Beyond the Battlefield: Military Diplomacy as a Strategic

Beyond the Battlefield:

Lahore :The Centre for Aerospace & Security Studies (CASS) Lahore, organised a seminar titled, “Beyond the Battlefield: Military Diplomacy as a Strategic Enabler,” on December 3, 2025. As an independent think tank, CASS Lahore organises academic events for scholars and practitioners interested in exploring the critical dimensions of security, technology, and policy within their broader context. The event was attended by academics, intellectuals, and domain experts. Air Marshal Irfan Ahmad (Retd), a Director at CASS, Lahore, delivered the opening address.

Ambassador Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhary, a former foreign secretary, stated that while foreign policy defines national goals, diplomacy, especially military diplomacy, serves as a key method to advance them through dialogues, exercises and training. He noted that it broadens Pakistan’s options, strengthens deterrence and builds influence, but must complement other diplomatic tools and be applied selectively.

Air Vice Marshal Dr Liaquat Ullah Iqbal, DG PR & CPD NASTP, while speaking on PAF’s industrial interactions for capability development as a tool for military diplomacy, stated that NASTP is a national-level initiative by the Air Chief, Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar Sidhu to build Pakistan’s sovereign aerospace and technology ecosystem. He highlighted rapid modernisation, indigenisation and youth-driven innovation within the PAF, which are strengthening operational readiness and expanding Pakistan’s international technological partnerships. Due to these developments the PAF won the war against India in May 2025 under the incumbent Air Chief.

Air Marshal Abdul Moeed Khan (Retd), Vice Chancellor of Air University, elaborated that PAF’s long-standing international engagements, through exercises, training exchanges and deployments, have cemented its reputation for tactical professionalism and operational adaptability. He noted that after 2021, under the bold and innovative leadership of ACM Zaheer Ahmad Babar Sidhu Air Force’s shift from a fighter-centric model to a multi-domain force integrating cyber, space, electronic warfare and unmanned systems, supported by rapid indigenisation and revamped command structures, has highlighted PAF’s strategic relevance and significantly strengthened its effectiveness in modern, high-tempo conflict environments.

Concluding the seminar (“Beyond the Battlefield: Military Diplomacy as a Strategic Enabler,” ), Air Marshal Asim Suleiman (Retd), President, CASS, Lahore, noted that Marka-e-Haq marked a pivotal moment in Pakistan’s military diplomacy, demonstrating the PAF’s disciplined and multi-domain superiority and reshaping the country’s strategic influence. He commended the transformative leadership of ACM Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu under which the PAF strengthened its technological edge, enhanced defence partnerships, and expanded its global diplomatic footprint. This success, he stated, has reinforced Pakistan’s credibility as a rising middle power and showcased military capability as an effective instrument of modern diplomacy.

The seminar*(“Beyond the Battlefield: Military Diplomacy as a Strategic Enabler,” ) culminated with a lively interactive session. It highlighted NASTP’s growing role, India–Pakistan institutional contrasts, PAF’s domain-centric transformation, youth engagement in aerospace, expanding diplomatic outreach after the May 2025 war, and Pakistan’s position in evolving drone warfare. Participants appreciated CASS Lahore’s engaging and thought-provoking discussion.

In Urdu :dailytimeline.pk