Islamabad – NUST Institute of Policy Studies (NIPS) organized a keynote address by Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed on “Pakistan, BRICS and Dawning Multipolar World” at the main campus of the university. On arrival, Lt Gen (retd) Engr Javed Mahmood Bukhari, Rector NUST welcomed the distinguished guest. The main speech moderated by Dr. Ashfaque Hasan Khan, Director General, NIPS, was attended by foreign diplomats, veteran and current senior civil servants, senior academicians, think tank experts, scholars and students.
Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Defence, said during his keynote address that the current international system is undergoing climacteric changes that offer countries in the Global South unprecedented opportunities for peace, growth and development. The senator emphasized that China’s extraordinary peaceful development is a huge benefit to the world. He added that, along with the upward growth trajectories of various nations in Africa, Asia and Latin America, it represents a dominant, positive current global trend.
The senator cited the developed world’s response to China’s emergence as the first non-Western global power of the 21st century, the rise of Hindutva and the ongoing genocidal Israeli attacks on Palestinians as some of the negative drivers affecting global peace and stability. The senator emphasized that the expansion of BRICS has ushered in a new era of inclusivity, participation and equality among nations with the potential to usher in a true rules-based international order that benefits not just a few powerful countries but all the countries of the world.
He emphasized that making South Asia a functional region characterized by peace, development and stability requires regional states like India to outgrow the narrow 19th century zero-sum mindset of seeking hegemony. The senator appreciated Pakistan’s efforts in making continuous efforts to foster constructive relations with Afghanistan, India and Iran and opined that Pakistan’s application for BRICS membership is a step in the right direction.
Dr. In his opening speech, Ashfaque Hasan Khan emphasized that BRICS strives to promote economic cooperation, sustainable development, inclusive growth, political cooperation, interstate understanding and mutual respect.
Prominent participants included former Pakistan Ambassador to Mexico Lt Gen Masood Aslam (Retd), former Senate Secretary Iftikhar Ullah Babar, former Interim Interior Minister Malik Mohmmad Habib Khan, former Pakistan Ambassador to China Ambassador Masood Khalid (Retd), Acting Ambassadors of Brazil and Ethiopia and diplomatic representatives of Egypt, Japan, and Russia.
