KARACHI: Habib University held its first Model United Nations (HUMUN). It is the first national MUN to have joined hands with the United Nations itself, as well as collaborated with Lahore University of Management Sciences Model United Nations (LUMUN).
The event was fully organised by students. It opened with a welcome address by Dr Craig Phelan, Dean of the School of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at Habib University. He said that events like this were critical to increase global political awareness, especially for young adults at university level. “It is a great idea to progressively debate about social, geo-political, and economic issues,” he said.
Chief Guest Jamil Ahmed Khan, former ambassador of Pakistan in the UAE, said that such events were very important to provide youth experience of what it was like to debate in international grounds, especially in a university setting where critical thinking skills, analytical skills, are an important part of such debates.
He was pleased to see the number of delegates interested in pursuing the respective fields by joining hands to attain sustainability goals. Habib University students Nisa Khurram (the HUMUN secretary general), and Shahzaib Alam (the HUMUN president), officially opened the event over 300 delegates from various institutions across Pakistan. HUMUN made another big step forward my introducing two new committees. The event discussed the China Pakistan Economic Corridor, issues pertinent to the Pakistani economy, especially since the China-Pakistan relationship was changing the Pakistani industry, economy, and even education system.
“Paying close attention to issues that may come up during the Chinese endorsement of Pakistan is of utmost importance to the future generations.” The Special Decolonization Committee in the subcontinent raised debate about the history of the subcontinent and the creation of Pakistan – a topic of deep importance in Habib University’s teaching and also spoken about at its annual Post-Colonial Higher Education Conference (PHEC). Muhammad Jibran Nasir interacted with members of the SDCS Committee to dissect the origins of Pakistan. As a politician, he emphasized the need for diversity and tolerance between the citizens of both Pakistan and India. The purpose of the committee was to delve into Pakistan’s history and develop a deeper understanding of partition from the perspective of political leaders of the time. The four-day conference invited many notable personalities to the university campus, such as Kami Sid and Muhammad Jibran Nasir. The speakers were invited as part of HUMUN ideology of acceptance across spectrums and the celebration of diversity. In discussions with students, Kami Sid addressed human rights issues stating “rights will be given when you talk to the right people at the right time”.
The entirely student organised event touched upon topics the debate circle has yet to explore, such as recreation of human intelligence as artificial intelligence, big data and its effects on the world, and the power of cartography.
Published in Daily Times, November 1st 2017.