Pakistan Future Leaders Conference 2012

 

The Oxford University Pakistan Society (OUPaksoc) and its partners (SOAS Paksoc and Cambridge Paksoc) are organising the Pakistan Future Leaders’ Conference (PFLC) as an initiative to bring together students, academics and policy-makers to discuss and debate vital issues relating to the Pakistani community in the UK.

The Conference brings together outstanding students of Pakistani origin here in the UK and helps them build critical leadership skills to groom them into successful leaders of the future.

This program gives the participants a greater understanding of their roles as responsible citizens and serves as a platform for the youth to think about problems facing the nation and the British-Pakistani community and propose possible solutions.

Over 200 delegates are expected to attend PFLC 2012 between the 3rd and 5th of February and they will be split into 8 committees to discuss issues of pertinent importance to the country. Each committee will be chaired by leading experts in its area of deliberation.

For more details, please visit our website: www.pflc.co.uk . To register with an early bird discount, please visit: http://www.pflc.co.uk/ event-registration/?ee=4

 

Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/events/221930547881301/

Freshers Icebreaker - Meet and Greet

 

FREE FOOD AND DRINKS!

This is a great opportunity to get to know the people in PakSoc and find out what the society is about. Even if you know little about PakSoc at the moment or if your not even from Pakistan, please stop by for a chat to get to know us. This event is not for freshers only but for everyone! Be a part of one of the largest and most active societies in the University University Pakistan Society will be holding two welcome events for Freshers:

Date: 15th October 2011

Time: 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm

Venue: Miles and Davis Room, St. Peters College, Oxford.

Entry: Free for all

Facebook link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=242173779163551

The Bangladesh War Crimes Tribunal and International Law in South Asia

 

Join us for a talk and panel discussion on ‘The Bangladesh War Crimes Tribunal and International Law in South Asia’

(in collaboration with the St. Antony’s College Asian Studies Centre, Oxford Indian Society and Oxford SAARC Society)

Date: 18th October 2011 (Tuesday)
Time: 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Venue: Nissan Lecture Theatre, St. Antony's College, 62 Woodstock Road, Oxford
Entry: Open and free for all (no booking required!)
Facebook link: http ://www . facebook . com/event . php?eid=261046750606176

MAIN SPEAKER: 
John Cammegh (currently instructed along with Steven Kay QC and Toby Cadman of 9BRi to act for the five members of Jamaat e Islami currently awaiting trial in Dhaka for their alleged involvement in the 1971 War of Liberation from Pakistan)

PANELLISTS:
Dr. Sarmila Bose (Fellow Department of Politics & IR, Oxford)
Dr. Faisal Devji (Reader in Modern South Asian History, St. Antony’s College Oxford)
Mr. Anup Surendranath (DPhil Student in Law)

BACKGROUND:
In 2010, the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) of Bangladesh began gearing up to try individuals accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, mass rape and other international crimes to provide accountability and to address longstanding cries of impunity for the alleged criminals of the 1971 war.

However, there has also been sharp criticism of the ICT’s statutes, rules of procedure, and practices, as well as deep concern over a related amendment to the Bangladesh Constitution. Critics have pointed specifically to the lengthy pre-charge detention of suspects, interrogation without counsel present, inability to challenge the jurisdiction of the tribunal or make interlocutory appeals, lack of presumption of innocence, potential for self-incrimination, lack of protections for witnesses and victims, and overall lack of due process rights for defendants as just a few of the numerous infirmities present in the ICT. Further, many have characterized the Tribunal as politically motivated, adding to an atmosphere in Bangladesh that is already fraught with political tension.

With further arrests of Jamaat-e-Islami members likely the trials are set to attract mass media attention; the political consequences of the case throughout the region are likely to be both unpredictable and significant.

For any questions/suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact us on president@oupaksoc.org.

Aitzaz Ahsan in Oxford

 

Former Federal Law Minister and veteran member of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Mr. Aitzaz Ahsan has very kindly agreed to join the Oxford University Pakistan Society on Wednesday 19th October for a talk titled ‘Critical Reflections on the Pakistan Lawyers' Movement and Its Aftermath’.

Date: 19th October 2011

Time: 4:30 pm - 6:30 pm

Venue: Nissan Lecture Theatre, St. Antony's College, Woodstock Road, Oxford..

Entry: Free and Open for all

ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Widely recognised as one of Pakistan’s premier statesmen, Aitzaz Ahsan is a senior advocate at the Supreme Court of Pakistan. He is also a writer, human rightsactivist and member of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). Mr. Ahsan studied Law at Cambridge and was elected to a seat in the Punjab Provincial Assembly in 1975. Subsequently, he was an active member of the Movement for Restoration of Democracy (MRD) against General Zia ul Haq’s dictatorship and was jailed several times as a political prisoner without trial. During the subsequent democratic governments headed by the PPP, Mr. Ahsan held portfolios of Federal Minister for Law and for Interior Affairs.

As principal legal counsel for the deposed Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Chaudhry, Mr. Ahsan was at the forefront of the lawyers’ movement which sparked off in 2007 leading to the ouster of military ruler General Pervez Musharraf and reinstatement of the Chief Justice. He has made legal history of sorts by having defended two Prime Ministers (Benzair Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif) in the court of law and is also the author of the book “The Indus Saga and the Making of Pakistan” which presents the cultural history of Pakistan.

Facebook link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=220295794700233

Eid-ul-Azha Prayers and Lahori Eid Nashta

 

PLEASE NOTE THAT EXACT EID PRAYER TIMINGS AT THE MANZIL WAY MOSQUE SHALL BE POSTED HERE AS SOON AS THEY ARE CONFIRMED.
_____________________________________________________________

The Oxford University Pakistan Society recommends that you join the local community in Oxford for Eid Prayers on Sunday morning (6th November) at the Central Oxford Mosque at Manzil Way, Cowley Road. Women are also welcome to attend Eid Prayers at the mosque and will pray in a separate region in the upstairs hall.

_____________________________________________________________

Oxford University Pakistan Society also presents a fully traditional Nashta (breakfast) on the occassion of Eid at Shezan Restaurant. This is on offer at a special subsidised price with a desi menu exclusively available at Shezan for the morning of Eid only!

Price: £10 for students, £12.95 for non-students

MENU:
Poori Halwa
Chikar Cholay
Nihari
Paratha (tawa/aloo)
Kashmiri Tea/ Normal Tea
Sharbat-e-Sandal/Rooh-e-Af za
Lassi

SHEZAN WEBSITE: http://www.shezanoxford.co .uk/

This event is open to non-members.

Dress code: Traditional (preferably)

Date: 6th November 2011

Time: 11:30 am - 3:30 pm (this is for the Nashta)

Venue: Shezan Restaurant, High Street, Oxford.

Facebook link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=283235201698479

Film Screening: Cambridge-Karachi Portrait - A Dialogue Between Two Cities

 

Producer Caroline Jaine has very kindly agreed to join the Oxford University Pakistan Society on 12th November for a screening and Q&A session of her short film 'Another Face: The Cambridge Karachi Portrait'.

Date: 12th November 2011

Time: 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Venue: Lecture Theatre, Department of Politics and International Relations, Manor Road, Oxford.

Entry: Free and Open for all

 

ABOUT THE FILM & PRODUCER:
Cambridge in England has been the home of British portrait artist Caroline Jaine for many years. A side to Cambridge which is celebrated less, but that has been a main attraction for the well-travelled artist, is its diversity. Cambridge's residents, perhaps more than any other city in England, are truly international.

With a keen research interest in truth and perception – especially in the realities presented to us via the main-stream media – Caroline Jaine selected a city to juxtapose with Cambridge that many said had very little in common. Karachi - despite being a thriving economic hub and the 10th biggest city in the world - is often presented to the world as a placed full of one of terrorists, rife with fundamentalism and lawlessness.

Caroline Jaine's ambition was to show commonalities and connections between these two apparently different cities. Film, story-telling and photography was used and the outputs include a film (Another Face), a book of photographs and the www.cambridgekarachi.com website. However the experience has also generated relationships and ongoing dialogue which promotes business and other exchanges between the two cities.

Caroline Jaine's background is in international relations and strategic communication and she has served as a diplomat for 15 years. Her most recent post was as Head of Communications & Outreach for Pakistan at the Foreign Office in London. Caroline is the author of A Better Basra: Searching for Strategy & Sanity in Iraq (Askance Publishing, 2010) based on her time as Head of Press & Public Affairs at the British Embassy office in Basra in 2006, and Antagonizing and Influencing: Strategies for Negotiation across the Af/Pak Border (South Asia Strategy & Defence Review, 2008).

For any queries/suggestions, please contact <president@oupaksoc.org>.

Facebook link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=194942240582071

Dr. Zulfiqar Mirza in Oxford

 

Former Sindh Home Minister Dr. Zulfiqar Mirza has very kindly agreed to join the Oxford University Pakistan Society (OUPaksoc) on Thursday 17th November for a talk and Q&A session regarding the recent troubles in Karachi and the Local Government Issue in Sind

Date: 17 November 2011 (Thursday)
Time: 5 pm - 7 pm
Venue: Lecture Theatre, Department of Politics and International Relations, Manor Road, OX1 3UQ Oxford
Entry: Open and free for all (including those not from Oxford)

 

ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Dr. Zulfiqar Mirza is a Pakistani politician affiliated with the ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and hails from the Badin district of Sindh. He completed his graduation from LMC Jamshoro and is married to Dr. Fehmida Mirza who is the first female parliamentary speaker of the Muslim world. Dr. Mirza is the former Home Minister of Sindh and has recently resigned as a member of the Provincial Assembly. He has also recently given up his Vice Presidency of PPP (Sindh) and his membership of the PPP Central Executive Committee after publicly airing his vehement disagreements with the other major party in the province, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).

Facebook link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=257665294280977

Eid Milan Extravaganza (for Sindh Flood Relief)

 

ALL PROCEEDS GOING TOWARDS FLOOD REHABILITATION IN SANGHAR, SINDH

Oxford University Pakistan Society and Oxford Indian Society invite you all to an evening of Eid celebration with mouth watering buffet consisting of non-vegetarian and vegetarian dishes from the subcontinent, henna artists, music and other performances.

Date: 20th November 2011

Time: 6:30 pm - 10:30 pm

Venue: Oxford University Catholic Chaplaincy, St. Aldates, OX1 1RD

Dress code: Traditional (preferably)

This is the biggest social event of the year hosted by the Indian and Pakistani societies and has been extremely popular for the past 4-5 years! Families are welcome to attend as well as non-university members!

All profits from this event will go towards rehabilitation of recent flood victims in the Sanghar district of Sindh, Pakistan.

