Marking a milestone in Pakistan’s development journey, the global Pakistani diaspora on Sunday adopted a historic Oxford Declaration on URAAN Pakistan, pledging collective support for transforming the country into a trillion-dollar, knowledge-based economy.
In a powerful gathering that fused intellectual firepower with patriotic fervor, Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal stood before a premier assembly of the nation’s best and brightest shared the URAAN Pakistan implementation plan, a news release said.
The URAAN Pakistan Conference at the University of Oxford served as a strategic launch-pad, mobilizing the diaspora, academia, and youth behind a fast-tracked vision for a transformative Pakistan.
The conference featured over 100 select delegates from 27 leading international universities and 33 premier global organisations, representing the largest gathering of Pakistani intellectual capital in recent years.
The forum showcased 21 distinguished speakers from 10 top UK universities, including Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, SOAS, Glasgow, and Durham. Among the prominent voices were Prof. Madeleine Arnot (Cambridge), Prof. Raheel Nawaz (Pro-VC, University of Staffordshire), Dr. Abrar Chaudhury (Oxford), and Dr. Aliya Khalid (Oxford), who shared platforms with senior Pakistani officials including Dr. Nadeem Javaid (VC PIDE) and Dr. Adnan Rafiq (Member Governance, Planning Commission). The conference notably amplified emerging youth voices through speakers like Mr. Israr Kakar (former President of the Oxford Union) and Mr. Ahmed Sultan Butt (Special Assistant to the Minister).
The cornerstone of the conference was the unanimous adoption of the Oxford Declaration, which states: “We, the participants of the URAAN Pakistan Conference-comprising scholars, researchers, professionals, entrepreneurs, students, public leaders, and members of the global Pakistani diaspora believe that Pakistan’s story is not one of limitations, but of promise waiting to be realised. The participant said in the declaration that it was believed that Pakistan’s youth were not a challenge, but a transformative national asset.
“We believe that Pakistan’s future will be shaped not by circumstance, but by collective vision and determined action.
Today, from the halls of Oxford University-a symbol of excellence, inquiry, and global ideas-we the representatives of Pakistani diaspora in UK announce that the time for Pakistan’s take-off has arrived.
With unity of purpose, commitment of talent, and faith in our future, we declare our full support for URAAN Pakistan and pledge to contribute to Pakistan’s rise in the decades ahead,” they added.