Academic conference examines geopolitical situation following fall of Kabul

Lahore: An international affairs conference titled “International Conference on Fall of Kabul: An Eastern IR Perspective” was organised by the Department of Political Science of Forman Christian College University on Monday.

Chaired by Dr Samantha Cook, a senior lecturer of foreign policy at the University of Gloucestershire, United Kingdom, the conference was moderated by Head of Department Dr Shakila Sindhu, Associate Professor Dr. Muhammad Younis, and Assistant Professor Dr Mudassir Farooqi. Delivering the keynote address, Dr Cooke discussed the geopolitical situation, and the issues confronting the region, especially in the aftermath of the Afghan Taliban’s establishment of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, following their takeover of Kabul.

Other researchers also presented their papers at the conference, discussing terrorism and political violence, the Fall of Kabul, the current Taliban regime, and the war on terrorism.

Presenting his paper, Jawad Zulfiqar, a journalist and researcher, spoke about the ways propaganda continues to thrive in cyberspace and stressed the need for a robust security infrastructure that caters to the demands of the digital sphere. Another researcher spoke about Pakistan’s National Action Plan (NAP), drawing a comparison between the objectives and their implementation.

The attendees were apprised about historical facts surrounding the situation and were offered various perspectives to look at the current situation. The analyses presented by the speakers added to the wide-ranging discourse on the matter.

Others commented on Pakistan’s National Security Policy (NSP), issues with defining terrorism academically and practically, and the involvement of women in terrorist activities. The conference was attended by people from different walks of life.