The international colloquium entitled ‘Public Action in Pakistan between Apathy and Anger’ organised by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Pakistan, HEC, in collaboration with the Institute of Social and Policy Sciences (ISAPS), began at the HEC Secretariat on Monday.
HEC Chairperson Dr Javaid R Laghari was the chief guest at the inaugural ceremony. The aim of the two-day colloquium, which will become an annual event, is to contribute to discourse diverse social challenges and policy questions faced by the nation and to bring national and international scholars together for sharing research and debating conceptual assumptions in the production of knowledge and its relevance with Pakistan’s social and political realities. They will reflect the state of public action in Pakistan, particularly in the backdrop of increasing apathy and anger in the society.
In his welcome address, Dr Laghari applauded the launch of the series of the colloquia to bring social and policy sciences closer. He reiterated the HEC’s support for all such ventures from public and private sectors that address social sciences cause in the country.
HEC Executive Director Dr Sohail Naqvi articulated the challenges caused by the diversity of social contexts in the country and the challenges faced by the HEC for providing education that does equal justice to the demand of quantity without compromising on quality.
Dr Nasser Ali Khan, HEC member on operations and planning, highlighted the need and role of Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.
In his keynote address, Dr. Khalid Masud, director general, Islamic Research Institute, International Islamic University, Islamabad elaborated various practices prevalent in the country that define public action in Pakistan. Dr Masud explained the influence of certain beliefs and laws both in actual and in perception that are found to influence large fragment of public action.
ISAPS Executive Director Dr Salman Humayun and Technical Director for the colloquium, Dr Safdar Sohail, also spoke on the occasion.
