RMS Indian Ocean

Halifax (6-8 July 2001)

The fourth in the series of regional studies, the Indian Ocean workshop (sub-titled “The Northern Indian Ocean: Strategic Fault Lines, Strategic Linkages”) followed the pattern of earlier sessions by obtaining funding from the Department of Foreign Affairs to enable participation by serving senior naval officers from the region under examination (in this case from India and Pakistan), along with a Pakistani academic with whom Research Fellows Peter Jones and David Griffiths had been collaborating on an independent project on Confidence and Cooperation in South Asian Waters.  The workshop thus combined a  Regional Maritime Security Project event with independent work in which Research Fellows from the Centre were engaged, demonstrating the mutual benefit of linking academic study with practical application.  Conference papers were presented by, or on behalf of, speakers from Canada, India, Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan, the USA and the UK.

(Karachi, Pakistan,4-6 March 2007

The inaugural conference of Pakistan’s new National Centre for Maritime Policy Research titled Maritime Threats and Opportunities in the 21st Century: A global perspective on the Indian Ocean, was held at its new facilities at the Karachi Campus of Bahria University to coincide with the harbour phase of Exercise AMAN 2007, a week-long multilateral naval exercise led by the Pakistani Navy. The aims of the conference were to: “enhance awareness on importance of oceans and its resources through information sharing and mutual understanding; identify areas of common interest for group analysis and dialogue; mobilize consensus of opinion on emerging issues confronting Indian Ocean maritime domain; and make recommendations to minimize threats and promote opportunities in areas of the mutual interests”. David Griffiths assisted in preparations for the conference and presented the “Integration paper” on maritime security entitled “War and Other Disasters: A Holistic Approach to Security Strategy” as well as a paper on “Maritime Dimensions of Disaster Management”.

(Karachi, Pakistan, 25-27 March 2008)

 The second conference of Pakistan's new National Centre for Maritime Policy Research  was again held at the Karachi Campus of Bahria University. David Griffiths presented two papers: one on environmental security and another on education. Following the conference he and fellow Canadian Dr James Boutilier paid a two day visit to the port of Gwadar as guests of the university and port.

Dhow construction, Gwadar, Pakistan, 2008

(Karachi, Pakistan, 29 February–2 March 2012)

Following on from the Centre's participation in the Dalhousie Marine Piracy Project Research Fellow Naeem Sarfraz organized a three-day international working conference in Karachi, Pakistan in 2012. Its aim was to address the impact of marine piracy on seafarers, their families, their employers and their communities. The event was organized and hosted by the Fazaldad Human Rights Institute (FHRI), Islamabad, Pakistan in partnership with the Dalhousie Marine Piracy Project (DMPP) and sponsored by the Near East South Asia (NESA) Center for Strategic Studies, Washington, USA. All sessions were held at the National Centre for Maritime Policy Research at Bahria University in Karachi. Proceedings were subsequently published in paper and digital format by the Fazaldad Human Rights Institute (Griffiths, 2012).

Presenting at the Marine Piracy Conference in Karachi, 2012

(Karachi, Pakistan, 14-16 February 2015)

At this sixth International Maritime Conference (IMC) held by Pakistan's National Centre for Maritime Policy Research, David Griffiths was invited to present the opening Thematic Paper to begin a three-day examination aimed at of “common threats faced by states in the Indo-Pacific maritime region and their effects” and identification of “economic, security, social and environmental areas of cooperation for enhancing inter-regional linkages.” Following the conference he took the opportunity to enhance contacts and understanding with Pakistan through visits in Lahore and Islamabad.