New York, 21 May 2023 (TDI): The Ambassador of Pakistan to the United States, Masood Khan, participated in a Lahore Literary Festival organized by Asia Society. He addressed the event and appreciated the Society’s efforts to contribute to people-to-people relations between Pakistan and the United States.
He said, “These efforts are not influenced by governments, directly or indirectly. Your efforts and the efforts of these festivals are people driven”. He also congratulated the Asia Society for successfully organizing the festival. Moreover, He appreciated the Society’s effort to connect countries with North America, especially the United States.
Prominent Pakistani authors from across the spectrum participated in the event. Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Shahbaz Taseer, among others, were also present at the festival.
The Lahore Literary Festival, one of South Asia’s premier cultural events, is a one-day event. It explores Pakistan through art, writing, and other literature. The festival also held discussions for its American audiences on fiction, non-fiction writing, art, architecture, history, and politics.
Such festivals organized by overseas Pakistanis have a lasting impact on the image of the country. It also fosters intellectual debate and updates the social and political ideas of the society.
Impact of Intellectual Debates
Intellectual debate plays a pivotal role in shaping and directing a society. It enables societies and individuals to grow in social, economic, and political areas. It develops tolerance and respect for foreign cultures and ideas. Moreover, an intellectual debate fosters creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.
Regrettably, debating has deteriorated in Pakistan. The debate has been overtaken by arguments filled with emotions and biases. The cradle of learning debate, educational institutions, are no more than a marathon race where students compete to achieve higher grades through cramming without properly understanding the text of the topic.