Performances:
Ghazal/Tabla Performance by Nafees Irfan
Gurpreet Chana on the 'Hang' (see below for description)
Kathak
Presentation on Icon Valley (Aneeqa Malik)
Play on Faiz's poem ‘Meri Doli Sho Darya’
Presentation on floods in Sindh
Henna Artists
AND MUCH MUCH MORE....

Menu (Buffet):
Chicken Curry
Tarka Daal
Channa Pulao (Veg)
Naan
Gajar ka Halwa
Refreshments
Tea


Entry fee: £10 for student, £12 for employed, £6 for children and seniors (pay on door)

There shall also be loads of performances from Paksoc and OIS individuals and teams including songs and other traditional items apart from professional performances. Dinner shall be served after the performances.

We request anyone and everyone to come forward and perform at this event, if you have any musical talents or interested in any other performances', put your hesitation aside and come entertain all of us. Please send an email to committee@oupaksoc.org or ois@herald.ox.ac.uk.

SPONSORS FOR THE EVENT: ICON VALLEY

Facebook link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=215679695172140

OUPakSoc Committee 2012 Elections

 

Please sign up to our mailing list on our Members Page for more information on elections, how to vote and how to contest for a committee position. For more information, please visit our ELECTIONS page.

Ahsan Iqbal in Oxford

 

Prominent parliamentarian and Deputy Secretary General of the PML-N, Ahsan Iqbal, has very kindly agreed to join the Oxford University Pakistan Society (OUPakSoc) for a talk & Q&A session on the afternoon of 3rd December 2011. The topic for the discussion will encompass the recent political upheavals in Pakistan and especially the Punjab.

Date: 3rd December 2011 (Saturday)
Time: 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm 
Venue: Vernon Harcourt Room, St. Hilda's College, Cowley Place OX4 1DY, Oxford
Entry: Open and free for public
Facebook link:  https://www . facebook . com/event . php?eid=145655938873640

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Ahsan Iqbal is an MNA from Narowal District and Deputy Secretary General of Pakistan Muslim League (N). He has formerly served as the Federal Minister of Education and as Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission. He initiated and authored Vision 2010 to transform Pakistan into a Knowledge Economy and was instrumental in the formulation of Pakistan's first national IT Policy. Mr. Ahsan holds an MBA degree from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania (USA) and has also attended Foreign Service programs at Georgetown University, Washington DC and at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard.

For any queries/suggestions, please contact <president@oupaksoc.org>.

Arif Hasan in Oxford

 

Mr. Arif Hasan has very kindly agreed to join the Oxford University Pakistan Society for a talk and Q & A session on 5th December on the topic of 'Feudalism and the Process of Change in Pakistan'. The venue for the evening will be confirmed soon.

Date: 5th December 2011
Time: 17:30 - 19:30
Venue: Vernon Harcourt Room, St. Hilda's College, Cowley Place OX4 1DY, Oxford
Entry: Open and free for public
Facebook link:  http ://www . facebook . com/event . php?eid=230513117014185

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Arif Hasan, is a prominent Pakistani architect, urban planner, social researcher, and writer. He is a recipient of the country's higher civilian award, the Hilal-e-Imtiaz and has been a Member of the very prestigious Jury of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture. He received the Karachi Development Authority’s Best Building Award in 1988 and the Third ‘International Year for the Shelter-less’ Memorial Prize of the Japan Housing Association in 1990.

Mr. Hasan is on the Governing Board the International Institute for Environment and Development in the UK. He is a founding member of the Asian Coalition of Housing Rights in Bangkok and also the Chairman of the Urban Resource Centre in Karachi. Mr. Hasan has also worked in Post-Soviet Central Asia helping urban managers deal with the consequences of the collapse of the former Soviet Union. He has also published twelve books and countless reports and papers on issues, which deal with architecture, housing, planning, communities, the environment, development and social change.

For any queries/suggestions, please contact <president@oupaksoc.org>.

Eid-ul-Fitr Celebrations in Oxford

 

The Oxford University Pakistan Society recommends that you join the local community in Oxford for Eid Prayers at the Central Oxford Mosque at Manzil Way, Cowley Road.

Eid Date and Prayer Timings will be announced on our mailing list as soon as they are available.

Also, join the Oxford University Pakistan Society, the Oxford University SAARC Society and the Oxford Indian Society for a delicious (and subsidised!) buffet and cultural performances in the fabulous setting of the First Floor Restaurant. It promises to be an awesome get-together and an evening well-spent!

Date: 05 Sept 2011 (Monday)
Time: 18:00 - 22:00
Venue: First Floor Restaurant, Cowley Road (opposite TESCO), Oxford. 
Entry fee: £10 for all

Dress Code: Traditional
Performances: To Be Confirmed

For any queries/suggestions, please contact president@oupaksoc.org ordsfaruquie@gmail.com.

Facebook link: http ://www . facebook . com/event . php?eid=266579000038406

Marvi Memon in Oxford

 

Prominent politician and entrepreneur Ms. Marvi Memon has very kindly agreed to join the Oxford University Pakistan Society (OUPakSoc) for an interactive discussion and Q&A session on Tuesday 6th of September, 2011. The venue for the evening will be confirmed soon.

Date: 06 Sept 2011 (Tuesday)
Time: 18:30 - 20:30
Venue: To Be Announced
Entry: Open and free for all (including non members of University)

ABOUT OUR GUEST:
An outspoken politician, Marvi Memon entered politics with Pakistan Muslim League Quaid-e-Azam and was elected Member of National Assembly on a reserved women seat in March 2008. She has been part of standing parliamentary committees on foreign affairs, finance and women. When PMLQ joined the ruling coalition in May 2011, Ms. Memon resented strongly and hence developed differences with her party’s leadership. She resigned from her National Assembly seat and party membership in June 2011 and since then has reportedly been contacted by leaders of PML-N and PTI to join their respective political parties. However, for the time being she has resisted such calls.

Ms. Memon holds a degree in International Relations from the LSE and became the youngest CEO of a multi-national firm in Pakistan where she launched Pakistan’s first satellite tracking fleet management system. She is also a regular contributor to various publications, both in Pakistan and abroad.

Facebook link: http ://www . facebook . com/event . php?eid=223366937714663

OUPAKSOC Freshers Welcome 2011

 

Oxford University Pakistan Society will be holding two welcome events for Freshers:

OUPAKSOC FRESHERS FAIR STALL at Examination Schools.

OUPAKSOC FRESHERS MEET AND GREET with free food for everyone!

Laal and Gurpreet Chana Concert

 

Laal Band and Gurpreet Chana have very kindly agreed to join the Oxford University Pakistan Society for a live performance on Thursday 28th July, 2011.

Date: 28th July 2011 (Thursday)
Time: 18:30 - 21:00
Venue: Pusey Room, Keble College, Parks Road, Oxford
Entry: £2 for OUPakSoc members, £3 for non-members (at the door)

Laal is a musical band from Pakistan with socialist leanings and has been instrumental in introducing Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Habib Jalib to a new generation through their music. The band received mainstream attention during the Lawyers' Movement during which it led support to the reinstatement of the then deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. In just one year the band gained recognition all over Pakistan having performed in almost all the major cities as well as many smaller towns. The band has also released an album titled 'Umeed-e-Sehar' highlighting the inequalities within society and is at the forefront of the struggle for a progressive, democratic Pakistan.

Gurpreet Chana began to learn Indian Classical Tabla in the Punjab Gharana (style) from his Ustad Ji Professor Parshotam Singh. He started by playing at the Gurdawara with kirtan and continues to do so, but as of late he has added a unique flavour to his music and mesmerizes crowds with Tabla Fusion.
Growing up in Canada, Gurpreet had the fortunate opportunity of being subjected to various types of music. The music he creates and performs is an expression of the cultural diversity he experienced growing up in a multicultural society. This musical experience is expressed by taking the exquisite rhythmic patterns of the tabla and merging them with all genres of music. Gurpreet's passion for percussion instruments has lead him to experiment with other world beats playing the djembe, congas, dhol, zarb, doumbek, daf, or anything he can get his hands on

Facebook link:http ://www   .   facebook   .   com/event   .   php?eid=122696951157148

Post Osama Pak-US relations and Counter-Terrorism: An Unhappy Marriage?

 

Mr Umer Cheema (The News International), Mr. Moeed Yousuf (United States Institute of Peace) and Dr. Ishtiaq Ahmed (Jinnah Fellow, St. Antony’s College) have very kindly agreed to join the Oxford University Pakistan Society on the 4th of June for a discussion and Q&A session on the recent killing of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan and its impact on the future of Pak-US relations.

ABOUT OUR GUESTS:

Moeed W. Yusuf is the South Asia adviser at the United States Institute of Peace Center in the Center for Conflict Analysis and Prevention and is responsible for managing the Institute’s Pakistan program. His current research focuses on youth and democratic institutions in Pakistan, and policy options to mitigate militancy in the country. He has worked extensively on issues relating to South Asian politics, Pakistan’s foreign policy, the U.S.-Pakistan relationship, nuclear deterrence and non-proliferation, and human security and development in South Asia. Before joining USIP, Yusuf was a fellow at the Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future at Boston University, and concurrently a research fellow at the Mossavar-Rahmani Center at Harvard Kennedy School. In 2007, he co-founded Strategic and Economic Policy Research, a private sector consultancy firm in Pakistan.

Ishtiaq Ahmad is the Quaid-i-Azam Fellow at St. Antony’s College, Oxford University, and Associate Professor of International Relations at Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad. Dr Ahmad has published widely on South Asian security, conflict in Afghanistan, US policy towards South Asia and contemporary Muslim world issues. His publications include books such as Gulbuddin Hekmatyar: An Afghan Trail from Jihad to Terrorism (2004) and Nuclear Non-Proliferation Issues in South Asia (1996). He has written for The News International, The Nation and The Friday Times and is currently conducting research on conflict resolution in Afghanistan, exploring theoretical and practical aspects concerning the prospects of reconciliation and regionalism.

Umar Cheema is Special Correspondent for the News International and has broken stories about the relationship between the Inter-Services Intelligence agency and jihadi organizations and the illegal occupation of lands by Pakistani armed forces. He was abducted and tortured in mid-2010 after publishing a string of articles critical of the Pakistan Army and has recently been awarded the Tully Center Free Speech Award at Syracuse University, New York. Most recently, he has also been awarded the Martha Gellhorn Prize which celebrates journalism that challenges secrecy and mendacity in public affairs. Mr. Cheema will be talking about his on-ground experience of the Pakistani state’s efforts and policies with relation to counter-terrorism, an issue which remains a major bone of contention in Pak-US relations.

