Guest Lecture by Mr. Maroof Raza, Indian commentator on military and security affairs

1st March, 2017

Session 1 : India- Pakistan Relations

Symbiosis School of International Studies (SSIS) under the aegis of Symbiosis International (Deemed University) organized a guest lecture by the eminent scholar and renowned Indian commentator on military and security affairs, Mr. Maroof Raza. The session began with a brief introduction on the topic ‘India and Pakistan Relations'. Mr. Raza spoke about the different narratives regarding India and Pakistan. He elaborated at length on the understanding of what drives Pakistan's' attitude towards India. He stressed on the need for pushing India's agenda aggressively. Further, students received a deep insight into the Kashmir issue. Mr. Raza explained briefly the events that led to the creation of the Kashmir issue, stressing on the fact that Kashmir defines the idea of India's multicultural secular society. He also observed that Kashmir defines the idea of Pakistan as much as it defines the idea of India. He touched upon all the major historical events in the context of the evolution of India-Pakistan relations. Mr. Raza made pointed recommendations to necessary for India's security measures in order to aid the country in establishing a firm position in the geopolitical region. He asserted the need for devising a comprehensive national approach to push India's foreign policy agenda aggressively.

The informative session was followed by a highly interactive Q & A round.

Submitted by: SSIS Communication Committee
Avadhi Patni, Deepashri Mahajan

Session 2 : India's National Security and Challenges

The Symbiosis School of International Studies organised a guest lecture by the eminent scholar and renowned Indian commentator on military and security affairs, Mr. Maroof Raza. Addressing a group of students belonging to the Law, Liberal Arts, and International Studies schools, the session began with a brief introduction to India's national security scenario and the various challenges faced by the country in contemporary times. Students received a deep insight into military and conflict issues concerning the nation aided by the lecturer's expertise on the same. Mr. Raza elaborated at length on security interests with respect to India's vast coastline, the economy, cyberspace and the civilian population. He stressed on the need for developing India's nuclear capabilities by taking advantage of the vast resources of Thorium in the country and at the same time not ignoring the rising importance of energy security. While referring to the huge shipments of oil that move from the Gulf countries to the Malaka Strait via the Indian Ocean, he emphasized on the pressing requirement of developing India's maritime security and partnering with the many neighbouring countries in the Indian Ocean Region, especially the ASEAN (Association of South-east Asian Nations) member countries. At the same time, he stated that India must pursue its own national interests in the international sphere and strike a fine balance by co- operating with major powers such as Russia and USA (United States of America) in order to counter the alliance of China and Pakistan.

While mentioning the progress achieved in security terms by other countries such as China, Japan, Vietnam and Russia, Mr. Raza made various recommendations to develop India's security measures in order to aid the country in establishing a firm position in the geopolitical region. He asserted the need for devising a comprehensive national approach towards national and security issues with increased levels of co-operation between the army, air force, navy, intelligence agencies and the political leadership. He also reiterated the need for security co-operation between retired army generals, the youth and civil society in the national security framework in order to bring the issue of national security from the hands of a few to the population at large.

The informative session was followed by a highly interactive Q & A round.

Submitted by: SSIS Communication Committee
Avadhi Patni, Deepashri Mahajan