The last semi-final of the British High Commission’s fourth annual GREAT Debate competition was held at FAST National University in Islamabad. The competition featured 65 students from 19 universities in Islamabad and Rawalpindi and was attended by senior members of academia and officials from the British High Commission. At the end of an intense competition, Lajpaal Ali from FAST National University was the winner and Hamna Amir Aziz from NUST was the runner-up. The GREAT Debate competition is taking place from December 2018 to February 2019 in five cities across Pakistan. The Counselor and Director of Corporate Services at the British High Commission Peter Abbott said: “We are honoured to see the best debaters from Islamabad and Rawalpindi taking part in our GREAT Debate competition. Over the past five semi-finals, we have engaged over 120 debaters across Pakistan and I am looking forward to a strong competition in the grand finale.” The UK and Pakistan have a strong relationship in education, culture, sports, infrastructure and trade. The UK is Pakistan’s second largest export market overseas and its second largest source of foreign direct investment. That relationship has been reflected in the themes for the GREAT Debate which includes trade, entrepreneurship and innovation and it is these areas that can lead Pakistan to a bright and prosperous future, added the director. Published in Daily Times, January 30th 2019.