• Former SPD chief says nuclear-armed states have no space for war
• Growing reliance on hard power, emerging technologies creating new challenges
asserted
reliance → say → challenges
• Senator Mushahid insists Pakistan emerging as ‘credible middle power’
asserted
Pakistan → insist → power
Adviser to the National Command Authority and former director general of the Strategic Plans Division (SPD) Lt Gen (retd) Mazhar Jamil has warned that the erosion of traditional arms-control frameworks, shrinking space for diplomacy and growing reliance on hard power and emerging technologies are creating new challenges to strategic stability in South Asia.
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erosion → warn → Asia
Speaking at the seventh edition of the “Training of the Trainers” workshop on strategic matters organised by the Centre for International Strategic Studies (CISS), Islamabad, Gen Jamil said the global and regional strategic environment was becoming increasingly complex.
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environment → speak → Studies
He said persistent threat perceptions, unresolved disputes such as Kashmir and India’s military posturing had contributed to continuing security tensions in the region.
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perceptions → say → region
“Strategic stability cannot be separated from the underlying political realities,” he said, cautioning that Indian military adventurism and hegemonic approaches in a nuclearised South Asia carried unacceptable risks.
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adventurism → separate → risks
Referring to the experience of May 2025, Gen Jamil stressed that there was no space for war between two nuclear-armed states.
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Jamil → refer → states
He also highlighted Pakistan’s nuclear deterrence, conventional capabilities, national resilience and cohesive response framework, including the principle of Quid Pro Quo Plus, saying these were aimed at ensuring that no aggressor could achieve its political or military objectives through force.
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aggressor → highlight → force
Earlier, Maj Gen (retd) Syed Shahab Shahid, director general of Arms Control and Disarmament Affairs at the SPD, said the global arms-control, disarmament and non-proliferation architecture was facing growing challenges.
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architecture → say → challenges
He called for a balanced, equitable and non-discriminatory approach that took into account the legitimate security concerns of all states.
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that → call → states
Gen Shahid said the continued modernisation and diversification of nuclear and strategic capabilities, alongside emerging developments in South Asia, were reshaping the strategic environment and creating new challenges to strategic stability.
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modernisation → say → stability
He warned that the selective application of non-proliferation norms and security arrangements could undermine confidence in the existing international security architecture.
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application → warn → architecture
He stressed the need for a consistent and inclusive approach to strengthening strategic stability, reducing risks and advancing meaningful arms-control and non-proliferation objectives.
The officials also pointed to disruptive technologies and growing reliance on hard power as factors complicating efforts to reduce risks and prevent conflict in the region.
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officials → stress → region
The workshop brought together senior professors and academics from universities across Pakistan, along with think-tank professionals, foreign policy experts and diplomats.
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workshop → bring → professionals
It aimed to strengthen understanding of contemporary strategic issues and develop the capacity of academics and trainers to contribute to informed discourse on strategic stability, nuclear deterrence, arms control and non-proliferation.
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It → aim → stability
In his opening remarks, CISS Executive Director Amb Ali Sarwar Naqvi reflected on Pakistan’s strategic environment, tracing the evolution of its regional relevance and the opportunities and challenges shaping its security landscape.
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Naqvi → reflect → landscape
He highlighted Pakistan’s role as a diplomatic actor and its stated commitment to regional stability, while underscoring the importance of effective strategic responses to an increasingly complex security environment.
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He → highlight → environment
In his keynote address, Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed said Pakistan was emerging as a credible middle power in the evolving international order.
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Pakistan → say → order
He said Pakistan’s ability to mediate, engage and build partnerships in an increasingly fragmented world reflected the country’s “growing strategic weight”.
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ability → say → weight
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