Daily Times

The 38th All Pakistan Allama Muhammad Iqbal Bilingual Declamation (AIBD) began at the Government College University Lahore on Monday.

According to GCU Debating Society President Haris Ali Virk, a large number of orators from different universities, including UET Lahore, Pakistan Air Force Academy Sargodha, Kinnaird College, KEMU, Punjab University and UVAS Lahore are contesting for the coveted team trophy and best speaker awards at the two-day event spread over three sessions.

The GCUDS President said AIBD was not a political debate, but as far as content is concerned, the level was far above. “Here, no contemporary issue could escape from the arguments of these best national orators who came from all over Pakistan to GCU Lahore to express their thoughts,” he added.

The serious topics that remained closely contested by the teams on the first day were: “It is not the Earth that needs us, but we who need the Earth.”, “a civilization is judged only in its decline.”, “power rests at ease where critics refuse to go.” and “independence is when fools exchange White masters for Brown.”

In the humorous category, the participants enthralled the audience with their wit and humour particularly on the topics: “In the face of pain, there are no heroes.”, “to oppose something is to maintain it”, “in the middle of difficulty, lies opportunity.”, and “we think too much and feel too little.”

In the Urdu category, the youth punctuated their speeches with fiery verses of Allama Iqbal, Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Habib Jalib. Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Hassan Amir Shah congratulated GCUDS for maintaining its glorious tradition of oratory by picking up themes from contemporary issues for its declamation. He further said that like every year the Best English Speaker would be awarded with the Benazir Bhutto Shaheed Medal and a cash prize while the Best Urdu Speaker would receive the Dr Majeed Nizami Medal.

The former Principal of Government College Lahore, the late Prof M.A Khan introduced Benazir Bhutto Shaheed Medal with a donation of Rs 500,000 in 2007. The University’s Debating Society had initiated the Dr Majeed Nizami Medal in 2013 to pay tribute to the services of the eminent Old Ravian journalist.

Meanwhile, the Government College University, Lahore and University of Pretoria, South Africa Monday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for student and faculty exchange and research collaboration in the field of Mathematics.

GCU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Hassan Amir Shah and University of Pretoria Mathematics Department Chairperson Prof Dr Roumen Anguelov singed the 22-point accord at a graceful ceremony organized by the GCU Directorate of Academic Planning and External Links (AP&EL) at the University’s Syndicate Committee Room.

Speaking on the occasion, Vice Chancellor Prof Shah said that GCU was actively strengthening research and academic ties with foreign universities for research collaboration, training of faculty members and exchange of students at postgraduate level. However, he said, that this was first collaboration of GCU with a South Africa university in the last many years.

Prof Anguelov told the GCU faculty about the rich history and glorious traditions of 110-year-old University of Pretoria which, he said, now offered 1,213 study programmes, 230 degrees, certificates and diplomas, 166 undergraduate programmes and 1,047 postgraduate programmes. According the 22-point accord, both the universities have also agreed to launch joint research programs and exchange expertise and academic documents. GCU Registrar Saboor Ahmed Khan and Mathematics Department Chairman Prof Dr Mujahid Abbas also attended the MoU signing ceremony.

Published in Daily Times, November 13^th 2018.