Keynote Address by Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, General Nadeem Raza, Nishan-i-Imtiaz (Military)

Islamabad, June 6, 2022 – The NUST Institute of Policy Studies (NIPS) organized the seminar on “Regional Environment and Imperatives of Security.” Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, General Nadeem Raza, Nishan-i-Imtiaz (Military), delivered keynote address during the seminar, and was welcomed by Rector NUST and Patron NIPS, Lieutenant General (R) Engineer Javed Mahmood Bukhari. The session was moderated by Brigadier (R) Amir Yaqub, Director Operations and Collaboration at NIPS. NUST’s Pro Rectors RIC, Academics, and Finance, as well as academics, students, and distinguished experts from different parts of the country participated.

While emphasizing the valuable contributions of NUST in the fields of science and technology, Chairman JCSC praised NIPS for being the frontrunner in high-quality policy research and advocacy on significant national and international matters.

Commenting on the regional security environment, the Chairman JCSC – who is also the Deputy Chairman of the National Command Authority – emphasized the changing dynamics of regional geopolitics and Pakistan’s resilience in the wake of hybrid warfare. He reiterated the significance of Pakistan’s nuclear capability as the guarantor of deterrence and defense of the motherland.

The Chairman JCSC said, “Pakistan’s nuclear program enjoys across the board support of all political parties and the people of Pakistan. The NCA, with all its political and military leadership, stands firm for the strategic program.” He asserted that national security is indivisible and assured that under no circumstances shall Pakistan allow a compromise on its nuclear program.

He said, “Pakistan is a confident and responsible nuclear power. It pursues the policy of full spectrum deterrence within the precincts of credible minimum deterrence. Our national security and safety architecture meets all national and international obligations and caters for all kinds of scenarios.”

Chairman JCSC concluded, “As a norm in other nuclear-capable nations, unnecessary and unfounded views on the strategic program should be avoided. When necessary, NCA is the right forum to issue specific responses or views.”

The seminar also comprised speeches by two distinguished experts. Dr Ashfaque Hasan Khan, Principal NUST S3H and DG NIPS, covered salient aspects of “Hybrid warfare and Security Imperatives of Pakistan.” He focused on the economic dimensions of the issue. Dr Asma Shakir Khawaja, Executive Director of Centre for International Strategic Studies AJK, presented her well-researched work on “Indian Extremism and State-Sponsored Terrorism in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.”