Details about Umar Cheema's abduction can be found on these links:http://www.nytimes.com/201 0/09/29/opinion/29wed4.htm l?scp=1&sq=umar+cheema&st= cse

http://www.nytimes.com/201 0/09/25/world/asia/25cheem a.html?scp=2&sq=umar+cheem a&st=cse

For any queries/suggestions, please email <president@oupaksoc.org>.

An Evening with Musician Arieb Azhar

 

Singer and musician Arieb Azhar has very kindly agreed to join Oxford University Pakistan Society on the evening of Thursday 30th June to share his experiences and music with us. The venue for the evening will be confirmed soon.

“True music is the union between the individual and the universal; a release, rapture, celebration, quest, lament of the human spirit. If I am able to touch that in moments of my life, I consider myself fortunate.” - Arieb Azhar

Date: 30 June 2011
Time: 18:30 - 20:30
Venue: Harold Wilson Room, Jesus College, Oxford
Entry: Free for all

ABOUT ARIEB AZHAR:

Arieb’s musical journey started as a child as both his parents were involved in television and theatre he was exposed at an early age to different musical expressions. He was greatly influenced by the humanist poetry of Faiz and Sheikh Ayaz, and by the revolutionary music and poetry of Latin America and thus, often performed and sang for left wing student functions and political rallies in Karachi and interior Sindh.

From the age of 19, Arieb spent the next 13 years of his life in Croatia and was exposed to Balkan and gypsy music. He was one of the founders of the band “Shamrock Rovers” with whom he recorded two albums of a unique interpretation of Celtic music. Finally in 2004 he returned to Pakistan and always nurturing a love for poets of the Sufi and humanist tradition, Arieb has now found an expression that he can proudly call his own. He recorded an album with IC records in Karachi, by the name of Wajj, which includes the immortal lyrics of Bhulleh Shah, Khwaja Ghulam Farid, and Mian Mohammad Baksh, as well as more contemporary lyrics by Sarmad Sehbai. The last track on the album is a Bosnian folk song also recorded with a rich orchestrated sound that uses both traditional and modern elements.

Arieb’s music came into the limelight of the Pakistani music scene because of his input in seasons two and three of the celebrated Coke Studio project. He has toured around Pakistan and also performed at esteemed festivals such as the World Performing Arts Festival of Lahore, the Lok Sanjh Festival of Amritsar-India and the InMusic Festival of Zagreb-Croatia.

For any queries/suggestions, please email <president@oupaksoc.org>.

Facebook link: http ://www   .   facebook   .   com/event   .   php?eid=220265441325207&ref=mf

Former Interior Minister Sherpao in Oxford

 

DFormer Federal Interior Minister and KPK Chief Minister has kindly agreed to join the Oxford University Pakistan Society for an interactive discussion and Q & A session on the Monday, 11th of July. The venue for the evening will be confirmed soon.#

Date: 11th July 2011
Time: 18:30 - 20:30
Venue: To Be Announced
Entry: Free for all

ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao is a veteran Pakistani politician who is currently a Member of Parliament and Chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (Sherpao Group). Mr. Sherpao served as the Interior Minister of Pakistan from 2004 to 2007 and is known for his tough stance against the Taliban insurgency. Mr. Sherpao was nominated as the Chairman of the Pak-Afghan Joint Peace Jirga that convened in Kabul in 2007 to bring the Pashtuns on both sides of the border closer and to further strengthen the resolve of both country in tackling terrorism. Subsequently, he was targeted in two suicide attacks that killed over 57 people. Mr. Sherpao and his son also sustained minor injuries.

Mr. Sherpao is also known for his sharp administrative skills and also been elected as Chief Minister of the Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa province (then NWFP) during the 1988-1990 and the 1994-1996 PPP governments. His experience and knowledge of the current state of affairs in Pakistan places him in a unique position to comment on and share insights on a range of issues confronting the country. We therefore expect this to be a very informal and interactive session where members of audience will be able to ask questions and discuss a number of issues with him.

Facebook link: http ://www . facebook . com/event . php?eid=187198984668594

Pakistan's Revolution of 1968-69: Causes and Lessons for Today

 

Dr. Lal Khan has kindly agreed to join the Oxford University Pakistan Society for a talk and Q&A session on 16th July, 2011 on the topic of ‘Pakistan’s Revolution of 1968-69: Causes and Lessons for Today.’

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Dr. Lal Khan is a political activist and trade unionist. Together with Alan Woods, he is involved in International Marxist Tendency, an organisation which is active in more than 30 Countries worldwide. Dr. Khan’s political theory and struggle are based on the ideas of Leon Trotsky and he is International Secretary of Pakistan Trade Union Defense Campaign (PTUDC). He is the editor of the quarterly Asian Marxist Review journal and also writes regular columns in the Daily Times. Dr. Khan has written widely on class-struggle and conflicts in South Asia and the Middle East and is the author of several books including those on the possibility of revolutionary struggle in Kashmir leading to a united South Asian socialist federation, Pakistan’s revolution of 1968-69 and on the history of revolutionary struggle in the Arab region.

Date: 16th July 2011
Venue: TBA
Entry: Free for all
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=164545136946446
.

Please direct any queries/suggestions to<president@oupaksoc.org> .

OUPaksoc Cricket Season 2011

 

The Oxford cricketing season has begun:

OUPakSoc vs OUHumSoc - To Be Announced

OUPakSoc vs University Club- 14th May 2011

OUPakSoc vs Oxford Indian Society - 03 Jul 2011

The Oxford Mini World Cup - 22nd Jul 2011

If you are interested in playing for the society, please contact Zain Iqbal at zain.iqbal@lincoln.ox.ac.uk.

George Fulton from "George ka Pakistan"

 

George Fulton has kindly agreed to join us for a talk and Q&A session on the 7th of May, 2011. The exact topic and venue for this talk will be confirmed soon.

Date: 7th May 2011
Time: 18:30 - 20:00
Venue: To Be Announced
Entry: Free for everyone (memberships will be available at the door for discounted entry into future events).

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

George Fulton is a British television journalist and producer who lived in Pakistan for nine years and got Pakistani nationality.Mr. Fulton was working for the BBC when he travelled to Karachi, Pakistan, to launch a BBC produced political talk show on Pakistani politics called Question Time Pakistan. Following which he produced BBC's Hard Talk Pakistan. He was then offered to do a reality show, George Ka Pakistan, by Pakistan's Geo TV based on his experiences in Pakistan. As George trekked and negotiated his way through the various nuances, toils and tribulations of being a Pakistani he turned into a national celebrity with the Pakistani government offering him the country’s citizenship at the end of the series. He accepted the offer and also married a Pakistani television producer, Kiran. George soon left Geo TV for another Pakistani TV channel, Aaj TV, where he launched Pakistan's version of Have I Got News For You, called News, Views & Confused. He produced and scripted the show's first season, before moving on to produce Aaj TV's morning show, Kiran Aur George with his wife. He recently left Pakistan and is now permanently re-settled in the UK

Please direct any queries/suggestions to<president@oupaksoc.org> .

 

Facebook link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=203365903019643

Desi Nashta at Shezan Restaurant

 

Oxford University Pakistan Society presents a fully traditional Nashta (breakfast) at Shezan Restaurant. This is on offer at a special subsidised price with a desi menu exclusively available at Shezan for this event only! .

Date: 8th May 2011
Time: 12:00 - 16:00
Venue: Shezan Restaurant, High Street
Entry: £10 for students, £12 for non students.

Preliminary Menu:

Suji ka Halwa
Poori
Pathooray
Chikar Cholay
Paye/Nihari
Desi traditional omelette
Pav Bhaji
Paratha (tawa/aloo)

Drinks:

Kashmiri Tea/ Normal Tea
Sharbat-e-Sandal/Rooh-e-Af za
Lassi
Skanjbeen

This event is RSVP only due to logistical reasons for the restaurant in arranging the brunch. If you are interested in attending, please drop an email to committee@oupaksoc.org with your name and any guests which you may wish to bring. This event is open to non-members

 

Facebook link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=177737385609890

Faiz Week at Oxford

 

The Oxford University Pakistan Society will be celebrating the second week of May as Faiz week in commemoration of the Faiz centennary celebrations 2011. This is being organised in collaboration with the Oxford Anjuman-e-Adab and will consist of a series of lectures, documentaries, performances and dinners throughout the second week of May to celebrate the life, poetry and political activism of one of Urdu's greatest poets.

Date: 9th May 2011 - 16th May 2011
Venue: Harris Lecture Theatre and Asian Cultural Centre, Oxford
Entry: Free for all (apart from the dinner)

THREE LARGE EVENTS TO BE HOSTED IN THE WEEK.

Please direct any queries/suggestions to<president@oupaksoc.org> .

Book Launch and Panel Discussion with Dr. Maleeha Lodhi

 

Dr. Maleeha Lodhi has kindly agreed to join us for a Book Launch and Panel Discussion on "Pakistan: Beyond the Crisis State" on the 24th of May 2011. We will also be joined by Dr. Faisal Devji, Dr. Adeel Malik and Dr. Ishtiaq Ahmed for the panel discussion. The chair for this event shall be Dr.Sarmila Bose.

Date: 19th May 2011
Time: 15:30 - 17:30
Venue: Harris Lecture Theatre, Oriel College, Oxford
Entry: Free for everyone (memberships will be available at the door for discounted entry into future events).

ABOUT THE EVENT:

This book is a compilation of essays by some outstanding writers. Starting with the compiler, Maleeha Lodhi, it includes contributions by persons with well -respected names such as Ayesha Jalal, Zahid Husain, and Ahmed Rashid, most of whom are, no doubt, familiar to all of us. The authors, all experts in their fields, discuss the political, economic, social, and foreign policies of Pakistan, and the role of the great powers and other external factors in shaping the fortunes of this country. 

Perceptions of those who live outside Pakistan, or those who live within the closed circle of class, usually focus on the natural or man-made disasters of this country, for example the recent floods and earthquake on the one hand and illiteracy and poor health facilities on the other. Their view is inevitably pessimistic. The contributors in this book, on the other hand, have been able to look beyond the failures and misfortunes of the immediate present to the possible outcome of the potential present in this country. The distinctive feature of this book is that the writers included here have supplemented their analyses with clear and convincing recommendations on policy; which is a relief for most of us who have seen the crisis building up, the negativity swell, but missed the latent capabilities and unrealized opportunities that could initiate a change of course in our sliding fortunes. 

