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Press Release
Rt. Hon Sadiq Khan MP to open
Future of Pakistan Conference in Westminster on 28th June
The independent UK based Think Tank, the Forum for International Relations Development (FIRD) is holding an important conference on the Future of Pakistan in House of Parliament on Thursday 28th June, 2012. The Conference will continue in FIRD Secretariat on 29th June. The conference comes at a significant time in the history of the country with democratic processes seemingly more embedded in the country’s fabric than at any time in the recent past but the outcomes produced by the different branches of State being increasingly at odds with each other.
Pakistan sits geographically at the heart of one of the most troubled regions in the world and is a major geo-political player irrespective of the needs for internal development. The Conference delegates are going to mull over the crucial questions of national security and foreign policy in turbulent times, resetting Pakistan US relations and reforming economy and education in Pakistan.
Against this backdrop, The Shadow Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Rt. Hon Sadiq Khan MP will to open the conference which will be addressed by intelligentsia, academics, leading politicians and defence analysts from Pakistan and commentators and observers on the country including Prof. Stephen P. Cohen (author ‘Future of Pakistan’) from Brookings Institute, USA, Prof. Anatol Lieven (author ‘Pakistan – A Hard Country’), Kings College UK, and Dr. Robin Brooke Smith (Author ‘Storm Warning’) from the UK. Shadow Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Rt. Hon Sadiq Khan MP will also shed light why Pakistan needs a PR campaign. Speakers from Pakistan include Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Nawabzada Amad Khan, High Commissioner of Pakistan Wajid Shamsul Hassan, former Leader of Opposition in National Assembly of Pakistan Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Dr. Farooq Sattar, Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis, Prof. Dr. Atta-ur-Rehman, Coordinator General of COMSTECH (Ministerial Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation established by the Third Summit of Organisation of Islamic Conference), General ® Syed Athar Ali, former Secretary of Defence Pakistan, Prof. Dr. Z U Khan OBE, FRS , former Vice Chancellor AJK University, and the Rt. Reverend. Dr. Alexander John Malik, Bishop of Lahore, Pakistan.
The Conference title has been inspired from the recent debate on future of Pakistan which got heated up after Prof. Cohen’s much debated collection ‘Future of Pakistan’. FIRD believes it is essential for world peace to engage with Pakistan in an informed and more inclusive manner moving on from the entrenched global view of the country as a client state which has been the prevailing standpoint of the Western World. It was noticed that Pakistanis were particularly perturbed the way they were maligned in the international media in spite of paying the heaviest price against the War on Terror. This conference will focus on the new and evolving paradigms in Pakistan relating to its peoples; state governance and domestic/ international security.
Chairman of FIRD, Toaha Qureshi MBE commented: “We are honoured to host this conference which we believe will help the understanding of the issues and potential routes forward for Pakistan and enhance the opportunities for sustained peaceful development in that troubled region. FIRD aims to facilitate the construction of a road map, detailing what Pakistan needs to achieve in the future concerning areas of strategic importance such as: security, foreign policy, education and governance by bringing together experts and engaging them in dialogue, discussion and open exchange of information.’
Toaha Qureshi MBE further added: ‘ The Future of Pakistan Conference will suggest pragmatic and realistic solutions to the problems posed to Pakistan. It will also explore opportunities and possibilities for Pakistan in the global spectrum instead of focusing on the problems. An effort will be made to initiate dialogue and promote discourse on the conflicting perspectives to promote peace and build bridges.’
A ten members working group has been constituted that included veteran civil servants, strategists, businessmen, analysts, diplomats and interfaith leaders to advise on conference proceedings and the road map. Today at the time of the press conference, Dr. Z U Khan, Syed Qamar Raza Shah, Rehman Sheikh, Mushtaq Lashari, Alan Weston and Philip Lingard were present. Working Group particulalry acknowledged sponsorship and intensive support extended by Mr. Hasan Bokhari from Sky Telecom Ltd.
Spokesman for the Conference Arif Malik said: ‘The major outcome of the Conference is to develop an understanding of the current narrative on Pakistan from divergent viewpoints. The Conference is intended to be a significant step towards a road map for new support mechanisms and enabling relationships which bring Pakistan to the fore front in addressing and contributing towards world peace in an otherwise volatile region. We believe that Conference is likely to leave its footprints in the long term on the debate on the future of Pakistan.’
Future of Pakistan Conference organisers also intend to achieve a landmark by initiating interfaith dialogue between Lambeth Palace and the religiopolitical segment of Pakistan. It has been stated that the Archbishop of Canterbury is likely to meet the FIRD delegates in the coming week.
The President of Pakistan Mr. Asif Ali Zardari commended the FIRD for holding the International Strategic Conference on the ‘Future of Pakistan’ and expressed his hopes that the Conference would bring to the fore the resilience of Pakistani nation and the promise what the country held for the future’.
The proposed conference will be held for two days in the neutral yet supportive setting of London. Dave Anderson MP, Chairman APPG on Third World Solidarity will welcome the delegates in the inaugural session in the House of Parliament (Boothroyd Room, Portcullis House, 2pm-6pm) on Thursday 28th June, 2012 to spark off the debate. Conference thematic workshops and recommendations will be conducted at FIRD Secretariat (North Cheam, 10am-2pm) on Friday 29th June, 2012. Conference report will be printed and disseminated worldwide in all relevant circles to further vital discourse on the future of Pakistan. Participation is by invitation only. All Conference proceedings will be transcribed and sources will be named.
A significant number of community leaders from Pakistani diaspora, academia, international relations organisations, union of Pakistani youth, councillors, MP’s, lords and representatives from State Department and statutory organisations are likely to attend the event. Local and international media have been invited to cover the event.
For further details and invitations, please feel free to contact:
FIRD (Forum for International Relations Development)
810 London Road, North Cheam, London
t) + 44-20-8254-2980
f) + 44-20-8675-7059
e) info@fird.org.uk
web) www.fird.org.uk
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