“To maintain credible minimum deterrence, ‘responsible readiness’ must include the capacity to manage a crisis as well as dominate the escalation ladder,” said Lt Gen Muhammad Ali, HI(M) (Retd), Secretary Defense, in his keynote address as the Chief Guest at GPSF's inaugural Defense Day Dialogue. He recalled the unity of Pakistan's Armed Forces and people against the enemy's aggression of 1965 and paid tribute to the sacrifices of soldiers, sailors, airmen, intelligence personnel, police, Frontier Corps, Rangers, Levies and the people of Pakistan.
He stressed that freedom is sustained through readiness, responsibility and placing the nation above self, and underscored the importance of institutional coordination, indigenization and economic resilience in strengthening Pakistan's long-term defense preparedness, reaffirming that Pakistan seeks “peace with dignity, cooperation without dependency, and stability founded on justice” – that no adversary can narrow Pakistan's sovereign choices through aggression, terrorism, coercion or deception.
The day also marked the launch of GPSF's first “Defense Day Monitor,” envisaged as an annual review of Pakistan's comprehensive defense and security landscape. President GPSF Dr. Atia Ali Kazmi noted that contemporary defense is increasingly shaped by three deficits – trust in the international system, time during crises, and equitable access to critical technologies – and the Monitor examines the resulting strategic compression and strategic choices arising from these pressures.
Distinguished participants
- Ambassador Fauzia NasreenFormer Ambassador
- Air Vice Marshal Dr. Rizwan Riaz (Retd)Pro-Rector RIC, National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST)
- Air Vice Marshal Sarfraz Ahmed (Retd)
- Major General Farhat Abbas SaniFormer Ambassador of Pakistan to Brunei Darussalam
- Major General Zahid MehmoodPrincipal, NIPCONS
- Major General Adnan Asif Jah ShadMD, Green Tourism Pakistan
- Major General Ehsan Mehmood KhanFormer DG, ISSRA – Institute for Strategic Studies, Research and Analysis
- Vice Admiral Hon Dr Ahmed Saeed, HI(M) (Retd)Former President, National Institute of Maritime Affairs (NIMA)
- Brigadier Amir YaqubDirector Operations & Collaboration, NUST Institute of Policy Studies
- Brigadier Edgar Felix
- Dr. Noman Sattar
- Dr. Asma Shakir KhawajaED, CISS AJK
- Dr. Amjad MagsiDirector, Pakistan Studies Centre, University of the Punjab
- Ali ShahSenior Head of Research, NIPS
- Dr. Sarwat RaufHead IR, National University of Modern Languages (NUML)
Team GPSF: Muhammad Kamal Hassan, Arslan Arshed, Arooj Fatima Kazmi, Ali Asfand Salyana, Saamiya Siddiqui
Experts broadly agreed that contemporary national defense requires an integrated approach, in which military preparedness is reinforced by economic resilience, technological capacity, institutional coordination, strategic communication, and national cohesion.
The complete report is now available: Defense Day Monitor 2026.