The Pak-US Alumni Network organized a speech competition today at the National Library Complex. I attended the competition as one of the three judges in the panel. The other two judges were Rana Amaar and Jason Seymour, both extremely talented public speakers and trainers. The event was organized by fellow alumni, Mirza Haider and Usama Khilji.

The topics under discussion were:

1) Has feminism weakened the family?
2) Should Pakistan encourage inter-provincial marriages?
3) Should the defense budget take precedence over the education budget?
4) Can sports make Pakistan a healthier society?

Such activities are the need of the hour. The recent wave of intolerance is increasingly affecting the youth of Pakistan. All important issues facing the country are labeled as sensitive and taboos, leaving no space for intellectual activities like debating them. I commend the US embassy for supporting such an initiative and hope they will continue to promote these activities.

Details about the event can be found here.