The Fifth IISS South Asia Security Conference on 'Emerging Challenges and Opportunities' took place on 18-21 February 2005 in Muscat, Oman. Building on the success of the previous conference, the conference brought together key officials to discuss regional security issues in an off-the-record and informal setting.
More than 35 high-level Indian and Pakistani security officials, military officers and experts participated, along with a small number of UK, European and US participants. They included – in their personal capacities - Ambassador Munir Akram, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN in New York, Ambassador Hamid Ansari, Member of the Policy Advisory Group to India’s Foreign Minister, Dr Maleeha Lodhi, Pakistan’s High Commissioner to the UK and Mr N.N. Vohra, the Indian government’s Special Representative for the J&K Dialogue.
For the first time, two retired chiefs of the Indian and Pakistani intelligence services – Mr Vikram Sood, former RAW Chief and Lt. General Asad Durrani (retd.), former ISI Chief - participated, as did Air Marshal T.M. Asthana (retd.), the former Chief of India’s Strategic Forces Command and General Shankar Roychowdhury, former Indian Army Chief.
Following the official announcement of the launching of the bus service between Srinagar and Muzzafarabad in April 2005 – an important Confidence-Building Measure between India and Pakistan – the mood at the conference was one of ‘cautious optimism’. The discussions focused on the India-Pakistan peace process, emerging South Asian nuclear and missile issues, prospects for bilateral India-Pakistan economic – and related – cooperation, and the role of outside powers.
Three former Chiefs of Defence Staff from the UK and Germany, General Lord Guthrie (IISS Council Member), Field Marshal Lord Inge and General Klaus Naumann (IISS Council Member), also made introductory remarks or chaired sessions. IISS Council Member Lt. General V.R. Raghavan, Director of the Delhi Policy Group, New Delhi, also participated.
The IISS was strongly represented by its Director, Dr John Chipman, along with Dr Gary Samore, Director of Studies and Senior Fellow for Non-Proliferation, Mr Terence Taylor, Assistant Director and President & Executive Director, IISS-US, Sir Michael Quinlan, Consulting Senior Fellow for South Asia, Sir Hilary Synnott, Consulting Senior Fellow, and Dr Ashley Tellis, Consulting Senior Fellow.
Two senior government officials from the Sultanate of Oman – including H.E. Ambassador Abdullah Al-Dahab, Director General, Asia Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs – attended as Observers for the first time. The IISS is grateful for the support of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said to the conference and the assistance provided by the Royal Court of Affairs of the Sultanate of Oman.
The conference was organised by IISS Research Fellow for South Asia, Mr Rahul Roy-Chaudhury, with support from IISS Administrator (Research Activities and Grants), Ms Gillian Hannant, and IISS Research Assistant for South Asia, Ms Maria Kuusisto.
