Sana Fatima

The session ‘The challenges of Afghanistan and Central Asia - Thinking through troubled times’ touched different subjects ranging from art to the political scenario. It felt like a casual dialogue between the Russian, Afghan and a Pakistani. The session was conducted in an outdoor setting due to a technical problem. What the outdoor setting brought to the atmosphere was a ‘jirga’ like setting. The audience was sitting on the green grass or the ‘manjis’ and were delighted with the food for thought. There was a serious discussion on the separate identities of Afghans from the Taliban.

“It is for the youth to define the political relationship of Pakistan with Afghanistan and Russia. Sovereign states enjoy the liberty of strategic ties with other sovereign states which falls in line with their interest. It is important that we respect that,” keynote speaker Bushra Gohar said.

The session concluded with emphasis on the essence of respecting the sovereignty and culture of the each other.

The linguistic soul

of Indus valley

The session ‘Up close and personal - The varied eras of writing’ moderated by Naeem Tahir was predictably enjoyable for everyone who enjoy the rich history of language.

All key note speakers Noorul Huda Shah, Ajmal Kamal, Aamer Sheikh and Asif Farruki agreed that language is an expression of the human existence. The session was moderated by, who kept the interest of the audience alive throughout the session. The speakers agreed that the lexigraphy of the language might evolve with time but the language that we orate will continue to live on.