 

OUR MAIN SPEAKER:
DR MALEEHA LODHI, the compiler of this book, is well-known as an outstanding journalist and diplomat. She has served as Pakistan's Ambassador to the United States and High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. She has also been Editor of The News International and The Muslim, two leading newspapers of Pakistan. She has served on the UN Secretary General's advisory board on disarmament, taught at the London School of Economics, and been a Fellow of the Institute of Politics at the Harvard University. She is a recipient of the Hilal-e-Imtiaz Presidential award for public service.

OTHER PANELISTS:
Dr. FAISAL DEVJI is University Reader in Modern South Asian History. He has held faculty positions at the New School in New York, Yale University and the University of Chicago, from where he also received his PhD in Intellectual History. Devji was Junior Fellow at the Society of Fellows, Harvard University, and is the author of two books, Landscapes of the Jihad: Militancy, Morality, Modernity (2005), and The Terrorist in Search of Humanity: Militant Islam and Global Politics (2009). He is currently writing a book on the emergence of Muslim politics and the founding of Pakistan. He is interested in the political thought of modern Islam as well as in the transformation of liberal categories and democratic practice in South Asia.

DR. ISHTIAQ AHMAD is Quaid-i-Azam Fellow at St. Antony’s College, University of Oxford. He specialises in Strategic Studies and has written widely on South Asian security and contemporary Muslim world issues, particularly the conflict in Afghanistan and regionalism within the Muslim world. He is the author of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar: An Afghan Trail from Jihad to Terrorism (2004). A member of International Studies Association (ISA) and British Association of South Asian Studies (BASAS), Dr Ahmad has also written for The Muslim, The Nation, The News International, and Turkish Daily News, and been interviewed by Al-Jazeera, CNN, Fox News and Los Angeles Times. Currently Dr Ahmad is conducting research on the conflict resolution in Afghanistan, exploring theoretical and practical aspects concerning the prospects of reconciliation and regionalism. 

DR. ADEEL MALIK is also a Globe Fellow in the Economies of Muslim Societies at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies and a Research Associate of the Centre for the Study of African Economies. His previous research affiliations include: Department of Economics, Oxford University (2004-05); Merton College (Lecturer in Economics, 2002-03 and 2005-06); Center for International Development, Harvard University (Visiting Research Fellow, 2001), and Mahbub ul Haq Human Development Centre, Islamabad (Senior Policy Analyst, 1997-1999).

ABOUT OUR CHAIR:
DR. SARMILA BOSE is an academic and practitioner with principal interests in the politics and public policies of South Asia. Her current work is on the practice of democracy in India, and conflict and governance issues of the frontier “tribal” areas of India and Pakistan. She recently completed a major study of the 1971 war and was the inaugural Director of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the Department of Politics and International Relations from 2006 to 2008. She received her MPA and PhD in Political Economy and Government from Harvard University and has taught and held research positions at Harvard, George Washington University, University of Warwick and the Tata Institute of Social Sciences. 


For any suggestions/queries, please email <president@oupaksoc.org>.

 

Facebook link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=193557897356352

Pakistan's Democratic Failure 1947-58: Causes and Lessons for Today

 

Prof. Ian Talbot has kindly agreed to join us for a talk and Q&A session on the 21st of May, 2011. The topic of the talk is Pakistan's Democratic Failure 1947-58: Causes and Lessons for Today "

Date: 21st May 2011
Time: 18:00 - 20:00
Venue:  Pusey Room, Keble College, Oxford.
Entry: Free for everyone (memberships will be available at the door for discounted entry into future events).

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Mr Talbot has recently completed a co-authored major study of the 1947 Partition of India and its aftermath for the Cambridge University Press series New Approaches to Asian History. The work follows on from my long term interest in the division of India and the emergence of Pakistan. It builds on the monograph Ihe published in 2006 with Oxford University Press entitledDivided Cities: Partition and Its Aftermath in Lahore and Amritsar 1947-57. This study was funded by a 2 Year Leverhulme Major Research fellowship which was held in conjunction with a Visiting Fellowship in History at Balliol College Oxford during 2003-4.

In addition to his work on the 1947 Partition, Mr. Talbot is interested in Pakistan’s post-independence political history. He has published numerous articles on this subject. His main contribution is the major text entitled, Pakistan: A Modern History. This was published in 1999 by Hurst, reissued in an expanded form in 2005 and has now entered its third edition in 2008. He is currently working on a study of the Punjab region of the subcontinent in the decade which followed independence. 

Please direct any queries/suggestions to<president@oupaksoc.org> .

 

Facebook link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=181413158574771&ref=ts

OUPaksoc Cricket Season 2011

 

The Oxford cricketing season has begun:

OUPakSoc vs OUHumSoc - To Be Announced

OUPakSoc vs University Club- To Be Announced

OUPakSoc vs Oxford Indian Society - To Be Announced

The Oxford Mini World Cup - To Be Announced

If you are interested in playing for the society, please contact Zain Iqbal at zain.iqbal@lincoln.ox.ac.uk.

Talk by Former Karachi Mayor Mustafa Kamal

 

Former Karachi Mayor Syed Mustafa Kamal has kindly agreed to join the Oxford University Pakistan Society for a talk and Q&A session on Sunday 16th January, 2011. His talk will be titled ‘Managing Karachi, a mini-Pakistan: Perspectives of Former Karachi Mayor Mustafa Kamal’ and will touch upon not only his own experiences as Karachi Nazim but also MQM's role in Karachi, recent political developments in the city and how it impacts on Pakistan.

Date: 16th January 2011
Time: 18:00 - 20:00
Venue: Harris Lecture Theatre, Oriel College
Entry: Free for everyone (memberships will be available at the door for discounted entry into future events).

 

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Syed Mustafa Kamal was born and raised in Karachi and completed his undergraduate studies from Malaysia. He completed his MBA from the University of Wales and was elected Mayor of Pakistan’s biggest city, Karachi, in the local elections of October 2005 when the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), of which Mr. Kamal is a prominent leader, swept to victory in urban Sindh. Prior to becoming the Mayor of Karachi, he also served as the minister for Information Technology with the Sindh government.

For his work for the uplifting and improvement of Karachi’s infrastructure, the World Economic Forum included Mustafa Kamal as one of its Young Global Leaders for 2010 and he was also selected as one of the 25 finalists for the 2010 World Mayor Prize.

Facebook page: http ://www . facebook . com/event . php?eid=188664834479971

A conversation with Lord Nazir Ahmed

 

Lord Nazir will be joining the Oxford University Pakistan Society for an informal discussion involving "Relationship between Pakistan and the West in the context of issues like Kashmir, Foreign Policy Global War against terrorism etc"

Date: 20th January 2011
Time: 19:30 - 21:00
Venue: Lecture Room B, Queens College, University of Oxford
Entry: Free for everyone (memberships will be available at the door for discounted entry into future events).

 

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Lord Ahmed of Rotherham was born in Mirpur (Azad Kashmir) but was brought up in the UK. He studied Public Administration at Sheffield University and joined the Labour Party when he was 18 years old. He distinguished himself as a particularly proactive local councillor, with most of his activity centred around the North of England. He recognised the significance of grass roots politics and founded the British Muslim Councillors’ Forum in 1992. Lord Ahmed was also made a Justice of the Peace in the same year and has chaired the South Yorkshire Labour Party for some years.

In 1998 was appointed to the House of Lords. This was a particularly historical occasion as he was the first Muslim to become a life peer and accordingly, took his oath on the Holy Qu’ran. He was also one of the youngest peers to achieve this position at the age of 40. As a Muslim peer, much of his activities are in direct relation to his work for the Muslim community, both at home and internationally. Lord Ahmed led one of the first delegations on behalf of the British Government on the Muslim pilgrimage of the Hajj, to Saudi Arabia and has used his privileged position to advocate legislation against religious discrimination, international terrorism and forced marriages.

At home, Lord Ahmed aims to see that there is equality for all, and has spoken several times on issues of race, religion and sex. He is seen as one of the leaders of the Muslim community and has used the responsibility bestowed upon him, to calm tensions following the aftermath of September 11th.

Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=169520129759895&index=1

Dr. Aasim Sajjad Akhtar speaks about people's movements in Pakistan

 

Dr. Aasim Sajjad has kindly agreed to join us for a talk and Q&A session on the 29th of January, 2011. The exact topic and venue for this talk will be confirmed soon.

Date: 29th January 2011
Time: 18:30 - 20:00
Venue: Pusey Room, Keble College, Parks Road, Oxford
Entry: Free for everyone (memberships will be available at the door for discounted entry into future events).

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Dr. Aasim Sajjad Akhtar is a political activist and a member of the central committee of the Worker's Party Pakistan. He completed his PhD in political economy from SOAS, University of London and is currently Assistant Professor at Quaid-e-Azam University Islamabad where he teaches political economy and sociology while carrying out research on identity formation, social movements and the informal economy. He has also taught colonial history and political economy at the Lahore University of Management Sciences and is the co-author of 'Initiating Devolution for Service Delivery in Pakistan: Forgetting the Power Structure', published by OUP Pakistan in 2007.

Please direct any queries/suggestions to<president@oupaksoc.org> .

 

Facebook link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=159850084062597&index=1

Spit and Help Save a Life

 

The largest collaborative effort by South Asian Oxford student societies in recent history: In collaboration with Oxford Marrow, Oxford University Pakistan Society, Oxford Indian Society, Oxford Afghan Soc, Oxford SAARC Soc and Oxford Sri Lanka Soc.

Date: 04 February 2011
Time: 14:00 - 18:00
Venue: Lady Brodie Room, St. Hildas College, Oxford

Twelve year old Zoha Butt has a condition called osteopetrosis, known as marble bone disease. She desperately needs to find a matching bone marrow donor.

This appeal goes out especially to the South Asian community [although anyone is welcome to come forth and register] as they are underrepresented on the British bone marrow donor registry and there is no such national registry in Pakistan [or the rest of South Asia]. The registration process entails:

1. Completing an application form
2. Talking to Oxford Marrow counsellors
3. And giving a saliva sample

All three steps take under 30 minutes to complete.

Your saliva sample will be checked for your tissue type, and you will be sent a registration card to confirm that your name is on the register. If you are a match you could save someone's life.

It is hoped that you will join hands with OU Pak Soc, Oxford Indian Society, Oxford Afghan Soc, Oxford SAARC Soc, Oxford Sri Lanka Soc and Oxford Marrow to help grow the Anthony Nolan register. Zoha and her family will be visiting Oxford and be present during the drive to personally thank all potential donors.

For any suggestion/queries, please email Charlie Bresslaw <oxfordmarrow@gmail.com> or Vinod Motiani <treasurer@oupaksoc.org>.

