BANGLADESH INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL AND STRATEGIC STUDIES

A two-day International Conference on Promoting Security Sector Reform in South Asia: Lessons from Japanese Experience was held at BIISS Auditorium from 14 December 2010 to 15 December 2010. The Conference was organised by BIISS with the support of the Japan Foundation. Colonel A K M Nazrul Islam, afwc, psc, G, Acting Director General, BIISS delivered the welcome address. Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Faruk Khan, psc (Retd), MP, Hon'ble Minister for Commerce Government of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh was the Chief Guest at the Inaugural Session of the Conference. H. E. Mr. Tamotsu Shinotsuka, Ambassador of Japan to Bangladesh was present as Special Guest at the Inaugural Session. Major General Muhammed Firdaus Mian, psc, Chairman, Board of Governors, BIISS, chaired the session.

Beside Bangladesh the scholars from India, Japan Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka presented papers in the conference. In the First Working Session papers were presented by Brigadier General Shahedul Anam Khan, ndc, psc (Retd), Editor, Defense and Strategic Studies Affairs, The Daily Star, Dhaka on Security Sector Reform: A Conceptual Analysis and Dr. Toshiya Hoshino, Professor, Osaka School of International Public Policy (OSIPP), Osaka University, Osaka, Japan on Self-Defence Forces: Reform and Development. Major General Muhammad Abdul Matin, ndu, psc (Retd), Former Director General, BIISS chaired the First Working Session.

In the Second Working Session presentations were made by Mr. Kamal Kumar, IPS (Retd.), Honorary Senior Fellow, Centre for Public Affairs, New Delhi, India on State of Security Sector Reform in South Asia: An Indian Perspective, Dr. Maqsudul Hasan Nuri, Acting President, Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI), Islamabad, Pakistan on State of Security Sector Reform in South Asia: A Pakistani Perspective and Dr. Masaki Kudo, Deputy Assistant Director, Central Asia and the Caucasus Division, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Tokyo, Japan on Police Reform in Post-War Japan: Lessons for South Asia”. The session was chaired by Mr. Abul Hasan Chowdhury, Former State Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Ambassador (Retd) Dr. M. Afsarul Quader, Vice President, Bangladesh Enterprise Institute (BEI) chaired the Third Working Session. Papers were presented by Mr. Rana Banerji, Head-Task Force (IR), Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis, New Delhi, India on Security Sector Reform in India, Dr. M. Jashim Uddin, Senior Research Fellow, BIISS, Dhaka on Security Sector Reform in Bangladesh and Professor Dhruba Kumar, Centre for Nepal and Asian Studies (CNAS), Nepal on Security Sector Reform in Nepal.

In the Fourth and Concluding Session Ms Salma Malik, Assistant Professor, Department of Defence and Strategic Studies, Quaid-I-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan and Dr. S. I. Keethaponcalan, Head, Department of Political Science and Public Policy, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka presented papers on Security Sector Reform in Pakistan and Security Sector Reform in Sri Lanka respectively. Mr. A. K. M. Abdus Sabur, Research Director, BIISS presented the Summary Proceedings of the Conference. Major General Muhammad Firdaus Mian, psc, Chairman, BOG, BIISS chaired the Concluding Session. In the Open Discussion of the sessions of two-day conference there were lively participation by academia, media, government officials, business circles, representatives from the civil society and NGOs as well as other concerned professionals.