ISLAMABAD
\nThe Arms Control and Disarmament Centre (ACDC) at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) organized a ceremony to commemorate the Pakistan Defence Day 2025. The event\u2019s thematic focus was \u201cMarka-a-Haq and the Future of Warfare in South Asia.\u201d Members of the ISSI Research Faculty, Interns, and students participated.
\nAmbassador Sohail Mahmood, Director General ISSI, in his remarks on the occasion, paid rich tributes to the valiant Armed Forces and to the martyrs who made the ultimate sacrifice in the defence of Pakistan. He noted that since its inception, Pakistan had faced an existential threat from India, and the Indian involvement in the dismemberment of Pakistan in 1971 yet again proved her animus.
\nAfter India\u2019s nuclear test of 1974, Pakistan was forced on the path of acquiring nuclear capabilities. Pakistan\u2019s nuclear tests of 1998 in response to Indian nuclear explosions removed the existential threat and made the country\u2019s defence impregnable. Ambassador Sohail Mahmood added that Pakistan was now seeking to disabuse India of its false notion that there was space for limited conventional war under the nuclear threshold.
\nPakistan had always supported constructive engagement and result-oriented dialogue. The Hindutva-inspired BJP regime in India, however, believed in confrontation and conflict rather than dialogue and diplomacy. Pakistan remained committed to peaceful coexistence, but if its sovereignty and territorial integrity were threatened, then it would respond firmly and effectively.
\nPakistan\u2019s response to Indian aggression in May 2025 once again demonstrated the Pakistani nation\u2019s unshakeable resolve. Pakistan\u2019s swift and professional response also amplified its image at the international level. He concluded by stressing that the country\u2019s defence was a multi-dimensional enterprise – including national unity, economic strength, social cohesion, and robust defence capability.
\nEarlier, Malik Qasim Mustafa, Director ACDC, stated that even after the ceasefire of the May 2025 conflict, India\u2019s actions and intentions were aimed at undermining the prospects of regional peace and deterrence stability. It was shifting towards nuclear and conventional war-fighting doctrines and postures.
\nOn the other hand, Pakistan was making every effort to overcome challenges to deterrence stability in South Asia. However, Pakistan needed to modernize its military capabilities, including its means of delivery, to deter any future attack, aggression, or any unintentional escalation.
\nMs. Aleena Afzal and Ms. Hadia Akhtar, research assistants at the ACDC, gave a presentation on \u201cMarka-e-Haq and the Future of Warfare in South Asia.\u201d
\nAfter giving a brief background of the Pahalgam incident and Pakistan\u2019s response to India\u2019s unprovoked aggression in May 2025, they highlighted how integrated multi-domain operations would be shaping the future of warfare. They identified that key emerging and disruptive technologies, like AI, drones, hypersonic missiles, cybersecurity, and network-centric warfare, were going to change the future of warfare in the region.
\nTheir presentation connected the spirit of Defence Day with the evolving realities of conflict, reminding that honoring past sacrifices also meant preparing for the challenges of tomorrow. In the interactive session, participants highlighted that this year\u2019s Defence Day carried special significance. For many young people, the Day had long been linked only to the war of 1965 — something that felt like a distant chapter.
\nBut the events of May 2025 gave the Defence Day a renewed meaning, showing its continued significance today. The May 2025 conflict once again underlined the value of Pakistan\u2019s status as a nuclear-armed state. They emphasised that nuclear weapons remained a defining feature of South Asia\u2019s strategic balance. Furthermore, while advanced weapons were important, strategy and national resolve were what truly shaped outcomes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD The Arms Control and Disarmament Centre (ACDC) at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) organized a ceremony to commemorate the Pakistan Defence Day 2025. The event\u2019s thematic focus was \u201cMarka-a-Haq and the Future of Warfare in South Asia.\u201d Members of the ISSI Research Faculty, Interns, and students participated. Ambassador Sohail Mahmood, Director General […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":501497,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-501485","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-national"],"yoast_head":"\n