ISTTP

“The destiny of Muslims should be decided by Muslims. It should not be decided by those sitting in Washington or Brussels,” said Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed. He was addressing opening session of the 6^th Think Tanks Forum of The Islamic Countries addressing ‘Multi-dimensional Security Challenges’, that began in Islamabad at Serena Hotel, on Saturday 7th March 2015.

The Senator further added that we have been unable to create a narrative for the Muslim world and this forum intends to create a platform where leadership issues can be addressed and new ideas and suggestions can be debated to alleviate the problems that the Muslim world faces.

Mr. Suleyman Sensoy, TASAM Chairman, while stressing on the importance of deep cooperation among Muslim States said, “When we started this forum, we intended to overcome our contradictions with self-criticism. To generate constructive criticism and institute the process of critical thinking, think-tanks play an important role.”

Sayed Ali Mohammed Mosavi, Secretary General of D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation was of the view that economic security is intertwined with the conventional notions of security. ‘Safeguarding security is our collective responsibility’ he said.

The panelists urged that the Muslim nations must focus on an intellectual revival in order to bring peace and prosperity to their respective countries and the entire Muslim world. Ambassador (R) Halil Akinci, Advisor to Chairman of Turkic World Council and First Secretary General of the Turkic Council, in his address, emphasized that Muslim countries should improve regional linkages and opt for cooperation, instead of confrontation. The first session at the forum discussed, in great detail, the imperatives of multi-dimensional security. The speakers delved into the political, economic and strategic dimensions of security and articulated their ideas on how to deal with these challenges. The panelists, during the second session discussed the challenges and prospects of cooperative security, while the third session focused on how the Muslim World can help bringing stability to Afghanistan and the entire region.

The Conference was attended by a large number of delegates from across the Muslim World, think-tanks, policy makers and intellectuals.

“The best brains from across the Muslim world have gathered here to discuss the various issues that the Muslim world faces today,” said Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed while addressing the 6^th Tank Tanks Forum of Islamic Countries here on Sunday, 8^th March 2015. The Senator further added, “The issues being discussed at this forum may be specific to the Muslim world, but to deal with them it is necessary to collaborate with other nations and regions too.” He also announced that the Think-Tanks Forum for Islamic countries would now be renamed to ‘World Islamic Forum’.
On the second day of the conference, Advisor to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs and National Security delivered the keynote address. He was of the view that out of the many challenges that the Muslim countries face, the issue of intellectual development is of critical importance. Mr. Aziz stressed that the Muslim world faces common challenges, thus they must work in collaboration with each other to overcome these challenges. He further added that it is time that Muslims build resilient scientific, intellectual and academic partnerships with the rest of the world.

The sessions that followed, discussed Non-Traditional Security Threats in Muslim Countries where the speakers examined the issues in great detail and put forth their suggestions to deal with the challenges. They stressed that multilateral cooperation among all Muslim countries is of utmost importance and issues such as terrorism, climate change and human trafficking must be dealt with seriously. The speakers further discussed the opportunities and risks in the defense and space industry and cooperation for nuclear proliferation.

Chairman Senate, Syed Nayyer Hussain Bokhari, while addressing the closing ceremony of the Forum, underlined “In the wake of newly emerging threats, there was a dire need for Muslim countries to sit together and deliberate on the multi-faceted challenges that they face.”

The 6^th Think Tanks Forum of the Islamic Countries also issued the ‘Islamabad Declaration’ to mark the conclusion of the conference. The forum reiterated its resolve to institutionalize the ‘World Islamic Forum’ as the voice of Muslim intellectuals, opinion leaders and thinkers. The Forum would also hold a ‘Muslim Women’s Summit in Kuala Lumpur in 2015, while the next WIF will be hosted by Iran. In addition to that, the regional secretariat would be established in Islamabad, which will be hosted by the Pakistan-China Institute.

The Islamic World “Istanbul Awards”, were given this year for the first time, in order to promote and honor the successful people and institutions which are strengthening the depth and integration of Islamic World’s vision. The Award Ceremony was held at the Islamabad Serena Hotel on 7^th March 2105, during the 6^th Islamic Think Tanks Forum where President Mamnoon Hussain was the Chief Guest.

Pakistan Army and Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif were also given the Istanbul Special Islamic Award for leadership in their struggle against terrorism with clarity, commitment and courage as Chief of Pakistan Army.


Please use the following link for detailed information and program:
http://www.tasam.org/en/Etkinlik/627/6th_think_tanks_forum_of_the_islamic_countries