Joint Seminar on the Indo-Pacific Strategy and the Nuclearization of the Indian Ocean Concludes at CISS AJK
Commemoration of Youm-e-Takbeer Marks the Closure of a Three-Day Strategic Workshop

Muzaffarabad, May 28, 2025 — The Centre for International Strategic Studies AJK (CISS AJK) in collaboration with the National Institute of Maritime Affairs (NIMA) successfully convened a seminar titled “The Indo-Pacific Strategy and the Nuclearization of the Indian Ocean: Strategic Implications” on the concluding day of its three-day workshop on Strategic Stability in Nuclear South Asia.

The seminar was divided into two thematic sessions. Session I, titled “Evolving Security Architecture: Policy Ramifications for Strategic Stability in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR)”, featured opening remarks by Dr. Asma Shakir Khawaja, Executive Director, CISS AJK. The session was moderated by Ms. Syeda Tahreem Bukhari, Associate Director, CISS AJK.

Speakers in the first session included:

Mr. Zohaib Altaf, Associate Director, CISS AJK, who addressed the technological dimensions of multi-domain warfare;

Mr. M. Shahzad Akram, Research Officer, CISS AJK, who explored Indian false flag operations under the nuclear threshold;

Dr. Rubina Waseem, Assistant Professor at NUST, who analyzed strategic signaling in the context of Pakistan’s May 28 nuclear tests.

Session II, titled “Nuclearization of the Indian Ocean and Strategic Stability”, was moderated by Ms. Tayyaba Khurshid, Research Officer at CISS AJK. The session included a focused analysis of emerging naval trends, environmental impacts of militarization, and regional maritime contestation.

Presentations were delivered by:

Dr. Baber Bilal Haider, Vice President, NIMA, on India’s evolving naval posture and its implications for regional stability;

Commodore (Retired) Raheel Masood, Senior Research Fellow, NIMA, on sea-based deterrence trends in the region;

Dr. Fasiha Safdar, Research Fellow, NIMA, on the intersection of nuclearization, marine biodiversity, and climate impacts;

Commander Anees Muhammad Khan (Retired), Senior Research Associate, NIMA, on the geopolitical dynamics of the Indo-Pacific strategy.

Each presentation contributed to understanding of the strategic and environmental implications of increased naval nuclearization in the Indian Ocean. The session concluded with a question-and-answer segment, followed by a certificate distribution ceremony presided over by Dr Asma Shakir Khawaja ED CISS AJK.
The two institutes also exchanged souvenirs to speakers of Seminar.
This seminar also marked the formal conclusion of the CISS AJK’s three-day workshop on “Strategic Stability in Nuclear South Asia”, which brought together students of University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir to discuss the evolving nuclear landscape in the region.

The event concluded with a commemorative cake-cutting ceremony in observance of Youm-e-Takbeer, symbolizing Pakistan’s nuclear achievement on May 28, 1998, and its relevance to national security discourse. The ceremony served as a symbolic reaffirmation of Pakistan’s strategic deterrence posture.

Lunch was served following the group photograph, providing an opportunity for informal academic exchange among participants and speakers.