Challenges to Human Security, Development in Pakistan: two-day national conference begins at NDU

Emphasising the importance of exploring remedies to address the emerging complex paradigm of human security on Tuesday, President National Defence University (NDU), Lieutenant General Javed Iqbal HI (M) said, "From our findings, we hope to extrapolate guidelines for a policy that can work towards addressing the challenges of human security and development in Pakistan."
In his key note address at the inauguration of two-day national conference on "Challenges to Human Security and Development in Pakistan" at NDU, Lieutenant General Javed Iqbal said the conference is an attempt to acknowledge the importance of human security and "provide a platform" to address this issue in Pakistan's context.
"We shall have some new findings and a clearer picture of the prevailing situation," the President NDU said this while thanking the German foundation - Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) for its assistance in holding the event. General Javed Iqbal said, "I thank KAS for their co-operation," and congratulate both KAS and the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies (PCS - NDU) for this continued collaboration."
Through this conference "we can come to know what policy decisions can be taken" to address the challenges of human security and development, Country Representative of KAS, Ronny Heine said and added "which would help in building a strong Pakistan."
The national conference is being organised by the PCS, NDU in collaboration with KAS at NDU on March 17 and 18 to diagnose and draw a remedial roadmap to effectively address the issue of human security in Pakistan. Security issues are linked with various factors within a state, Head of PCS Department, Dr Ishtiaq Chaudhry said, "We have divided the conference into five sessions covering these specific themes of prime importance."
The basic idea to hold the conference on this topic is to highlight the structural imbalance that exists between traditional and non-traditional security paradigm, said Conference co-ordinator Dr Arshi Saleem Hashmi, adding "to engage in an academic discourse and provide policy input to the relevant quarters."
The session on "Conceptualizing Human Security" was chaired by Dean Faculty of Contemporary Studies at the NDU Dr Pervaiz Iqbal Cheema. Director School of Politics & IR at the Quaid-e-Azam University, Dr Zafar Nawaz Jaspal stressed upon the need for a comprehensive approach at societal level suggesting, "We have to go through a gradual process to build a comprehensive approach to meet the challenges of human security."
"We are very much vulnerable to a wide range of human security challenges," Dr Jaspal observed this while emphasising that despite all other threats military security remains the prime focus.
Professor Dr Shaista Tabassum of Karachi University research focused on non-traditional security threats in Pakistan and the political discourse. Among various factors impacting the human security that Dr Shaista discussed she identified ethno-nationalism, an uncontrolled social and electronic media and proliferation of small arms as prime contributory factors in escalating urban terrorism as challenges to human security in Pakistan.
"Politicians don't see beyond elections," Professor Shaista Tabassum said. Emphasising the need to have a proper policy to effectively control the unbridled media, she said, "Pakistan's principle enemy lies within." The session on "Existing Political Narrative on Governance and Development" was chaired by Dr Nazir Hussain. Dr Ishtiaq Ahmed Chaudhry highlighted the issues of good governance in Pakistan while Professor Razia Mussarat spoke on gender development and human security.
On its second day (today), the conference would discuss: Impact of Media on Society, Religious Radicalization, violence and role of civil society, conventional security: Military operations and issues of IDPs, Challenges of unemployment; higher education and graduate career opportunities, gender development, health and security, problem of resources management, problem of water security, climate change and environmental politics.-PR