Islamabad:The changing global power structure, transformation of the Middle East and West Asia, and Pakistan's growing diplomatic role came under discussion during a high-level session of the Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI) dialogue in Islamabad.
Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed, Chairman of the Pakistan-China Institute, delivered the keynote address, while the session was moderated by Fahad Hussain, Executive Director and Anchor at Express 24-7.
The panel included Professor Dr. Wali Raza Nasr of Johns Hopkins University, US, Ambassador Robin Raphel, Senior Associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Dr. Timofey Bordachev, Program Director of the Valdai Discussion Club, Russia, and Professor Dr. Carlo Masala of Bundeswehr University, Munich, Germany.
Addressing the session, Senator Mushahid Hussain said the world was witnessing a historic shift in the global balance of power, with the centre of gravity in politics, economics and culture moving from the West towards the East.
He cited Pakistan's role in facilitating a ceasefire between the United States and Iran on April 7 and subsequent diplomatic engagement as evidence of the country's growing international standing.
He said Pakistan had emerged as an important diplomatic bridge between Tehran and Washington, while maintaining relations with China, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Russia.
The senator also referred to US President Donald Trump's visit to China, arguing that Washington's engagement with Beijing reflected the growing influence of China in the international political and economic order.
Discussing developments in West Asia, he said the traditional security arrangements between the United States and Arab countries had undergone a significant transformation following recent regional conflicts.
He observed that regional countries were increasingly looking towards Pakistan and Turkey for security cooperation rather than relying exclusively on the United States.
Mushahid Hussain further argued that the Gaza conflict and the war involving Iran had fundamentally changed regional political calculations and weakened the prospects of the Abraham Accords.
Highlighting Pakistan's regional outlook, he said the country's foreign policy vision had historically maintained strong links with the Muslim world, in line with the vision of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Allama Muhammad Iqbal.
He referred to emerging cooperation among Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar and Indonesia, describing it as an indication of the growing role of Muslim middle powers in shaping regional affairs.
Earlier, moderator Fahad Hussain raised three key questions for the panel: whether the existing world order was undergoing a fundamental transformation, whether the Middle East was heading towards a permanent geopolitical realignment, and how Pakistan could safeguard its national interests while navigating the changing regional environment.
He also highlighted the importance of examining international conflicts from the perspective of the Global South, recalling a discussion about American power and the unequal application of the international rules-based order.
In his concluding remarks, Senator Mushahid Hussain described the current period as an era of transformation, turbulence and transition, quoting Russian revolutionary Vladimir Lenin: "There are decades when nothing happens, and then there are weeks when decades happen."
During the follow-up discussion, Fahad Hussain asked how Pakistan's border tensions with Afghanistan and India could affect its efforts to strengthen diplomatic engagement and expand its role in West Asia.