 

Facebook link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=133294313401106

Pakistan Young Leaders Conference 2011

 

Pakistan Young Leaders Conference 2011 shall be hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society again in February 2011. The dates for the conference are now confirmed to be 11th - 13th February 2011 and the conference will span over 3 days. The whole conference will be covered in several programmes covered by Express News (English and Urdu) as well as the ending session will be part of the Express News primetime programme "Frontline with Kamran Shahid." More details will be announced soon as soon as confirmations are made.

Date: 11th - 13th February 2011
Venue: University of Oxford
Entry: Entry Ticketing via NUPSA and OUPakSoc

 

UPDATE: REGISTRATIONS FOR PYLC 2011 NOW OPEN FOR OXFORD RESIDENTS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER NOW

The Pakistan Young Leaders Conference (PYLC) is a leadership development program that aims to bring together outstanding young people from around the country and help them build critical leadership skills that will help them groom into successful leaders of the future. This program will give the participants a greater understanding of their roles as national ambassadors and will educate them about the problems faced by Pakistan. The conference will serve as a platform for the youth to think about these problems and propose possible solutions. 

For more details about PYLC, please visit http ://www . pylc . co . uk/

 

Facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=192802614067245&index=1

OUPakSoc Debate: This House Would Repeal The Blasphemy Laws in Pakistan

 

Proposition: THIS HOUSE WOULD REPEAL THE BLASPHEMY LAWS IN PAKISTAN

Format: 3 speakers per side (8 mins each), followed by a discussion/Q&A session (around 60-75 mins) and reply speeches (3 min).

Chair: Dr. Tahir Haider Wasti

ABOUT OUR CHAIR:

Dr. Tahir Haider Wasti obtained his PhD in 2005 in Law at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. He has taught and practiced law for a decade in Pakistan. His cases have been reported in various law journals. He has been admitted to the roll of Solicitors of the Supreme Court of Judicature of England and Wales and has advised several cases involving Islamic Law issues

Date: 19th February 2011
Time: 18:00 - 21:00
Venue: Harris Lecture Theatre, Oriel College
Entry: Free for everyone (memberships will be available at the door for discounted entry into future events).

The recent cold-blooded murder of Punjab Governor Mr. Salman Taseer and the case of Asia Bibi has once again brought Pakistan’s controversial blasphemy laws under international spotlight. Introduced by the British and expanded upon by military dictator General Zia-ul-Haq, critics claim that these laws are used to target mainly the weak and the poor and inhibit freedom of speech and expression. Critics also blame the blasphemy laws as stoking the fires of fanaticism and aggravating the already deep rooted malaise of extremism within Pakistani society. Proponents see the matter as one of upholding the sanctity of Islam, the Holy Quran and the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) while another group is of the opinion that the laws are inimical to the spirit of Islam itself.

Should the blasphemy law be repealed?

Should it be amended?

Or is it simply a matter of proper implementation and investigation?

At this crucial juncture, the OUPaksoc takes up this most important issue and leaves it upon the students to decide.

 

Facebook link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=162942157085005&index=1

An Evening with Famous Poet Professor Anwar Masood

Date: 20th February 2011
Time: 18:00 - 21:00
Venue: Vernon Harcourt Room, St. Hildas College, University of Oxford, Cowley Place, Oxford.
Entry: £1 for members, £2 for non-members.

Famous poet Professor Anwar Masood has very kindly agreed to join us for a session on Sunday the 20th of February, 2011. He will be speaking about his life experiences and also reciting some of his Urdu and Punjabi poetry.

ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Prof. Anwar Masood did his Masters in Persian from Oriental College and is visiting professor at Government College University Lahore and Punjab University. Extremely popular in Pakistan, Anwar Sahab is renowned for his comic poetry in both Urdu and Punjabi and an evening with him is not something that you would want to miss!

For any queries/suggestions, please contact <president@oupaksoc.org>.

Facebook link: http ://www . facebook . com/event . php?eid=108425822567483

CM Shahbaz Sharif in Oxford

 

Date and Time: POSTPONED
Venue: POSTPONED
Entry: POSTPONED

About the speaker:

Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif is the president of one of the largest political parties in Pakistan, Pakistan Muslim League (N). He is currently holding his second term as the Chief Minister of Pakistan's most populous province of Punjab having previously served as Chief Minister between 1997 and 1999. Besides, he has also been the leader of opposition in the Punjab Assembly and a member of National Assembly of Pakistan. During his two terms as CM Punjab, he has been credited with good governance in the province, contributing significantly to the uplift of health, education, social welfare, agriculture and industrial sectors.

Event Entry:

The talk will be open only to OUPaksoc and Oxford Union members only. Security will be tight and entry will be strictly monitored.

For Oxford Union members:

All Union members will be required to present their Union cards at the door to gain entry.

For Oxford PakSoc members:

All OUPakSoc members who wish to attend are requested to RSVP at <treasurer@oupaksoc.org> to ensure that their names are added to the guest-list. All members on the guest-list will be guaranteed seats on the ground floor.

Important points:

- OUPakSoc memberships will NOT be available for purchase at the door. Please purchase and confirm your membership and guest-list status before the event.

- If you are unsure of your OUPakSoc membership status, please contact <president@oupaksoc.org>.

- Membership can be obtained (by anyone including non-university people) for £5 (annual membership) or £15 (lifetime membership) through the OUPaksoc website (www.oupaksoc. org/members.html) or through Paksoc treasurer Vinod Motiani <treasurer@oupaksoc.org>.

For any questions/queries, please contact <president@oupaksoc.org>.

Facebook link: http ://www . facebook . com/event . php?eid=184219838256034

LUMS Dramaline Play "Flood Relief for Pakistan"

 

Date and Time: 03 Mar 2011 (7:00 pm)
Venue: Magdalen Auditorium, Oxford (To Be Confirmed)
Entry Fee: TBA

LUMS Dramaline will be hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society in early March during their tour of the UK and will perform a play for flood relief awareness in Oxford on 03rd March 2011. More details to be announced soon.

Dramaline, the dramatics society at LUMS, holds the prestigious position of being the oldest society in LUMS.We are an entertainment based society with a mission to bring out the creative talent amongst students, be it in acting, direction, production, or script writing, along with providing quality entertainment to the student body in general. 

Dramaline, due to the scale and frequency of its events , is categorized amongst the biggest and most active society at LUMS . Dramaline has shown immense growth in the last couple of years , now hosting three major annual events that attract audiences . Dramaline has strived to promote theatre not only at LUMS but also nationwide , by holding the DramaFest'08 and DramaFest'09 . Dramaline and its proficient members are dedicated to making the society bigger and better and are striving for excellence in every aspect . 

OUPakSoc Annual Mushaira 2011

 

Date and Time: 05 Mar 2011 (6:00 pm)
Venue: Harris Lecture Theatre, Oriel College, Oxford.
Entry Fee: £3 for OUPakSoc members, £5 for non members

 

Presided by eminent poet Saaqi Farooqi

A Cultural Evening of Ghazal and Poetry organised by Oxford University Pakistan Society. The PakSoc Annual Mushaira has been held with great success for the past few years and this year we are looking forward to making it even more special! It promises to be an entertaining evening and one of the best PakSoc events of the year. This is without doubt, one of the largest and most prominent gathering of renowned Urdu and Punjabi poets in the United Kingdom.

The event will take place at Harris Lecture Room on Saturday, 06th March 2011 and we will be joined by renowned Urdu/Punjabi poets from all over the UK including Akbar Hyderabadi, Saaqi Farooqi, Ayub Sanghia, Yashab Tamana, Noor Jahan Noori, Faizan Arif and many more!. Student performances shall also be included in the Mushaira.  

Facebook link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=147155872004421

Najam Sethi - 'Pakistan's New Media: Free and Unfair, Problem or Solution?'

 

Najam Sethi has kindly agreed to join us for a talk and Q&A session on Pakistan's Media on the 11th of March, 2011. The session will be chaired and facilitated by Ms. Nasreen Rehman who is an award winning screenplay writer in Urdu and is currently doing postgraduate research at the University of Cambridge on the history of cinema in Lahore c.1920-1947. She is also chair of the group British Muslims for Secular Democracy (BMSD).

Date: 11th March 2011
Time: 18:30 - 20:00
Venue: Harris Lecture Theatre, Oriel College, Oriel Square, Oxford
Entry: Free for everyone (memberships will be available at the door for discounted entry into future events).

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Najam Sethi is an award-winning journalist and media personality, and editor-in-chief of The Friday Times, a Lahore based weekly. He is currently the Editor in Chief of Geo News where he hosts a popular political program: “Aapas Ki Baat” and is the only journalist in Asia to receive three international press freedom awards within a decade.

Mr. Sethi was a political prisoner from 1975-1977 during the regime of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto for protesting military action in Balochistan. In 1984, the regime of General Zia ul Haq put him in prison for one month for publishing “From Jinnah To Zia”, a book authored by the former chief justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, Justice Mohammad Munir. The book was a sort of mea culpa in which the author had admitted his grave error in legitimising the first martial law in Pakistan in 1958, thereby paving the way for General Zia’s martial law in 1977.

In 1989, along with his wife, Jugnu Mohsin, he launched The Friday Times (TFT), an independent national weekly, which espouses secular internationalism, human rights, regional peace and democracy. Newsweek Magazine described him in the 1990s as a “crusading editor” for exposing corruption.

Please direct any queries/suggestions to<president@oupaksoc.org> .

 

Facebook link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=194916553865894

After the Floods: The Future of Pakistan's Economy and Democracy "

 

Date and Time: 30th Oct 2010 (5:30 pm - 8:00 pm)
Venue: Harris Lecture Theatre, Oriel College, Oxford
Entry: Free for all

This summer has seen Pakistan deluged by the worst floods in its history. Over 20 million people have been affected with one-fifth of Pakistan under water at the height of the flooding and all four provinces (plus Gilgit-Baltistan) being affected in one way or the other. Amid scenes of mass migration and suffering reminiscent of the partition of India almost 63 years ago, the situation was termed by the UN Secretary General as a bigger humanitarian crisis than the Haiti Earthquake, 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and the 2005 Kashmir earthquake combined.As the water recedes, winter sets in and the slow process of rehabilitation and reconstruction begins, questions are being asked about the long term humanitarian crisis caused by the flood, the future of Pakistan’s fledgling democracy and of its precariously balanced economy and the lessons learnt in terms of disaster management and utilisation of water resouces .

To answer these questions and shed light on the disaster and water management aspect and the political and economic impact of the floods on Pakistan, Dr. Iftikhar Malik (Bath Spa University), Dr. Adnan Qadir (LSE) and Dr. Daanish Mustafa (KCL) have kindly agreed to join us for a mini-conference on Saturday 30th of October 2010. Dr. Adeel Malik (Oxford) will be our chair for the evening.

