INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE «THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF PAKISTAN: PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS OF DEVELOPMENT (ON THE 75th ANNIVERSARY OF INDEPENDENCE)»

This article is a review of the International conference «The Islamic Republic of Pakistan: Problems and Prospects of Development (on the 75th Anniversary of Independence)». The event was held on September 26, 2022 at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences in a mixed part-time format by using the Zoom platform. Speeches and reports of numerous International conference participants, presented by the Head and staff of the Pakistani and Russian diplomatic missions in Moscow and Islamabad respectively, members of a high-ranking delegation of Pakistani Senators, as well as of Heads, staff, senior and junior scholars of leading Russian and Pakistani analytical centers, institutes and various institutions, covered a wide range issues on Pakistan studies. Besides the official greetings and addresses by Honorable Guests of this International forum, the conference program also reflected relevant studies of domestic and Pakistani scholars on Pakistan national statehood building, its current inner political, socio-economic problems, the main directions of this country foreign policy at the global and regional level, including the possibilities of enhancing Pakistan-Russia relations on bilateral and multilateral cooperation with the geographically close states in the vector of Eurasian integration by means of major joint investment projects implementation. Much attention at the conference was paid to the necessity of the socio-cultural communication formation between the Russian and Pakistani peoples for the increase of their mutual understanding and convergence. A separate remarkable event was devoted to this issue within the framework of the International conference, which took place at the Eastern Cultural Center of the IOS RAS. It was connected with the presentation of the Three–volume «Encyclopedia of Muhammad Iqbal’ (in Urdu) and the solemn ceremony of its donation to the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences by the Honorary Speaker of the conference, Chairman of the of Pakistan Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights, Senator Walid Iqbal — grandson of the outstanding Pakistani poet and thinker, the ‘Spiritual Father of Pakistan» Allama Muhammad Iqbal.