The India Study Centre (ISC) at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) organized the launching ceremony of its flagship project, i.e., the Book Launch of “India’s Relations with Neighbours: Cooperation or Confrontation?” on August 13, 2021. The Chief Guest of the event was General Zubair Mahmood Hayat, NI(M) (Retd) former Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. Other speakers included Ambassador Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, Director General, ISSI; Prof. Dr. Muhammad Kaleem Abbasi, Vice Chancellor, University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Muzaffarabad; Prof. Dr. Engr. Attaullah Shah, Vice Chancellor, Karakorum International University, Gilgit–Baltistan; and Prof. Dr. Masoom Yasinzai, Rector, International Islamic University, Islamabad.
Dr. Saif ur Rehman Malik, Director ISC, in his introductory remarks thanked the respectable Chief Guest General Zubair Mahmood Hyatt, and rest of the worthy speakers. Dr. Malik warmly welcomed all the distinguished guests at the book launch ceremony. Dr. Malik said that the ISC at ISSI, is the first think tank which focuses on India internally as well as externally and relating to all India-Pakistan relations. Dr. Malik argued that India has maintained an antagonistic posture towards the region and beyond, most importantly on the Illegally Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). He continued that in the short span of time since the establishment of ISC in February 2020, we have successfully organized a number of events in multiple formats in the stated domain to create awareness about the Hindutva-driven Modi’s policies and its implications. In the short term and long run, projecting national narrative, promotion of scholarships on the specified themes, while filling the literature gap in the existing body of knowledge, is also one of the prime objectives of this institute. He exclaimed that it is surprising to know that let alone Jawahar Lal Nehru University (India) produced over hundreds of PhDs on Pakistan, how many we did? He said that he will leave it as the food for thought for the higher seats of learning.
