ISI chief to make ‘rare address’ at Munich huddle next week

ISLAMABAD: Director-General of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt General NadeemAnjum will deliver a keynote address at the upcoming Munich Security Conference. The annual security forum, which kicks off in the German city on February 17, will be attended by over 45 heads of state and government, as well as nearly 100 ministers from across the globe.

According to sources, General Anjum will attend the conference and deliver a speech on “Asia Pacific Strategy and Implications for Pakistan”. The details of his speech, including whether it will be a public or closed-door event, are yet to be confirmed.

Sources said that General Anjum is expected to discuss the current Afghan situation and his address is expected to receive significant attention.

In 2018, then-army chief General (retd) QamarJavedBajwa also attended the Munich Security Conference and delivered a speech on “Jihadist and Caliphate”.

Along with General Anjum, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs HinaRabbaniKhar are also attending the conference. Bilawal will also have bilateral meetings with top diplomats and efforts are being made to schedule a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The Munich Security Conference (MSC), which began in 1963, focuses on security and military issues.

The conference will also host the largest delegation from the United States ever recorded, including over a third of the US Senate, and the heads of many important international organisations such as the UN, NATO, and the EU.

The main programme of the MSC will be complemented by hundreds of side events and bilateral meetings. Monitoring Desk