Prime Minister Inaugurates Second Islamabad Security Dialogue, 2022
.By:Asghar Ali Mubarak……..Islamabad; The rule of law and justice is crucial for an independent foreign and national security policy. These views were expressed by Prime Minister Imran Khan during the inauguration of second annual Islamabad Security Dialogue, 2022 on 1st April, 2022. Prime Minister expressed his satisfaction that Islamabad Security Dialogue has matured into a world class security forum. He said that he envisions Pakistan as a welfare country with rule of law, inclusive growth and an independent foreign policy where common people’s interests are prioritized. No country can progress without protecting its poor people.
Prime Minister Imran Khan appreciated the convening of first-ever and unique forum of National Security Advisers at the Islamabad Security Dialogue. He said that the aim of Islamabad Security Dialogue was to establish a world class forum which can present Pakistan’s perspective on security issues on the lines of other established international forums. The second iteration of the two-day event taking place in Islamabad is being attended by international thinkers and scholars, renowned international media speakers, senior civil and military leadership, practitioners of international law and think tanks and civil society. acording to senior jounalist Asghar Ali Mubarak the main feature of the first day of Islamabad Security Dialogue was the National Security Adviser (NSA) forum titled “Asian Security in a fluid world order”. National Security Advisers from six countries gave their remarks which was followed by a conversation among former Pakistani National Security Advisers moderated by current NSA Dr Moeed Yusuf. The countries included China, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Saudia Arabia and Qatar.China’s Minister of Public Security Zhao Kezhi was of the view that certain states should abandon pursuit of absolute security and focus on an international system centered on UN charter. National Security Advisers of Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Saudia Arabia and Qatar focused on the role of energy politics and international cooperation on shared security challenges.
The theme of Second Islamabad Security Dialogue is reimagining international cooperation. It is linked to newly released Pakistan’s National Security Policy that there is a symbiotic relationship between economic, human and traditional security which is imperative for Pakistan’s long-term development.
Other sessions during the first day of Islamabad security dialogue included: Leveraging geo-economics through growth and connectivity and navigating disinformation and discourse in the information age. Disinformation session focused on the challenges and opportunities the modern communications means have for both states as well as individuals. The event was attended by Federal ministers, parliamentary secretaries, senior government officials, military personnel, international media representatives, think tank community, faculty and students of universities.More over Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan said on Friday that a “Powerful” country had been “Angered” by his visit to Russia in February and had questioned his decision to go ahead with the two-day tour amid Russia-Ukraine tensions. He did not name the country in his speech at the Islamabad Security Dialogue. The premier noted that the unnamed country’s ally, India, was importing oil from Russia at a time when the West was trying to impose sanctions in the aftermath of the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine.”Today, I read the British foreign secretary’s statement that they can’t say anything to India as it has an independent foreign policy. So what are we then?” he asked, adding that the blame lay with Pakistan.”No country is respected unless it stands on its own two feet.” During his speech, the premier also praised India for its independent foreign policy that was centred around its people. “They protect their independent foreign policy.”He began his address by highlighting the importance of the event. “In our minds, security was defined as military [might],” he said, adding that it was, in fact, “multi-dimensional”.He said that the biggest “insecurity” for a nation is when there is a small island of wealthy citizens surrounded by a sea of underprivileged. “A country which does not have inclusive prosperity will always remain insecure.” He regretted the fact that many were unable to understand the concept of Riyasat-i-Madina. “They think that I talk about Riyasat-i-Madina to garner votes and use Islam for political purposes.”Commenting on the state of Madina, he called it a “unique” model where the people were uplifted to become a great civilisation. “This is a part of history, not mythology,” he said, adding that this model was the very definition of national security. “They proved that when a nation takes care of its weakest people, that is real security […] security follows when every citizen owns their country,” he said, adding that the military could only give you “limited security”.
Turning towards Pakistan, the premier labelled “unequal development” in Pakistan as the biggest reason for the country’s insecurity. “A small elite laid capture to our resources and did not allow its competition to succeed.” He went on to say that the same elite also introduced an English medium education system which meant that good jobs would only go to those who spoke the language. PM Imran further said that this also had an impact on the health and justice system, where only the affluent were being catered to. The prime minister also held the absence of rule of law as the reason behind the country’s insecurity, stating that no country could truly progress or reach its potential without it. He noted how the same was enforced in the state of Madina. “I want to be a part of a state that gives me justice, where my rights, life and property are protected,” he said. Giving an example from history, he said that conquerors from the North would travel straight to Delhi facing little to no resistance. “They faced no resistance because the people did not have a stake in the system. It was a feudal system,” he said that the person at the top ruled over the people. Finally touching upon an independent foreign policy, he said that the policy at the time of independence “made sense”. “We were bankrupt, we did not have resources and had refugee problems.” But our dependency on foreign aid caused the most damage to the country, he said. “We did not bother to discover the potential that God had given us. A person reaches his true potential when he faces resistance,” he said, giving the example of a muscle atrophying when it is not in use. “When a nation starts thinking we can’t achieve anything without aid, it can’t succeed,” he said, adding that an independent foreign policy was inextricably linked with a nation’s progress.Talking about the Afghan ‘jihad’, the prime minister said that Pakistan had never evaluated what it had lost and what it had gained through its participation. “We never evaluated whether we got involved in order to help the Afghan people or whether it was for obtaining foreign aid,” he said, adding that Pakistan’s losses far outweighed the foreign aid that was given. He went on to say that after 9/11, Pakistan changed its stance on resistance against foreign occupation terming it as “terrorism”. “We violated our own principles,” he said, noting the economic devastation and labelling of Pakistan that followed soon after. “We sacrificed our own country for the benefit of another […]. That is why I believe that a country without an independent foreign policy does not have any respect in the world and cannot protect the interests of its people.”He went on to say that the objective of the PTI government was to draft an independent foreign policy and to stop the country from becoming part of a particular camp. “We tried to keep our foreign policy independent, one that is only affected by what is good for Pakistan’s 220 million people,” he said, adding that the country had never received the amount of international respect given during the last three-and-a-half years.
