Karachi: The Institute of Business Administration (IBA) organized a distinguished lecture on nuclear crisis management in South Asia, by Dr. Moeed Yusuf, Associate Vice President of the Asia Center, United States Institute of Peace, at the IBA main campus. The event was attended by luminaries, the IBA faculty, staff, alumni and students.
Dr. Huma Baqai, Associate Dean IBA moderated the event and invited renowned scholar, Dr. Yusuf and esteemed panelists – Lieutenant General (retd.) Tariq Ghazi (Former Secretary Defence) and Mr. Jamshed Hashmi (Former Chairman, Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority) to enlighten the audience.
Commencing his lecture, Dr. Yusuf highlighted the risks of India-Pakistan nuclear conflict and how they intersect with great power interests. Elaborating on dispute resolution between the two South Asian nuclear rivals and the U.S.’s stance on the issue, Dr Yusuf said, ‘Third parties always intervene to deescalate the chances of a nuclear war and third parties like the U.S. and China focus on deescalating the issue rather than siding with their respective allies’. He also said that although the third party involvement was a suboptimal model, it will be continued because it was effective in reducing the chances of a nuclear war in regions like India-Pakistan.
Commenting on Dr. Yusuf’s book and mentioning the India-Pakistan conflicts of Kargil war and the Mumbai attacks, General (retd.) Tariq Ghazi said, ‘US inflicted itself upon us and its involvement did not help the India-Pakistan cause in anyway’. General Ghazi also said that a one-on-one conduct between the two countries is better than having a third party intervention. He also said that in the last ten years India-Pakistan have made no progress on the diplomatic front due to India’s insistence to involve US in the process.
Sharing his thoughts, Mr. Jamshed Hashmi said that those who don’t learn from past mistakes are destined for misery. He urged India-Pakistan to learn from the devastation of the past nuclear wars and not to tread on the same path.
Dr. Yusuf’s book titled,” Brokering Peace in Nuclear Environments: U.S. Crisis Management in South Asia”, was introduced at the event and provided a powerful insight on the critical role the U.S. plays on managing the South Asian crises. His book also derives key lessons from the Korean peninsula, the Middle East and the Sino-Indian equation.
The event concluded with a note of thanks by Dr. Farrukh Iqbal, Executive Director IBA. Dr. Iqbal also presented mementos to the esteemed guests.
About the speaker: Dr. Yusuf is currently teaching peacebuilding at George Washington University and Boston University. Dr. Yusuf has also been engaged in expanding USIP’s work on Pakistan/South Asia since 2010. His current research focuses on youth and democratic institutions in Pakistan, policy options to mitigate militancy in Pakistan and the South Asian region in general. His latest book, offers an innovative theory of brokered bargaining to better understand and solve regional nuclear crises.