ABOUT OUR SPEAKERS:

Professor Iftikhar H. Malik, a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, teaches International History at Bath Spa University, Bath. Earlier, from 1989 to 1994, he was the Quaid-i-Azam Fellow at St. Antony's College, Oxford. Dr. Malik has published 14 books, several monographs, 75 scholarly papers and more than 200 review articles. His areas of research are mainly U.S. history, Asian history and politics with special reference to Modern South and Southwest Asia, Muslim communities in the West, and the U.S.-Muslim world relationship. Dr. Malik will be giving a talk on Pakistan's political future titled 'Pakistan: The Dynamics for Survival'

Dr. Adnan Qadir Khan completed his PhD in economics from Queen’s University and has an MPA from Harvard Kennedy School. He joined the District Management Group in Pakistan after securing first position in the civil service exam, and has served at various places in Sindh and Punjab. He has worked with various international and national agencies including Finance and Education Departments and the Pakistan Administrative Staff College. His areas of research interest include political economy, decentralization and labor markets. Dr. Qadir will be talking about the political economy of flood reprucssions.

Dr. Daanish Mustafa obtained his BA in Georgraphy from Middlebury College, USA, his MA in Geography from University of Hawaii-Manoa in 1995 and his Ph.D. from the University of Colorado, Boulder, USA in 2000. He currently teaches at King’s College London (Geography Department) and his research interests lie at the intersection of development, water resources and hazards geography. Dr. Mustafa has received awards from the National Geographic Society, United States National Science Foundation, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency for his various research projects.

Our chair for the evening, Dr Adeel Malik, obtained his DPhil in economics from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar in 2004 and is the Islamic Centre Lecturer in Development Economics at the University of Oxford. Dr Malik is a Globe Fellow in the Economies of Muslim Societies at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies and a Research Associate of the Centre for the Study of African Economies. During his doctoral research, Dr Malik investigated the causes and consequences of economic fluctuations in developing countries.

Facebook link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=161205673905200&index=1

Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister and Chief Secretary

 

Date and Time: CANCELLED
Venue: CANCELLED
Entry: CANCELLED

‘SETTING CONTEXT FOR CHANGE' - POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT IN THE GILGIT-BALTISTAN REGION- An Evening with Syed Mehdi Shah, the first ever Chief Minister of Gilgit Baltistan and Mr. Babar Yaqub Fateh Muhammad, Chief Secretary, Government of Gilgit Baltistan.

The Region of Gilgit Baltistan (GB), Pakistan is a 72,000 Sq. KM mountainous area nestled at the confluence of world’s three largest mountain ranges of Karakorum, Himalaya and Hindukush. Geo strategically placed as the gateway to Central Asia, the region has been a hotbed of the ‘New Great Game’, but rife in sectarianism, political discontent and clash of international interests. Located next to the new Kashgar Special Economic Zone, GBs Karakorum Highway (KKH) is the gateway to new markets in the South East Asia. Site of the Diamer Bhasha Dam, the biggest Hydro Power project to be undertaken in decades, the region promises a known hydro power capacity of eco friendly 40,000 MW. The capacity in terms of Minerals, Fruits and Tourism is yet to be ascertained but even modest resource capping can propel the region as the most prosperous in the country. Such a resource rich region is yet polemical due to one of the lowest socio economic indicators and political orphanage in Pakistan. The New Empowerment and Self Governance Order is an attempt by the current Government of Pakistan to address decades of neglect; empower the population and iron out a trade route between Central and South East Asia. The Chief Minister, as Chief Executive of the Government and the Chief Secretary , as team leader of the civil service will apprise the audience on the circumstances which brought GB at the cross roads of Central Asia and how the new political and economic empowerment is bringing change. While describing what this change means for the locals, for Pakistan and most important for the Central Asia they will also try to enumerate the national and international actors interested in the Gilgit Baltistan’s arena. A candid discussion should bring out Governance issues, current flood Situation and political change across Pakistan, as both the speakers have vast knowledge of these issues at national level.

ABOUT OUR GUESTS:

Chief Minister Syed Mehdi Shah, hails from the Skardu, Baltistan region of the Gilgit Baltistan. A life long activist of the Pakistan Peoples Party, he started his political career as a student leader from the People Student Federation and remained loyal to the party, despite coercion from successive regimes, for the next 36 years till today. In Dec 2009, he was elected unopposed as the first Chief Minister of Gilgit Baltistan. He is a member of the Central Executive Committee of the Pakistan People’s Party.

Chief Secretary Government of Gilgit-Baltistan Babar Yaqub Fateh Muhammad, is the architect of the reforms and creator of the draft that brought political transition of the region from the Northern Areas to the self governed Government of Gilgit Baltistan. A career civil servant he is an alumni of Harvard Kennedy School, International Development Department - University of Birmingham, Pakistan Administrative Staff College, National Institute of Public Administration, Civil Services Academy and the Punjab University. He has served on different field and staff assignments in Balochistan, Punjab and in the Northern Areas. He has been a key aide to Nawab Akbar Bugti, while the later was the Chief Minister Balochistan and headed Public Policy Reforms Unit while in the Punjab. With a strong grip on governance issues in the country, he is also a visiting faculty member of the National School of Public Policy lecturing Senior, Mid and Junior Career officers.

Facebook link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=156761061011129

"Eid Milan Extravaganza" with Oxford Indian Society and Oxford Afghanistan Society

 

Date and Time: 12th Nov 2010 (6:30 pm - 11:00 pm)
Venue: Oxford University Catholic Chaplaincy, St. Aldates, Oxford
Entry Fee: £6.50 for adults, £3 for children
Dress code: Preferably traditional

Oxford University Pakistani Society, Oxford Indian Society and Oxford Afghanistan Society invite you all to an evening of Eid celebration with mouth watering buffet (three courses) consisting of non-vegetarian and vegetarian dishes from the subcontinent, henna artists, music and other performances. This is the biggest social event of the year hosted by the Indian and Pakistani societies and has been extremely popular for the past 4-5 years! Families are welcome to attend. Children under 15 must be accompanied by adults.

We are also delighted to announce that this year, for the first time, we will be joined in the organisation of this event by the newly-formed Oxford Afghanistan Society! Expect something special! There shall be loads of performances from Afghan Soc, Paksoc and OIS individuals and teams including songs and other traditional items. Dinner shall be served after the performances.

We request anyone and everyone to come forward and perform at this event, if you have any musical talents or interested in any other performances', put your hesitation aside and come entertain all of us. Please send an email to committee@oupaksoc.org, ois@herald.ox.ac.uk or waheeduallah.safi@some.ox.ac.uk if you are interested in performing.

Facebook link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=134937203221012

Eid-ul-Azha Prayers

 

Date and Time: 17 Nov 2010 at 7:45 am
Venue: Central Oxford Mosque, Manzil Way, Cowley Road, Oxford

EID UL AZHA Prayers are NOW CONFIRMED TO BE ON 17TH NOVEMBER 2010 AT THE CENTRAL OXFORD MOSQUE (MANZIL WAY).

TWO JAMAATS: FIRST JAMAAT AT 8:00 AM SHARP AND THE SECOND JAMAAT AT 9:30 AM SHARP.

The Oxford University Pakistan Society recommends that you join the local community in Oxford for Eid Prayers on Eid morning at the Central Oxford Mosque at Manzil Way, Cowley Road. Women are also welcome and encouraged to join us in Eid Prayers (there is a separate place for women to pray in the mosque). On behalf of the Oxford University Pakistan Society, we wish you a very Happy Eid Mubarak!

You can contact the Mosque director at 01865 245547 or info@centraloxfordmosque.org.uk.

Facebook link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=167691593249241

Talk by Kamran Shafi

 

Date and Time: 16 Nov 2010 (6:30 pm)
Venue: Harris Seminar Room, Oriel College, Oxford.
Entry: Free for everyone

Kamran Shafi (DAWN) has kindly agreed to join the Oxford University Pakistan Society for a talk and Q & A session. Mr. Shafi is an influential Pakistani journalist who writes a weekly column in Dawn, a prestigious English language newspaper in Pakistan. He served as late Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's Press Secretary from 1988-89, and as Minister of Information for the Pakistani Embassy in London from 1994-96. He has also served as an officer in the Pakistan Army. Most recently, he hosted a current affairs program on DawnNews TV in 2008-09. Mr. Shafi writes extensively on Pakistan's security apparatus and is a leading advocate of democratic governance and civilian control over all institutions of the state, especially the military and intelligence services".

The topic of the talk will be confirmed in the next few days.

Facebook link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=139353232784064

Eid Fundraising Festival

 

Date and Time: 30 Nov 2010 (6:00 pm - 9:30 pm)
Venue: Oxford University Catholic Chaplaincy, St Aldates, Oxford
Entry: £10 ticket

The Oxford University Pakistan Society and the Oxford University Islamic Society present an unmissable celebration! What better way to experience the richness and diversity of Islamic culture from around the globe whilst raising money for the 20 million victims of the recent floods in Pakistan. The event will feature: • **THEMED STALLS** with items available to purchase • **BUFFET** featuring culinary delights from around the world • **AUCTION** featuring novel items and services • **MYSTERY RAFFLES** throughout the night • **HIGH-QUALITY** photograph station • **HENNA** artists • **CALLIGRAPHERS** • **FIRST HAND ACCOUNTS** of the ravaging floods • **AND SO MUCH MORE**

 Tickets are priced at £10 but we encourage higher donations if possible. ALL PROCEEDS TO GO TO UNICEF PAKISTAN FLOOD APPEALS. A ticket bought before the event includes:

 - An exclusive £5 voucher to spend on stalls and auction

 - Automatic entry into raffle prize draws - Access to our buffet

Facebook link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=106311526106410

Laal the Band in Oxford

 

Date and Time: 01 Dec 2010 (6:30 pm)
Venue: Pussey Room, Keble College, Parks Road, Oxford.
Entry: Free for everyone (including non-university members)

Taimur Rehman (SOAS) and some of his fellow band members from Laal will be joining us in Oxford for a talk and Q & A Session. Several acoustic performances by Laal shall also be part of the program.

Laal is a musical band from Pakistan known for singing socialist political songs, especially those written by leftist Urdu poets such as Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Habib Jalib. The band received mainstream attention during the Lawyers' Movement, in which it led support to the reinstatement of the then deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.In just one year the band has gained recognition allover Pakistan having performed in almost all the major cities as well as many smaller towns.

Our main speaker Taimur Rahman is a Pakistani musician and is the band leader and spokesperson for the Laal Band. He is also a political activist and is a member of the Communist Mazdoor Kissan Party. He graduated from Grinnell College, obtained a Masters from Sussex University and is currently doing his Ph.D in Class Structure of Pakistan from the School of Oriental and African Studies. He has also taught Economics at The Lahore School of Economics and Political science at the Lahore University of Management Sciences.

