CHANDIGARH: Forum of Awareness for National Security organised a one day seminar on the theme “Pakistan Crisis: Impact on India and South Asian Region” at Rajiv Gandhi College Bhawan, Panjab University, Chandigarh on October 13. This program was in association with Department of Defence Studies, Panjab University and Gyan Setu think tank.
The first session was convened by Prof Pampa Mukherjee. The first speaker, R. K. Kaushik, spoke on the topic ‘Establishment’ rules Pakistan”. He defined the establishment as Pakistan’s army supported by the elements of the political parties, judiciary, media, bureaucracy and business community. He said that the establishment enjoyed the ultimate power in Pakistan for almost 67 years out of 76 years of Pakistan’s independence journey. He was of the view that the establishment would continue to do so in the foreseeable future.
Ashish Kaul, an author of various books on Jammu and Kashmir in his address stated that the general population of Pakistan was under social pressure created by the establishment to criticize India routinely. He highlighted that Pakistan’s ruling elite had vested interests to foment nefarious activities against India. Last speaker of the session, Col. Jaibans Singh expressed serious concerns regarding the failing state of Pakistan, which would directly affect India negatively. He asserted that to push its islamic ideology, Pakistan had been continuously pushing terrorist activities across the border despite its internal political and economic turmoil.
In the second session, Parteek Joshi highlighted the changing political discourse in POK and Gilgit Baltistan from demanding more rights for Pakistan to looking at their future with India. Dr Ashish Shukla, IDSA addressed the unravelling political crisis in Pakistan. Dr Amjad Mirza said that the Pakistan state had no existence in history. It was created as a buffer state by the Britisher to check the spreading influence of the Soviets. Prof Mahatab Alam, Jamia Millia Islamia University also stressed the fact that absence of fair democratic process and deprivation of fundamental rights of Baloch people and earlier Bengali people in Pakistan led to various separatist movements in the country. This session was chaired by Prof Shivani Sharma, Panjab University.
Dr Jaskaran Singh Waraich, Chairperson, Department of Defence and National Security Studies welcomed the Speakers. He also introduced the esteemed speakers to the audience. Sh. Golok Bihari Rai introduced the Forum for Awareness of National Security organisation and its objectives to the audience. Chief guest of the event, Admiral Sunil Lanba (Retd.) in his address pointed to fractured political and societal structures of Pakistan, which led to military supremacy in the country. He opined that it was an uphill task for its leaders to change the course of its foreign policy alignment from geopolitics to geoeconomics. He also pointed to the grim possibility of change in the fortune of the country due to the absence of basic amenities in addition to increasing inflation, polarisation and increasing disparity in the society.
In his keynote address, . Indresh Kumar opined that the seeds of the fault lines of hatred and aggression lay in the origin of Pakistan. He stressed the fact that Pakistan policies were anti-humanitarian by not giving citizenship to the minority in their country. He said that Pakistan was the only country in the world in which the population of all the religions except Islam decreased since its independence. He criticised the appeasement policy adopted by India in the past with respect to Pakistan. He stressed that the identity of a nation if based on hatred will eventually make it lose its essence.
Shashank Bhandari delivered the vote of thanks and closing remarks on the successful conclusion of the national seminar. The seminar was attended by the faculty, research scholars, students of the University, serving retired military personnel, and retired foreign officers attended the event and also members of FANS organisation.