Local discourses inevitable to resolve Nation’s

Lahore (Tuesday, March 14, 2023): The International Conference on Sustainable development in Pakistan: Seeking Local Discourses and solutions commenced at the University of Home Economics Lahore.

In an opening two-day conference ceremony, Prof. Dr. Zakria Zakar, Vice-Chancellor University of Poonch, said “as a nation, we didn’t find local discourses for resolving the national issues, and we are so far not ready to challenge the patriarchal social structure of Pakistan”.

He said instead of empowering women, we are giving them more responsibility and burdening them through jobs. Prof. Zakar said there is a dire need to discourage the utilitarian approaches of thinking patterns about women, and without an inclusive society, Pakistan cannot compete with the global challenges.

While addressing the academicians, renowned educationist Prof. Dr. Najma Najam said ordinary Pakistani is completely ignored to achieve sustainable development goals and the concept of development is limited to the metropolitan cities of Pakistan like Lahore, Karachi, and Islamabad.

She said more than 70% population is deprived of the basic necessities of life, and the citizen of small towns, and villages are affected by mega projects of megacities of Pakistan. She expressed serious concerns about the hegemonic role of bureaucracy in the political system of Pakistan, she said bureaucracy doesn’t consider public needs in policy making.

The conference Co-chair Dr. Iram Rubab, Director Women Development Centre of UHE, said, 75 research papers are being presented by scholars from the public and private sector universities of Pakistan, along with foreign delegates from UK, Germany, and US in various sessions.

She also shared that conference is executed with the extensive support of Prof. Dr. Kanwal Ameen, Vice-Chancellor UHE.

She said the Department of Sociology and Gender Studies of UHE, was engaged to manage the conference and I am happy, it happened successfully.

Dr. Zarqa Taimur Senator, Dr. Zulfqar Haider, University college North, Canada, Dr. Wajid Tahir, University college Deblin, Ireland , Professor Tasneen Kausar and Barrister Shabnam Ishaq shared their views.