial intelligence, and biotechnologies.
He said that the global equation was being framed between democracy vs dictatorship, good vs bad, moral vs immoral, and superior vs inferior beings. “In a classical strategic sense, it was a recipe for disaster. The great power competition, lack of strategic leadership at the global level, unilateralism, and demolition of human rights have given birth to the liberty to use force for the achievement of ends. In this context, the concepts like de-coupling, de-risking, and building strategic resilience were taking shape,” he added.
Former foreign secretary Tehmina Janjua, in her remarks, highlighted the shift from a bipolar to a multi-polar system, the emergence of block politics, delocalization, transboundary challenges like climate change, development of emerging technologies, ever-changing geography of innovation, and a sharp turn to right-wing populism in many countries were the major geo-political shifts.
She added that natural disasters, food insecurity, aggressive state behaviour, spiraling regional conflicts, and arms race were major outcomes of these major geo-political shifts.
While highlighting Pakistan’s perspective, Muhammad Kamran Akhtar, additional secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) stated that there are temptations in India to start a limited war with Pakistan under the nuclear threshold.
He said that Pakistan’s proposal of the Strategic Restraint Regime was blatantly rejected by India on the basis of extra-regional security concerns. In the absence of communication and the growing hegemonic designs of India, he added that the militarization of emerging technologies would undermine strategic stability in the region.
“Therefore, the development of new confidence-building measures (CBMs) at the regional level to address the new challenges posed by emerging technologies is the need of the hour,” he stressed.
Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Ambassador (retired) Asif Durrani in his address highlighted the security threat posed by Afghanistan-based Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the fresh increase in incidents of terrorism post-Taliban regime.
He regretted that the Afghanistan issue has gone to the backburner with the Israel-Hamas conflict and the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine while the Middle East is onthe verge of further escalation.
He, however, identified China as a factor of stability in the region. He also mentioned the Chinese role in helping Pakistan to address its economic challenges in the context of CPEC projects.
In his welcoming remarks, Director General ISSI Ambassador Sohail Mahmood (retired) stressed that throughout human history, change has been the only constant.
He added that the speed, depth and breadth of change in the world at this particular juncture is “breath-taking.”
“From war in Europe to genocide in Gaza, from deepening geo-strategic rivalries to unprecedented growth of new and emerging technologies, and from existential threat of climate change to green transition and digital transformation, the world we are living in is changing in profound ways,” he said.
He added that it would be unforgivable for any country to either be oblivious of this dynamic and far-reaching transformation or remain static in its strategic outlook despite knowing about this change.
He also highlighted the ISSI’s role in providing research-based policy inputs and serving as a platform for dialogue on issues relating to foreign policy and national security.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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