Two-Day Islamabad Non-Proliferation Conference 2026 Begins

The Strategic Vision Institute (SVI) in Islamabad hosted the second edition of the Islamabad Non-Proliferation Conference 2026, an international two-day event that gathered a diverse array of scholars and experts. The conference aimed to encourage constructive debate on global strategic matters and to share Pakistan's policy viewpoints.

Dr. Naeem Salik, SVI's Executive Director, welcomed global participants to the International Nonproliferation Conference (INC) 2026. Dr. Nasir Hafeez, SVI's Director, introduced the conference to the invested audience. Lt. Gen. Sarfraz Sattar, Advisor to the National Command Authority (NCA), delivered the opening speech. He highlighted how disruptive technologies are central to the push for more advanced nuclear weapons, challenging efforts towards restraint or stability in the pursuit of disarmament and economic growth.

Gen. Sattar pointed out that the threat perception has shifted from rogue or non-state actors obtaining nuclear weapons to the challenge of Great Power Competition and potential interstate conflict in a more contentious international system. South Asia was identified as a potential nuclear flashpoint due to India's nationalist attitudes.

He also cautioned that the taboo against nuclear use might be weakening as interstate wars become more lethal and costly. Lt. Gen. Khalid Ahmed Kidwai, Advisor for Development at the National Command Authority (NCA), presented a keynote address. He examined Pakistan's perspective on maintaining credible deterrence, strategic balance, and stability in South Asia, analyzing their development during the conflict period preceding May 2025, and their implications in the post-conflict strategic environment.

Lt. Gen. Kidwai (Retd.) stressed that Pakistan's Full Spectrum Deterrence (FSD) is primarily defensive, designed to prevent aggression across the entire spectrum of conflict and maintain strategic stability in South Asia. The FSD has demonstrated its strategic effects in both regional and global arenas during the May 2025 India-Pakistan conflict, with conventional and nuclear deterrence limiting escalation.

He raised concerns over India's deployment of approximately 12 nuclear warheads on a nuclear submarine for deterrence patrols and the potential for miscalculation and nuclear escalation due to the lack of pre-notification of Indian SLBM tests. Lt. Gen. Kidwai reaffirmed Pakistan's right to take necessary actions to protect its national security and preserve regional strategic balance while emphasizing the importance of preventing technological disparities from undermining strategic stability in South Asia.

During the conference, seven working sessions addressed critical topics such as deterrence dynamics and escalation risks in South Asia, the changing deterrence landscape within the evolving global nuclear order, and the breakdown of the arms control architecture and challenges to the non-proliferation regime. Each session aimed to facilitate in-depth discussions and generate policy-relevant recommendations for both national and global security frameworks.

The conference concluded with a statement by Gen. Zubair Mahmood Hayat, NI (M), (Retd.), former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC).