ACDC-ISSI launches book on Operation Bunyanum Marsoos

ISLAMABAD, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th May, 2026) The Arms Control and Disarmament Centre (ACDC) in collaboration with the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) on Wednesday launched a book titled “Operation Bunyanum Marsoos: Deterrence, Doctrinal Shifts, and Strategic Stability in South Asia” in connection with Marka-e-Haq.

The book, edited by Malik Qasim Mustafa, provided a comprehensive multi-domain analysis of the May 2025 India–Pakistan crisis, examining its military, strategic, cyber and informational dimensions. The launch ceremony was attended by scholars, defence experts and senior military leadership, said a news release.

The event featured contributing authors, including Dr. Asma Shakir Khawaja, Executive Director, CISS AJK; Vice Admiral Dr. Ahmed Saeed (Retd.), former President, NIMA; and Maj. Gen. Ausaf Ali (Retd.), former Director General Policy, Doctrine and Strategy, SPD.

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar was the chief guest on the occasion, while former Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Zubair Mehmood Hayat, NI(M), HI(M), delivered the keynote address.

In his keynote remarks, General Zubair Mehmood Hayat noted that the May 2025 crisis completely exposed the limitations of India’s aggressive military doctrines, proving that its provocative strategies cannot bypass Pakistan's robust deterrence. In an era where global perceptions were vital, and strategic narratives were fiercely contested, Pakistan’s defense posture rested on clarity of thought, stability, and a deeply coherent strategic logic.

May 2025 demonstrated the spectacular failure of New Delhi's "New Normal" doctrine. India's dangerous assumption that limited war could be controlled under a nuclear overhang was flawed; escalation in South Asia was non-linear, deeply intertwined with subjective perceptions, and highly prone to miscalculation. He stated that Pakistan’s precise operational responses have effectively denied India the ability to dominate the escalation ladder, significantly raising the cost of foreign adventurism while demonstrating that New Delhi consistently underestimates Pakistani resolve. True regional stability could not be achieved until the root causes of instability, the core flashpoints of Jammu and Kashmir, alongside critical water security issues, were justly addressed.

Earlier, in his welcome remarks, Ambassador Khalid Mahmood, Chairman board of Governors ISSI, said that the book provided a vital, objective academic record of the crisis, analyzing not just the kinetic operational response but also how emerging technologies such as cyber, space, and AI were reshaping South Asian deterrence dynamics.

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During the May 2025 conflict, Pakistan effectively dismantled the untenable assumption that conventional military action could be pursued below the nuclear threshold without consequence. This outcome reaffirmed the credibility of Pakistan’s deterrence posture and the resolve of its armed forces, its institutions, and its people.

In her remarks, Dr. Asma Shakir Khuwaja, Executive Director CISS, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, talked about how the May 2025 conflict saw a dangerous escalation in the cyber and information domains, where state-backed narratives, deepfakes, and kinetic-cyber synchronization tried to manipulate public perception. She argued that the introduction of emerging technologies significantly compressed the time available for leadership to verify data, escalating miscalculation risks.

Vice Admiral Dr. Ahmed Saeed, HI(M) (Retd.) highlighted the critical readiness of Pakistan Navy during the crisis to protect the country's sea lines of communication and maritime trade against any hostile blockade or projection of force. He pointed out that India's growing naval expansionism and strategic partnerships in the Indo-Pacific necessitated a robust, continuously modernized maritime defense posture by Pakistan to prevent strategic encirclement.

Reflecting on the operational dimensions, Maj. Gen. Ausaf Ali, HI, HI(M) (Retd), former Director General Policy, Doctrine and Strategy SPD, said that the seamless integration of conventional and non-conventional capabilities marked a pivotal shift in the paradigm of modern warfare. Emphasizing upon this evolution, the Pakistan Air Force increasingly prioritized Multi-Domain Operations (MDO), recognizing that future victory belonged to states that dynamically incorporated emerging technologies into their overarching defense strategy.

Earlier, Malik Qasim Mustafa, Director ACDC, said that India’s unprovoked action, aimed at eroding regional peace and stability, not only ignored regional nuclear dynamics but also introduced a very dangerous trend through its so-called “new strategic posture” of “deterrence by punishment.” However, Pakistan’s well-calibrated response changed the way deterrence operates in the region by combining military action, doctrinal clarity, and strategic communication to preserve equilibrium.