Facebook link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=170891819588550

Talk by Pervez Hoodbhoy

 

Date and Time: 04 Dec 2010 (6:30 pm)
Venue: Harris Lecture Theatre, Oriel College, Oxford
Entry: Free for all

Dr. Pervez Hoodhboy has kindly agreed to join the Oxford University Pakistan Society for a talk followed by a Q & A session. We are extremely grateful to Dr. Hoodhboy for taking out time from his extremely busy schedule and joining us at Oxford. The topic of his talk will be confirmed closer to the day of the event.

ABOUT OUR GUEST:

 Prof. Pervez Amirali Hoodbhoy is a well-known Pakistani nuclear physicist, essayist and political-defence analyst. He is the professor of nuclear and high-energy physics, and head of the Physics Department at Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan. He received a PhD from MIT and continues to carry out research in particle physics. In 1968, Dr. Hoodbhoy received the Baker Award for Electronics and was awarded the Abdus Salam Prize for Mathematics in 1984. He has authored various scientific research papers in peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Hoodbhoy is also a prominent environmental and social activist and regularly writes on a wide range of social, cultural and environmental issues. He is the chairman of Mashal, a non-profit organization which publishes Urdu books on women's rights, education, environmental issues, philosophy, and modern thought. He is a staunch opponent of militant Islam in Pakistan and an advocate for democracy in the country. Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy is a strong supporter of the peaceful use of nuclear technology, stopping nuclear proliferation, and nuclear disarmament and has criticized the nuclear weapons programs of the US, Israel, Pakistan and India on many national and international forums. He is also the author of several books, including the much acclaimed Islam and Science: Religious Orthodoxy and the Battle for Rationality (1992), on subjects such as Islam, science and the state of education in Pakistan.

Facebook link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=117886591600898

Irfan Husain: "Perceptions of the West in the mind of a common Pakistani"

 

Date and Time: 13th May 2010 (6:30 pm)
Venue: Harris Lecture Theatre, Oriel College, Oxford
Entry: Free for all

Irfan Husain will be giving a talk hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society on the topic 'Perceptions of the West in the mind of a common Pakistani' followed by a Q & A Session.

Mr. Husain is a prominent Pakistani journalist who has been writing in the Pakistani press for over 30 years. When he started writing he was a civil servant so he had to write under different names which ranged from Akbar Hussein, Ferida Sher, Abdul Ghani, Shakir Husain, and Mazdak. After taking early retirement he began writing under his own name. He has been widely published in almost every major newspaper in Pakistan and currently he writes weekly columns for Dawn, the Daily Times, and the Khaleej Times.

After taking an early retirement from Government service, Irfan Husain accepted the position of President at the Textile Institute of Pakistan, which is a premier textile university in Karachi. After a five year stint there he retired and now splits his time between London and Karachi.

If you wish to have tea with Mr Husain, please send an email to president@oupaksoc.org.

Facebook link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=111234538907936&ref=mf

OUPakSoc Debate: This House Believes That Kashmir is an Integral Part of Pakistan

In full collaboration with the Oxford Indian Society

OUPakSoc Student Debate:

Time: 15 May 2010 (5:45 pm - 10:00 pm)

Venue: Al-Jaber Auditorium, Corpus Christi College, Merton Street, Oxford

Format: 3 speakers per side (8 mins each), followed by a discussion session (around 60-75 mins) and reply speeches (3 min)

Proposition: Oxford University Pakistan Society
Opposition: Oxford Indian Society

Chair: Victoria Schofield is an expert on Kashmir, whose publications include Kashmir in the Crossfire (1996) Kashmir in Conflict (2000 and 2002) and Afghan Frontier: Feuding and Fighting in Central Asia. Her first biography, Wavell: Soldier and Statesman, was published in 2006. She is a frequent commentator on BBC World Service and BBC World TV and also reviews for the Journal of the Royal Society for Asian Affairs. She has an MA Hons degree in Modern History from Oxford University and was President of the Union in 1977. She was the Visiting Alistair Horne Fellow at St Antony's College, Oxford 2004-05.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Any Kashmiri students who would like to put forward their own point of view on the topic are requested to email president@oupaksoc.org and we will arrange floor time for them (around 5 mins each) during the discussion session

We are clear that this is an exercise meant to inform students of opposing viewpoints -- to have the maturity to concede valid points and the rigour to challenge views in a respectful manner

Everyone is welcome to attend and observe or take part in the discussion, even if your not from Pakistan or India. Entry for the event is free for all.

Facebook link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=102115323160224&ref=ts

J Salik in Oxford

 

Date and Time: 18th May 2010 (6:30 pm)
Venue: Sasketchwan Room, Exeter College, Oxford (TBC)
Entry: Free for all

Julius Salik, a nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize and Former Federal Minister, will be joining the Oxford University Pakistan Society for a talk and Q & A session. His talk will be on Pakistani politics in general and issues of governance with reference to the present setup in Pakistan.

Julius Salik, a nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize, founded the World Minorities Alliance thirty years ago. The World Minorities Assembly is being established comprising outstanding and bona fide spokesmen of religious minorities living in various countries along the globe. In recognition of his meritorious services and ceaseless struggle for the cause of peace, human rights and devotion to the cause of the down trodden, Mr. J.Salik has lately been recommended by the Government of Pakistan for award of Nobel Peace Prize for the year 1996, the first time in the history of Pakistan to any Cabinet member.

He was a former Federal Minister and has been elected to Parliament five times in a row. He polled the highest number of votes, the record yet to be beaten in Pakistan, individually in each province namely Punjab, Sindh, N.W.F.P, Balochistan and federal capital. His election was without any investment which too is a record in Pakistan history.

Please note that the talk will be in Urdu/Hindi.

Facebook link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=121176697906577&ref=mf

"Rock & Roll Jihad" with Salman Ahmad

 

Date and Time: 21st May 2010 (6:30 pm)
Venue: Sasketchwan Room, Exeter College, Oxford
Entry: Free for All

Salman Ahmad will be joining the Oxford University Pakistan Society to talk about his newly published book "Rock & Roll Jihad: A Muslim Rock Star's Revolution."

Salman Ahmad is a Pakistani musician and former actor, who used to be a member of Vital Signs but left after their debut album due to creative differences. He went on to form Junoon, South Asia's biggest and longest-lasting rock band. While still enjoying the success of Junoon, he was involved in two documentaries with the BBC and is also a UN Goodwill Ambassador for HIV/AIDS.

Ahmad offers a fascinating glimpse into the complicated existence of a Pakistani whose unconventional life bridges the Muslim world and the West. As a teenager living in a New York City suburb, he fell in love with rock, dreamed of playing guitar in a band, and though his parents looked down upon what they thought was a ridiculous fantasy, determined to wage “a rock and roll jihad.” He formed bands in both America and Pakistan, eventually transforming himself into a Pakistani national icon. He played the first-ever rock concert in war-torn Kashmir and, in December 2007, became the first Pakistani musician to perform at a Nobel Peace Prize ceremony

Salman Ahmad may be available for a couple of performances on request after the talk if time allows.

Facebook Event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=115373065170008&ref=ts

OUPakSoc Potluck Recipe Contest

A cooking competition in which every contestant will bring a dish which will be shared amongst everyone at the event. There will be prizes for the best dishes.

 Rules: - Entrants in the competition will have to make their dishes for at least three people. - Dishes will be put in the Starters, Main Dishes and Desserts category. - Winners will be chosen by voting amongst the participants and the attendees of the event (Subject to Change) - There will be a couple of prizes for each category (winner and runner-up). The best prize will be for the "Main Dish" category.

 If you are interested in taking part, please email Mehak Mumtaz at secretary@oupaksoc.org with your dish type and name and your contact details.

This is your chance to experience various sub-continental dishes and also to display your cooking skills and *secret recipes* so make sure you all attend. Participants from all countries are encourages to participate. You are all highly encouraged to do try your hand at cooking at participate in the event instead of just coming to try the dishes!

Facebook Link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=372385823526&ref=ts

Date and Time: 23rd May 2010, 6:30 pm

Venue: To Be Announced

Entry: FREE for participants, £5 for others

Ziauddin Sardar: "Islam, Secularism and Pakistan"

 

Date and Time: 30th May 2010 (6:30 pm)
Venue: Harris Lecture Theatre, Oriel College, Oxford
Entry: Free for all

Ziauddin Sardar has kindly agreed to join the Oxford University Pakistan Society for a talk and Q & A session.

Ziauddin Sardar (born October 31, 1951 in northern Pakistan) is a London-based Muslim scholar, critic, futurist, journalist and a prolific writer.Considered a pioneering thinker on contemporary Islam, Prospect magazine has named him as one of Britain's top 100 public intellectuals while he has been described by the Independent newspaper as ‘Britain’s own Muslim polymath.'

His intellectual output, published in some 45 books, ranges from the future of Islam to critiques of postmodernism, science policy, contemporary aspects of science in Muslim societies, colonialism, cultural relations, literary criticism, travel and autobiography. He was worked as a science correspondent for Nature and New Scientist and in the early 1980’s he became a television reporter for the London Weekend Television. He has made numerous television programmes, including Battle for Islam, a 90-minute documentary for BBC2 and Dispatches for Channel 4 on Pakistan. In 1999, he became the editor of Futures, the monthly journal of policy, planning and future studies. He co-edited edited Third Text, the critical journal of visual art and culture, from to 1999 to 2008. In 2006 he was appointed a Commissioner of the Equality and Human Rights Commission of Britain.

Facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=111312122234335&ref=ts

OUPakSoc Cricket Season 2010

 

Date and Time: 20th June 2010 (1:00 pm)
Venue: Oxford Cricket Grounds (To Be Confirmed)

The Oxford cricketing season has begun:

OUPakSoc vs OUHumSoc - 1st May 2010 (Match Drawn)

OUPakSoc vs Sri Lanka Soc - 22nd May 2010

OUPakSoc vs Oxford Indian Society - 20th June 2010

OUPakSoc, Sri Lanka Soc and OIS 20-20 Tri Series - To Be Announced

If you are interested in playing for the society, please contact Ayyaz Mallick at ayyaz.mallick@oriel.ox.ac.uk

OUPakSoc Debate: "This House Believes That There Should Be No State Religion in Pakistan"

Format: 3 speakers per side (7-8 mins each), followed by a discussion session (around 30-60 mins) and closing statements (2-3 mins). Voting on the motion to be conducted before and after the debate.

