National Centre for Maritime Policy Research (NCMPR), organized a Maritime Conference on 28 November, 2018 on the topic of “Maritime Security Dynamics and Requirement of Innovative Solutions for Indian Ocean Region” as part of International Defence Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS) 2018. A large number of national and international maritime experts, Government dignitaries, Pakistan Navy officials, representatives of local and foreign maritime technologies industry and other distinguished stakeholders participated in the conference. The participants got ample opportunity to share their business interests before a target audience comprising of defence procurement, suppliers and key decision makers. The topic of this conference was “Maritime Security Dynamics and Requirement of Innovative Solutions for Indian Ocean Region”. Chief of The Naval Staff, Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi NI(M) graced the conference as Chief Guest, while Brigadier General Ibrahim Salman Al Naimat, Commander of Royal Jordanian Naval Forces was the Guest of Honour on this occasion.

Vice Admiral (Retd) Syed Khawar Ali Shah HI(M), DG NIMA delivered the keynote address and enlightened the audience on the importance of conference topic. He stated that with the advent of Chinese led Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the geo-economic and strategic significance of IOR has enhanced manifolds. He also thanked the Chief Guest, Guest of Honour and knowledgeable speakers for their presence and delivering very informative presentations on the relevant aspects of the conference theme.

The first speaker of the conference was Rear Admiral Asif Khaliq HI(M), Commander Karachi. He shared his thoughts on Contemporary and Emerging Maritime Security Threats in the IOR. Likewise, Rear Admiral Dr Nassar Ikram HI(M), Pro Rector NUST discussed the importance of technological modernization – emerging trends & Naval Defense Industry. Maritime experts from Turkey, Italy and Spain also dwelled upon the innovative technologies and the emerging trends in Naval industry. The last speaker of the conference Vice Admiral (Retd) Iftikhar Ahmed HI(M) deliberated on future prospects of shipbuilding industry in Pakistan and prospects of incentive based participation of private sector. In his concluding remarks, Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi NI(M) highlighted the importance of safe and secure maritime space for pursuing economic pursuits. He said that such forums provide us an opportunity to identify the challenges and discuss solutions with particular reference to technology and innovative solutions with respect to other related segments of maritime sector. The Chief Guest expressed his profound gratitude to Brigadier General Ibrahim Salman Al Naimat, Commander of Royal Jordanian Naval Forces for his presence during the conference. He also appreciated the efforts of organisers of the conference and providing a platform to deliberate on issues related to maritime security.