Acting VC/Registrar Zaheer Sarwar says ITU was established for furtherance of intellectual discourse

Dr. Nizam says uddin says he was delighted that ITU organised ‘

‘such an event of learning excellence’

Staff Report

LAHORE: The 3-day Afkaar-e-Taaza conference organised by Information Technology University at Alhrama Cultural Complex focussed on academia-public interaction.
Welcoming the guests, Acting Vice Chancellor and Registrar Zaheer Sarwar said that ITU was established for the furtherance of intellectual discourse in the country. Quoting Allama Iqbal, he said that ‘IT university strives to create the new worlds through new thoughts that Iqbal had dreamt of.’

Dr. Muhammad Nizamuddin, Chairman Punjab Higher Education Commission, said that he was delighted that ITU had created such an avenue for learning and engagement. “We are very pleased to be supporting such an activity, which shows the increasing discourse in Pakistan,” he said.

“Education in Pakistan is picking up and we are striving hard to improve educational standards and universities in Pakistan.”

Dr. Yaqoob Khan Bangash, Director for the Centre for Governance and Policy, said that ‘Afkar-e-Taza strives to become the bridge between academia and the general public.’ He noted that previously academia played centre stage in our history. `The Pakistan Movement had its roots in the Aligarh Movement and the University, but now we hardly care about what scholars think’. This situation, Dr Bangash exclaimed was the reason why Pakistan lagged behind in development.

Inaugurating the festival, Azmi Haq, Advisor to the Punjab Chief Minister, said, “We must rescue the past, because that is the only way we can shape the future.”
Professor Maria Misra from Oxford University spoke on the International Politics of Gender with a historical perspective. Another charged panel was one with Sir William Blackburne a recently retired judge of the England, Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, and Feisal Naqvi.

Another panel talked about the future of SAARC with Ambassador Aziz Ahmad Khan, Sri Lanka diplomat, Dr Rajevia Wijesinha, and Dr Happymon Jacob from India. Najam Sethi, Dr Ishrat Hussain, Dr Atta ur Rehman, Senator Sherry Rahman, Ambassador Aziz Ahmed Khan, Professor Naazish Ataullah, Dr Nafisa Shah, Mr Kamran Lashari, Zahid Hussain also addressed the three-day event.