Senator Mushahid Hussain delivers talk on “Pakistan, BRICS and the Dawning Multipolar World” at NUST

Islamabad – The NUST Institute of Policy Studies (NIPS) organised a keynote address by Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed on “Pakistan, BRICS and the Dawning Multipolar World” at the main campus of the university. Lt Gen (Retd) Engr Javed Mahmood Bukhari, Rector NUST, greeted the esteemed guest upon arrival. Moderated by Dr Ashfaque Hasan Khan, Director General, NIPS, the keynote saw the participation of foreign diplomats, veteran and current high-level state officials, senior academics, think tank experts, scholars and students.During his keynote, Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Defence, stated that the contemporary international system is undergoing climacteric changes that offer countries in the global South unprecedented opportunities for peace, growth and development. The senator stressed that the extraordinary peaceful development of China is a massive boon for the world. He added that together with the upward growth trajectories of various nations in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, it represents the dominant, positive contemporary globaltrend.The senator identified the reaction of the advanced world to China’s status as the first non- Western global power of the 21st century, the rise of Hindutva, and the continuing genocidal Israeli assault against Palestinians as some of the negative drivers affecting global peace and stability. The senator highlighted that the expansion of BRICS has ushered in a new era of inclusiveness, participation, and equality among nations with the potential to establish a true rules-based international order that benefits not just a few powerful countries but all countries of the world. He stressed that making South Asia a functional region, characterised by peace, development, and stability, requires that regional states like India outgrow the narrow 19th century mindset of zero-sum quest for hegemony. The senator praised Pakistan’s efforts in consistently seeking to foster constructive relations with Afghanistan, India, and Iran and considered that Pakistan’s application for the membershipofBRICSisastepintherightdirection.In his opening remarks, Dr Ashfaque Hasan Khan highlighted that BRICS is aiming to promote economic cooperation, sustainable development, inclusive growth, political cooperation, interstate understanding, and mutualrespect.Prominent among the attendees were Pakistan’ former Ambassador to Mexico Lt Gen Masood Aslam (Retd), former Secretary Senate Iftikhar Ullah Babar, former Caretaker Interior Minister Malik Mohmmad Habib Khan, Pakistan’s former Ambassador to China Ambassador Masood Khalid (Retd), the incumbent ambassadors of Brazil and Ethiopia, and the diplomatic representatives of Egypt, Japan and Russia.