Conference Title: Strengthening Civil Society for a Democratic Polity in Pakistan
Date: Saturday, April 3, 2004
Location: Boston College, Higgins Hall 300, 140 Commonwealth Ave, Chestnut Hill, MA
Website: http://www.pakistan2000.org
Registration: Open to everyone.

 

 

Contacts: pmcboston2004@yahoo.com

Siraj Khan 978-562-0670,

Hasan Usmani 781-861-1054

 

To cover this very broad topic -- how the citizens of Pakistan can shape government institutions and policies so they truly serve citizens needs and aspirations -- we have created four panels, encompassing four of the main institutions/actors in this debate. Prominent practitioners from Pakistan have agreed to present a lead paper in each panel on (a) the current situation, (b) an assessment of recent reform efforts, and (c) policy recommendations. Other panelists will comment on their thoughts and present alternative viewpoint. The impact of new actors like satellite and electronic media and NGOs will be a key focus of the discussions.

The four panels and lead panelists are:
(a) Role of political parties      (Dr. Farzana Bari, Dir. Centre for Womens Studies, Quaid-i-Azam University)
(b) Role of bureaucracy       (I. A. Imtiazi, former Chairman CBR, Secretary, GOP, many ministries);
(c) Role of media           (Khaled Hasan, The Friday Times and The Daily Times); and
(d) Role of NGOs       (Salman Akram Raja, Advocate, served on Higher Education and other task forces)

 

The Pakistani independent satellite channel, GEO, and their newspaper group have agreed to cover the conference. The conference content may also be leveraged for special TV programs and special Op-Ed pieces in newspapers.

Conference panelists also include:

§         Nasim Zehra, Journalist/columnist for The News

§         Nafisa Hoodbhoy, Journalist - Voice of America

§         Shandana Khan, CEO, Rural Support Programmes Network, Pakistan

§         Khawaja Asif, MNA PML-N, former Chairman Privatization Commission

§         Prof. Christopher Candland, Wellesley College, Principal Advisor to US Sec of State, Advisory Committee on Labor Diplomacy.

§         Prof. Saeed Shafqat, Quaid-e-Azam Distinguished Professor, Columbia University

§         Prof. Adil Najam, The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University

§         Dr. Tariq Banuri, Director, Stockholm Environment Institute, Asia Centre

§         Dr.Moeed Pirzada, Association of Pakistani Professionals (http://aopp.org)

§         Ghazi Salahuddin, Columnist/analyst for GEO TV & The News

§         Faiz Rehman, President National Council of Pakistani Americans (NCPA), former   editor-in-chief Pakistan Link

§         Sadiqa Salahuddin, Executive Director, Indus Resource Centre, Pakistan

§         Hassan Abbas, Harvard Law School

This year's  conference builds on the work of previous successful Pak-Millennium Conferences by the Boston community that have addressed critical policy issues in a serious manner engaging thought leaders from Pakistan and the U.S.

 

Pak-Millennium Conference 2002 focused on Higher Education reform in Pakistan and pulled together distinguished academicians and policy makers, including Dr. Ata ur Rahman (then Pakistan’s Minister of Science and Technology, now  Chairman of the Higher Education Commission), Mr. Shamsh Kassim-Lakha, (President of Aga Khan University and then Chair of the Presidents Task Force on Higher Education Reform), Dr. Ishrat Hussain (Governor, State Bank of Pakistan), Syed Babar Ali (Pro-Chancellor, LUMS), Professor Henry Rosovsky (Dean Emeritus, Harvard University, Vice Chancellors of Karachi and Peshawar Universities, leading professors from MIT, Harvard, and other US and Pakistani universities. The Conference made several contributions, including actionable recommendations for the Presidents Task Force on Higher Education Reform.

 

Pak-Millenium Conferences in 1999 and 2000 brought to Boston such luminories as Shaukat Aziz, Current Finance Minister of Pakistan, Dr. Shahid Javed Burki, former VP World Bank, Safi Quraishi, Entrepreneur, Prof. Akbar Ahmad, Dr. Naseem Ashraf, Co-chair Human Development Foundation.

With your participation, we are confident that this years conference will be similarly influential in strengthening reform efforts in Pakistan.