NUST holds conference on ‘Security and Development’

Islamabad:The School of Social Sciences and Humanities of the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) hosted a one-day national conference on ‘Security and Development’.

The conference highlighted that security and development are no longer limited to the military alone. It encompasses a broad range of developmental philosophies and strategies that are (directly and indirectly) influenced by (traditional and non-traditional) threats, including economic, political, societal and environmental. Along with this, the conference showcased that the concept of human security has been very important in directing attention to the various ways in which the well-being of individuals can be threatened.

The larger focus of the discussion was around the challenges of the 21st century that is no longer defined by a single prominent threat. Hence, a state’s national security and developmental policies must cast a wider net, beyond simply relying on hard power means, to ensure national security. Similarly, the conference concluded that the concept of national security in this age accounts for not just military security and proactive diplomacy but also economic, political, social, human, food, energy, and environmental security. It has become necessary for states to consciously engage in national as well as global security initiatives with a wide range of security areas.

The opening ceremony was chaired by Pro-Rector Academics Dr Osman Hasan NUST. He shared his thoughts on the importance of researching various dimensions of security that are detrimental to the overall development of a state. He also emphasised that in the current challenging environment it is incumbent upon states to consciously engage in national as well as global security initiatives with a wide range of security areas.