Jazz Showcases AI Vision at IBA Karachi Forum
November 15, 2025
Pakistan outlined its AI ambitions and security priorities at the Margalla Dialogue 2025. Regional leaders stressed that stability in Afghanistan is vital for cooperation and connectivity.
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At the Margalla Dialogue 2025, organized by the Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI), Federal IT Minister Shaza Khawaja laid out a bold national roadmap for AI, targeting software and hardware innovation, startup support, and training technical talent. Retired Brigadier Dr. Raashid Wali Janjua highlighted the evolving threats of autonomous weapons, calling for legal safeguards like “kill switches” to preserve human control. Siddique Humayun from IPRI underscored AI’s growing influence on data, global narratives, markets, and decision-making.
Veteran intellectual Javed Jabbar urged using soft power and positive storytelling to strengthen Pakistan’s global standing. Meanwhile, Lt Gen (retd) Aamer Riaz advocated for a balance of hard and soft power, “gray power”, through equity-based partnerships. Syed Mehar Ali Shah, Indus Water Commissioner, linked water security to national identity and regional cooperation.
On regional unity, Ambassador Asif Durrani and former Gen. Ehsanul Haq warned that instability in Afghanistan undermines connectivity. Yerzhan Kistafin, Kazakhstan’s ambassador, proposed trade corridors connecting Pakistan with Central Asia. Ex-diplomat Idrees Zaman emphasized that a home-grown Afghan stability process is essential for predictable peace.
