Former Foreign Secretary Ambassador Tehmina Janjua stated on Thursday that the participation of women in peace, security, and diplomacy is vital for the country. Speaking at a seminar titled “Pakistan’s Women in Peace and Security” at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI), Janjua said that “Greater participation of women in peace, security and diplomacy rests on equity and drawing on society’s full talent.”
Janjua emphasized that national security and diplomacy remain incomplete without full female participation, noting that excluding women deprives the country of half its expertise and peacemaking potential. She argued that equal opportunities, access to higher education, and the removal of barriers to career advancement are essential to utilize women's expertise. To achieve this, she recommended eliminating social barriers at home and in workplaces, creating data maps of female experts in security sectors, providing student counseling, establishing structured internships in media and think tanks, and embedding women into strategic counter-terrorism analysis.
During the keynote address, Janjua also stressed the need to expand women’s leadership in multilateral diplomacy, arms control negotiations, and international disarmament structures. She noted that Pakistani women diplomats have consistently defended national security interests at global platforms.
Ms. Pernille Ironside, UN Resident Coordinator a.i. and UNICEF Representative in Pakistan, addressed the seminar as the Guest of Honor. She stated that under UNSCR 1325, women’s inclusion is a straightforward security principle rather than a mere welfare concern. Ironside noted that one in four civilians killed in conflicts are women and that they remain severely underrepresented in formal peace processes. She argued that robust security requires utilizing the full potential of women across science, diplomacy, and security to enhance analytical rigor and ground strategies in practical local realities. She also pointed out that Pakistan’s young population of 67% is a key asset for stability and that empowering women as central decision-makers is necessary for national resilience against climate vulnerabilities.
Noreen Iftakhar, Senior International Relations Officer at PNRA, spoke on women’s contributions to nuclear safety, security, and regulation. She highlighted how women’s technical, legal, and regulatory expertise strengthens national nuclear safety regimes, specifically in field inspections, licensing, emergency preparedness, and environmental safety. She stated that fostering an empowering workplace culture and equal access to international platforms like the IAEA is essential for women in STEM and strategic regulation.
Dr. Salma Malik, Associate Professor at Quaid-i-Azam University, discussed women’s roles in promoting strategic stability. She suggested bridging the gender gap by establishing a dedicated Women, Peace and Strategic Stability Forum, policy apprenticeships, and formal integration into nuclear risk-reduction dialogues. She emphasized including women experts in crisis-management dialogues and fields such as AI, cyber, autonomy, and escalation-risk assessments.
Fahmida Iqbal Khan, Deputy Country Representative of UN Women Pakistan, asserted that women are a decisive counter-terrorism and security asset. She called for a National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security (WPS), embedding WPS into counter-terrorism frameworks, and increasing female representation in police and peacekeeping workforces.
Aisha Aziz Khan, Chief Executive of CSCCC, focused on climate resilience and non-traditional security. She noted that while rural women are on the front lines of climate disasters, they are critically underrepresented in decision-making. She stated that empowering women could boost GDP by 9–23% and called for a 20-year affirmative action plan ensuring reserved seats and equal access to resources for women.
Ambassador Moin ul Haque, Director General of ISSI, opened the event by stating that women’s empowerment is an investment in national resilience and that a nation cannot realize its full potential without utilizing the talent of all its people. Malik Qasim Mustafa, Director of ACDC, noted that the seminar aimed to bring Pakistani women's technical, regulatory, and policy contributions into sharper focus.