Chair: Professor Iftikhar H. Malik, a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, teaches International History at Bath Spa University, Bath. Earlier, from 1989 to 1994, he was the Quaid-i-Azam Fellow at St. Antony's College, Oxford. Dr. Malik has published 14 books, several monographs, 75 scholarly papers and more than 200 review articles. His areas of research are mainly U.S. history, Asian history and politics with special reference to Modern South and Southwest Asia, Muslim communities in the West, and the U.S.-Muslim world relationship.

Seminar on UK Immigration Laws

OUPakSoc is taking part in a panel discussion hosted by the Nawai-Waqt Group at Oxford University. The event is an initiative of the Nawai-Waqt Group and is being supported by NUPSA and the Oxford University Pakistan Society.

The discussion will centre on current affairs issues including UK visas, radicalisation, foreign policy, education, governance and economics. There will be other distinguished guests (Amjad Malik, Lord Nazir, etc) on the panel that will include senior government official (Pakistani origin) and key stakeholders of the present situation in Pakistan and of Pakistanis living abroad.

Pakistan Stall at the Oxford International Festival 2010

OUPakSoc will be showcasing its cultural heritage, selling handicrafts, and offering cultural services - e.g. sale of Pakistan shoes, shawls, handicrafts, henna artists, etc

Pakistani food items will be available for sale at the stall.

OUPakSoc Annual Mushaira 2010

A Cultural Evening of Ghazal and Poetry organised by Oxford University Pakistan Society. The PakSoc Annual Mushaira has been held with great success for the past few years and this year we are looking forward to making it even more special! It promises to be an entertaining evening and one of the best PakSoc events of the year. Refreshments/snacks will be served.

The event will take place at Harris Lecture Room on Saturday, 20th February 2010 and we aim to invite renowned Urdu/Punjabi poets from all over the UK like Akbar Hyderabadi, Saaqi Farooqi, Ayub Sanghia, Yashab Tamana, Faizan Arif and Dr Safih Hasan among others.

Panel Discussion - Live with Talat

The joint committee session of Pakistan Young Leaders Conference will be held at the Oxford Union on Sunday afternoon which will be followed by a panel discussion conducted by Talat Hussain for his TV program "Live With Talat"

Guests: Talat Hussain (AAJ TV), Muhammad Anwar (MQM Rabta Committee), Mansur Raja (PPP Central Executive Committee), Khursheed Ahmed (Political Analyst), Amjad Malik (Legal Advisor to Nawaz Sharif).

Pakistan Young Leaders Conference 2010

PYLC is an initiative of the National Union of Pakistani Students and Alumni (NUPSA), a student run body that connects Pakistan societies of major universities across the UK. It is our utmost pleasure to invite you to the Pakistan Young Leaders Conference (PYLC) 2010 which is a joint collaboration between National Union for Pakistani Students and Alumni (NUPSA) and the Oxford University Pakistan Society.

The objective of this Conference is to provide a forum to the youth to discuss the challenges confronting the country at this point of time. PYLC is a leadership development program that aims to bring together outstanding young people from around the country and help them build critical leadership skills that will help them groom into successful leaders of the future. This program will give the participants a greater understanding of their roles as national ambassadors and will educate them about the problems faced by Pakistan. The conference will serve as a platform for the youth to think about these problems and propose possible solutions. PYLC, aims to foster leadership skills among the participants, the two day Conference held in Oxford will be attended by notable politicians, senior bureaucrats and renowned journalists. The interactive student discussions will be centered on suggesting resolutions for Pakistan’s problems and thus inculcating the spirit of problem-solving among the youth which is crucial for our country in the current turmoil.

OUPakSoc hosts Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi

The Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Shah Mahmood Qureshi shall be joining us in Oxford on the invitation of the Oxford University Pakistan Society for a talk and Q & A session.

Shah Mehmood Hussain Qureshi is the current Foreign Minister of Pakistan. He is a senior leader of Pakistan Peoples Party, where he was the president of PPP Punjab. Qureshi got his early education from Aitchison College, Lahore and did his bachelors from FC college, Lahore. He continued to receive a Master's degree in law from the University of Cambridge. Following the February 2008 elections, Qureshi was also a candidate to be the next Prime Minister of Pakistan, until Yousaf Raza Gillani was sworn in on March 25, 2008. On March 31, 2008, Qureshi became the Foreign Minister in the cabinet of Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani.

Quilliam Foundation: Challenging Extremism

Maajid Nawaz has kindly agreed to join us for a talk and Q & A session at Oxford. He will talk about challenging extremism in general, as well as taking Pakistan as a case study and will also talk about his personal experience and transformation.

Maajid Nawaz, Co-Founder and Co-Director of Quilliam and formerly on the UK national leadership for the global Islamist party Hizb ut-Tahrir (HT), was involved in HT for almost 14 years. He was a founding member of HT in Denmark and Pakistan and eventually served four years in an Egyptian prison as an Amnesty International ‘prisoner of conscience’. In prison, Maajid gradually began changing his views until finally renouncing the Islamist Ideology for traditional Islam and inclusive politics. He now engages in counter-Islamist thought-generating, writing, debating and media appearances. He has spoken at various fora internationally ranging from the grassroots at City Circle London, to addressing the US Senate in Washington DC and regularly comments on national and international news and newspapers. Maajid holds a BA (Hons) from SOAS in Arabic and Law and an MSc in Political Theory from the London School of Economics

OUPakSoc hosts Imran Khan

Imran Khan read Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Keble College, Oxford. He joined Pakistan's national cricket team and in 1992 won the World Cup under his captaincy. In 1996, Mr Khan founded and became the chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (Movement for Justice), a small and marginal political party which has now become the fastest growing political party in Pakistan. Imran Khan, through worldwide fundraising, established the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital & Research Centre in Lahore and the Mianwali's Namal University. He also serves as the Chancellor of Bradford University.

OU PakSoc Stall at the Oxford International Festival (OIF)

Oxford University Pakistan Society will be setting up an item sales stall on the Oxford International Festival organized by OUSU. Details of the festival can be found at http://festival.oxfordisc.com/

We will be selling traditional items such as ladies khusas (a traditional footwear item), embroidered bags and mobile covers, jewelry, wall hangings, shawls and other delicate handicrafts. All items have been imported from Pakistan and thus are genuinely traditional.

Mehndi tattoos will also be available at the stall so its worth giving our stall a visit.

Roots of Extremism

Dr. Yunus Samad (Bradford University) and Mrs. Ayesha Ijaz Khan (distinguished political analyst, lawyer and freelance journalist) will be speaking on the real causes behind the rise of extremism among Pakistanis.

Dr. Samad's talk will be based on the topic 'Theorising Transnational Militancy: The Case of Pakistan' while Mrs. Ayesha Ijaz Khan will be speaking on 'Citizen Empowerment: An Antidote to Pakistan's Rising Extremism.'

Dr. Yunus Samad is Senior lecturer in Sociology and director of the Ethnicity and Social Policy Research Centre (ESPR) at Bradford University. His research interests include Race, ethnicity and multiculturalism in Britain and identity politics. Among many others, he is also the author of the book 'A Nation in Turmoil: Nationalism and Ethnicity in Pakistan 1937-58' and forthcoming titles include 'Fatal Attraction: Pakistan and the War on Terror, Hurst & Co, London.' Further information about Dr. Samad can be found at: http://www.brad.ac.uk/acad/ssh/staff/departmental/samad_y/index.php and http://www.brad.ac.uk/acad/ssh/research/espr/index.php

 Miss Ayesha Ijaz Khan began her career as a lawyer, working for both Pakistani and American law firms in the fields of banking and finance law. In 2002, she wrote a fictional piece on Saudi women that won an Economist-sponsored competition. Through her writing and broadcasting efforts, she speaks vocally against racial profiling of Muslims in the post 9/11 western world, and equally argues for greater women’s rights in the Muslim world. Her particular area of interest is Pakistan. A list of Ayesha's publications can be found here: http://www.ayeshaijazkhan.com/articles.htm

We are endeavouring to attract more distinguished speakers for this event. Keep watching this space for more details!

Gallup: Muslim integration in Europe

Mr. Salman Sheikh from the Brookings Institution will be speaking on 'Muslim integration in Europe and the Co-exist Index 2009 - a global study of interfaith relations.'

Mr. Shaikh, apart from his other numerous preoccupations, is a consultant for Gallup, disseminating the famous book "Who Speaks For Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think", which is a dispassionate and objective study summarising years of collected data. The data are answers to questions put to Muslims from every walk of life and location and the book therefore reflects facts, as opposed to conjecture or supposition, which public opinion and prevailing views in the the media are often based upon. (http://www.brookings.edu/experts/shaikhs.aspx)

 

Pakistan at the Crossroads

Prof. Athar Hussain (Director Asia Research Centre, LSE) and Mr. Irfan Husain (leading columnist for DAWN) will be talking about the current political situation in Pakistan and how it translates to world peace. Mr. Irfan Hussain will be speaking on 'Why Pakistan is where it is?' and the exact topic of Prof. Athar's talk will be confirmed soon

Professor Athar Hussain is Director of the Asia Research Centre at the London School of Economics. His research interests include Pakistan, foreign relation social security and regional integration. More information about Prof. Athar can be found at: http://www2.lse.ac.uk/researchAndExpertise/Experts/a.hussain@lse.ac.uk

Mr. Irfan Hussain is a regular columnist for Pakistan's leading English news daily, DAWN. Over the years, he has established himself as one of the most respected and insightful political analysts in Pakistan. His articles can be read on the DAWN website (www.dawn.com) and a list of his previously published articles can be found at: http://www.dawn.com/weekly/mazdak/arc-mazdak.htm

Keep watching this space for more details. Hope to see you all there!

Mushaira 2009

 

The Oxford Pakistan Society is organizing a cultural evening of ghazal and poetry which will be held at Harris Lecture Room on Saturday, 7th February. The event will be graced with the presence of renowned Urdu/Punjabi poets like Akbar Hyderabadi, Khalid Yousaf, Ayub Sanghia, Yashab Tamana, Faizan Arif and Dr Safih Hasan among others. The PakSoc Annual Mushaira has been held with great success for the past few years and it promises to be even more special this year.Details of the event are given below and can also be found on
facebook. http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/event.php?eid=71821628008&ref=ts


Date: Saturday, February 7, 2009
Time: 5:00pm - 8:00pm
Location: Harris Lecture Theatre, Oriel College
Street: Oriel Street (just off High Street)
City/Town: Oxford, United Kingdom

Half Year Dinner

Marking the end of half of the academic year we will be having a 3 course formal dinner at one of the finest Indian restaurants in Oxford. Details of this event will be finalized soon so please keep checking for updates.