Scholars from regional countries including China, USA, India, Nepal and Russia will meet here on Tuesday to discuss relevant security issues for promoting peace and stability in South Asia.
"It will be two-day international seminar, being organised jointly by the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS) and the National Commission for Human Development at the National Library auditorium. "Titled, security in South Asia in the Non-Traditional Spheres and Human Security," the seminar will be spread over six working sessions.
The opening day will be devoted to discuss on the conceptual aspect of non-traditional security besides energy, water and trade security. There will be three sittings the next day before the concluding session, featuring presentations on dimensions of human security, human trafficking and violence in South Asia and gender, education and health security in South Asia.
According to IRS's announcement, the seminar is both an attempt to indicate the changing trend in thinking, post-WWII and post-Soviet collapse, as well as to explore the new concepts and aspects that are emerging in this direction.
The IRS has in the past few years organised international gatherings of scholars and experts on subjects such as "Prospects of Peace, Stability and Prosperity in South Asia and Global Terrorism." The upcoming seminar is an extension of the deliberations into newer directions.
Human security is not so new as a concept but it was an illustrious son of Pakistan, Dr Mabubul Haq, who gave it wider currency and put it centre stage. He pointed out that human development was meaningless and non-sustainable if it did not include human development as an end as well as a means. Human development is not possible without human security.