On December 3, 2025 the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad hosted the first working session of Islamabad Conclave-2025, with the India Study Centre leading a discussion on South Asian Regional Security Order Amid Evolving Multipolarity. General Zubair Mahmood Hayat, NI(M), HI(M), former Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, delivered the keynote and set the tone for a debate centred on how South Asia can manage the transition to a more complex global balance of power.
General Hayat argued that a return to multipolarity is being driven by digital independence, climate stress and the emergence of civilisational states, placing South Asia at the centre of strategic change. He warned that the region still lacks an independent, self-sustained security system and highlighted a paradox faced by smaller states whose hedging strategies increase diplomatic space but also create new vulnerabilities. He urged major powers to avoid repeating patterns that fuel regional militarisation and called on them to support local problem-solving capacities.
In welcome remarks, Director India Study Centre Dr Khurram Abbas pointed to renewed global interest in South Asia, domestic political transitions and the absence of meaningful regional integration as forces reshaping the strategic landscape. Ambassador Imran Ahmed Siddiqui, Additional Foreign Secretary (Asia-Pacific), cautioned that rising hegemonic impulses and the instrumental use of foreign policy for domestic politics hinder cooperation. Former ambassador Zamir Akram noted that multiple global players offer both opportunities and risks and suggested balanced engagement by the US, China and Russia could help stabilise the region while underscoring the persistent danger of border tensions between nuclear neighbours.
Speakers from the region and beyond added practical perspectives. Dr Shilata Pokharel of Nepal described how smaller states such as Nepal, Maldives and Bhutan are seeking to maximise benefits from great power competition. Professor Huang Yunsong of Sichuan University urged governments to move beyond conventional securitisation and to prioritise geo-economic strategies and inclusive cooperation to tackle shared challenges. Across interventions there was a recurring emphasis on the need to use multipolarity for economic advantage, strengthen institutional resilience and coordinate responses to non-traditional threats including climate change, water stress, pandemics and environmental hazards.
The session concluded with Ambassador Khalid Mahmood, Chairman Board of Governors at ISSI, presenting mementos to the speakers. Participants agreed that advancing South Asia Security will require sustained regional dialogue, practical capacity building and a shift in focus from confrontation to cooperative solutions.
