Estb. 1882

University of the Punjab

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PU organizes Int’l Conference
PU organizes Int’l Conference


LAHORE: (Monday, November 25, 2013): PU Department of History organized an International Conference on “Socio-Economic and Cultural Relations between India and Pakistan”. Inaugural session was presided over by PU VC Prof. Dr. Mujahid Kamran, while former Education Minister of the Punjab Mian Imran Masud was the Chief Guest.

Prof. Dr. Mujahid Kamran in his presidential speech, emphasized that South Asian region was lagging behind in every sphere because of the continuous tension between the two countries. If the two states create an environment of peace, immense progress could be made in every sphere of life. He urged that historians should write true history based on facts and there was a great need to produce good historical works. Prof. Zhon Rong from Jiangsu Normal University, China in his keynote speech focused on the potentialities of investment and joint ventures between India, Pakistan and China. He emphasized that opportunities available to the three countries were immense and these could only be exploited if peace prevails in the region. Mian Imran Masud mentioned in his speech that it was really good that voices for peace with India were frequently heard and both the governments, particularly the govt. of Prime Minister, Mian Nawaz Sharif.

Dean faculty of Arts and Humanities and Chairman Department of History Prof. Dr. Muhammad Iqbal, in his welcoming remarks, explained the objectives and themes of the Conference and welcomed the guests, delegates and academicians. LUMS Prof. Dr. Muhammad Waseem focused on problems & prospects of peace between India and Pakistan. He argues that problems between the two countries did not emerge at official governmental level only but serious psychological and mental constructs create serious barriers and constraints for peace.

He emphasized that there was an urgent need to decontextualize the whole situation. Academic intellectual and even political discourses should shed the meta-narratives of glorifying their own ‘selves’ and vilifying the ‘other’. Later, the inaugural session was followed by three academic sessions. These sessions focused on ‘Economic and Socio-Cultural cooperation in South Asia’, ‘Shared Memories, Partition and Communal Relations’ and ‘Peace, Religion and Mysticism’. Fifteen scholars presented their papers in these sessions. The Conference will continue till Wednesday 27th November 2013.