The National Institute of Maritime Affairs (NIMA) organized a classified in-house discussion on the rapidly evolving situation in the Middle East. V/Adm (Retd) Ahmed Saeed HI(M), President NIMA, welcomed the chief guest General (Retd) Zubair Hayat NI(M), former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), and all worthy discussants. In his opening remarks, he underlined the linkage of the Middle East with Pakistan’s security and policy options available.
The event brought together a panel of experts, policy practitioners, academia, and students. Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed presented the keynote address. The key takeaway included, that Iran is likely to choose a well-deliberated response against Israel.
However, if the conflicts spiral out into a war, Pakistan will be dragged into the conflict. Pakistan will have to adopt a principled base and a pragmatic regional approach.