A public talk on "Developments in Sudan" was held at the Institute of Strategic Studies, Islamabad under the title of distinguished lecture series. The eminent speaker was Dr Issa Bashry, Minister of Science and Technology, Government of Sudan. The Chairman/Director General of the Institute of Strategic Studies, Ambassador Tanvir Ahmad Khan, in his welcome address stressed on the importance of the recent developments in Sudan and laid emphasis on the extent of their importance for Pakistan.
Dr Issa Bashry, while addressing the audience gave a brief overview of the history of political developments in Sudan and how they have shaped the destiny of the country. He laid emphasis on the fact that the Sudanese government aims at reaching comprehensive, inclusive and peaceful settlement of all problems and that it would not object to the separation of the South of Sudan. In this regard, he mentioned Sudanese President Omer Hassan Al-Bashir's statement that the Southerners have the right to self-rule their region and that he would be the first one to recognise an independent South. The Sudanese minister further said that the ideological differences between the two sides are one the main cause of the division. During the answer and question session, he said that energy is not an issue. However, he added, 'whether there would be a stable government in the South or not', is really an issue for Sudan.
Dr Zafar Nawaz Jaspal of Quad-i-Azam University (QAU), who has recently visited Sudan, on the occasion, highlighted the positive and negative aspects of the development. Although, he said, the outcome of the referendum would be positive but it will create regional problem by setting a precedent for other areas of conflict.-PR