ISLAMABAD: National Command Authority Adviser Lt Gen Nadeem Zaki Manj has underscored the need for a disciplined and responsible approach to security policy making, saying it remains essential for sustainable peace and stability in a rapidly shifting regional environment.
According to a statement issued by Center for International Strategic Studies (CISS) on Saturday, he was speaking at the 10th International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) UK and CISS Islamabad workshop.
Gen Manj, who previously headed the Strategic Plans Division, said Pakistan’s full spectrum deterrence and “disciplined approach underscores a commitment to stability, demonstrating that responsible strategic conduct, rather than unilateral aggression, defines sustainable security in the region.”
The workshop, ‘Nuclear Deterrence and Strategic Stability in Europe and South Asia: Lessons, Opportunities, and Ways Forward,’ brought together senior policymakers, former diplomats, retired military officials, scholars and practitioners in Islamabad.
The participants examined the changing landscape of strategic stability amid major geopolitical shifts.
They discussed how great power rivalry, the erosion of international arms control agreements, and the revival of nuclear competition along with declining international norms are affecting dynamics in South Asia.
The speakers noted that these global developments were affecting South Asia as well, where India’s military modernisation, doctrinal ambiguity and expanding strategic partnerships with Western countries continue to shape the security environment.
They stressed that the full spectrum deterrence remains central to maintaining regional stability by deterring Indian aggression and blocking space for limited war under the nuclear threshold. Discussions also reflected on emerging lessons from the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the May 2025 India-Pakistan conflict.
The speakers highlighted concerns over the decline of arms control regimes, including uncertainty surrounding the New START Treaty and the weakening of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.
They said rising global defence spending and rapid advances in technologies including artificial intelligence, hypersonic systems and autonomous platforms, are compressing decision-making timelines and heightening risks of miscalculation and accidental escalation.
The participants observed that nuclear weapons have regained prominence in the national strategies of nuclear-armed states.
The modernisation of arsenals, broader doctrinal flexibility on nuclear use, and recent rhetoric about possible nuclear testing were described as developments that could erode long-standing non-proliferation norms and destabilise international security.
The workshop concluded with a shared view that, amid renewed great power competition and growing strategic uncertainty, dialogue, strengthened arms control mechanisms and crisis-management frameworks are urgently needed.
The participants agreed that credible deterrence, responsible behaviour and diplomatic engagement remain vital for both regional and global stability.
Published in Dawn, November 16th, 2025