Islamabad Security Dialogue kicks off today

By Asim Husain

ISLAMABAD: The third iteration of the flagship two-day Islamabad Security Dialogue (ISD) 2023 will kick off here at the Pak-China Friendship Centre on Wednesday to debate important and pressing challenges and opportunities being faced by the country and the region.
The theme for the third ISD 2023 is “Beyond Conflict? Resetting the Global Agenda in a Divided World”. The ISD has emerged as a platform for critical thinking and robust intellectual discourse on some of the most important issues at the local and regional levels.
The third edition of the hybrid event will be attended by global thinkers and scholars, academicians, policymakers, renowned international media persons, Federal Cabinet members, diplomatic corps, former government officials, legal experts, representatives of think-tanks and civil society members.
Under the umbrella of its National Security Policy, Pakistan firmly believes that internal stability and regional peace based on mutual co-existence, connectivity, and shared prosperity are essential prerequisites to optimizing national security. It recognizes the unique pressures emanating from great power competition and believes that global cooperation on shared challenges remains the most viable pathway towards a more inclusive and prosperous future.
The event will feature seven sessions, namely “Commanders’ Forum: Changing Nature of War”, “Economic Statecraft: Cooperation in an Era of Uncertainty”, “Climate: An Existential Threat”, “National Security Advisers Forum: Conversation about Afghanistan”, “Challenges to International Law and Rules-Based Order in the Era of Great Power Competition”, “A Transitioning Global Order; From Competition to Conflict?”, and “Economic Reforms in Pakistan”.