CTF Sessions

The following is a list of a number of intellectual activities which include round tables, talks, Skype sessions, lectures, seminars, study circles, book launch, seminars and international conferences.

1. The first meeting of the Critical Thinking forum was held on the 13th of May 2011 at Lincoln Corner, central library, International Islamic University, Islamabad.

The meeting was initiated with a round of informal introductions – the attendees comprised a group of young faculty members, students and researchers from different departments at IIUI. The two texts under discussion for the first meeting were Michel Foucault’s seminal Post-modern work, The Archaeology of Knowledge, and Saba Mahmood’s article, Secularism, Hermeneutics, and Empire: The Politics of Islamic Reformation. His work covered a variety of topics such as history of madness, technologies of punishment, govermentality, archaeology of human sciences, human sexuality and power.

2. The second meeting of the Critical Thinking Forum was held on the 3rd of June 2011 at the Lincoln Corner, central library, International Islamic University, Islamabad.

The meeting was attended by a group of faculty members, researchers, and students from the department of English at IIUI. Also in attendance was Mr. Gulzar Khawaja, the Director General (AF&P) at IIUI, who graciously spared some time to attend the meeting.
The texts under discussion for the second meeting were Antonio Gramsci’s Prison Notebooks, and Talal Asad’s essay (1979) Anthropology and the Analysis of Ideology. Notion of cultural hegemony, organic intellectuals, Jacobianism and Modern Prince were discussed thoroughly.

3. The third meeting of the Critical Thinking Forum was held on 23rd of June 2011 at Lincoln Corner, central library, International Islamic University, Islamabad.

The two texts under discussion for this meeting were Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed and Frantz Fanon’s The Wretched of the Earth. Paulo Freire, a Brazillian educator and educational theorist, was chosen for his theory of “critical pedagogy” which brought about a shift in the realm of education. Frantz Fanon, a French psychiatrist and philosopher was also discussed with reference to postcolonial studies and critical theory.

Dr. Munazza initiated the discussion by commenting upon the ideas of “oppressor” and the “oppressed” as proposed by Paulo Freire. She explained how due to the injustices of “oppressor” the “oppressed” is dehumanized and reduced to the status of an object. The psychological aspects of the painful experience of oppression also came into discussion for how it turned the wish for freedom into fear.

4. The fourth meeting of the Critical Thinking Forum was held on the 28th of July 2011 at the Lincoln Corner, central library, International Islamic University, Islamabad.

The meeting was a special seminar session, organized with Dr. Shahid Siddiqui as the key speaker, and was attended by faculty members, researchers, and students from the departments of History, Shariah & Law, and English at IIUI. Also in attendance was Professor Fateh Mohammed Malik, the Rector at IIUI. Dr. Munazza Yaqoob, Incharge, Critical Thinking Forum welcomed the guest and introduced Dr. Shahid Siddiqui to the audience. Professor Fateh Mohammed Malik welcomed Dr. Siddiqui and thanked him for having taken time out of his schedule to deliver a lecture for the benefit of the Forum. He further lauded Dr. Siddiqui’s work on Pakistani linguistics.
Dr. Siddiqui’s lecture was titled Politics of Educational Sector Reforms in which he highlighted the need for critical thought, particularly in current times. He clarified that criticism was not necessarily a negative activity – rather, critical thought referred to thinking of and analyzing different varying perspectives, alternatives and possibilities, instead of passively accepting popular mainstream ideas.

5. The fifth meeting of the Critical Thinking Forum was held on 28th of October 2011 at the IRI Seminar Room, Faisal Masjid Campus, International Islamic University, Islamabad.

The meeting was a special session, organized with Professor Fateh Muhammed Malik, the Rector IIUI as the key speaker, and was attended by faculty members, researchers, and students from the departments of Islamic Studies and English at IIUI. Also in attendance was Dr. Talib Hussain Sial. Professor Malik appreciated the efforts of the Forum and pledged his support for the Forum.
The text under discussion for the fifth meeting was Dr. Muhammad Iqbal’s The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam.

6. The sixth meeting of the Critical Thinking Forum, held at Lincoln Corner, Central Library, International Islamic University, Islamabad on 25 November 2011, attracted a large number of students from different departments of the university.

The meeting focused on the documentary Divine Nostalgia by Abu Hadi (Sikandar Malik). Abu Hadi’s research interests are in the fields of media, documentary production and education. In addition to working in the education sector as a communications specialist, he does research on comparative history of religion, mysticism and mythology, and produces documentary content under the trademark, “In-Awe Concepts”.

7. The seventh meeting of the Critical Thinking forum was held on the 2nd of December 2011 at Lincoln Corner, central library, International Islamic University, Islamabad.

The topic for discussion was Culture of Neoliberalism. Mr. Arsalan Khan was invited as a guest speaker. He is a PhD candidate in anthropology at the University of Virginia, USA. His discussion focused on the intersection between nation, religion and modernity in Pakistan.

8. The eighth meeting of the Critical Thinking forum was held on the 2nd of December 2011 at seminar room, central library, International Islamic University, Islamabad.

The attendees comprised a group of young faculty members, students and researchers from different departments of IIUI. Also in attendance was Mr. Junaid Ahmad from Lahore University of Management Sciences.

The topic for discussion was Foucault’s concept of ‘Governmentality’. Dr. Saeed ur Rehman, Asst. Professor from Department of English, IIUI was invited as a guest speaker.

9. The ninth session of the Critical Thinking forum was held on February 16, 2012 at Lincoln Corner, central library, International Islamic University, Islamabad.

The meeting was attended by research students and scholars from different departments of IIUI. Ms. Rafia Sial, Head of the department of History at IIUI also attended the session.
The text under discussion was Metahistory: The Historical Imagination in Nineteenth-Century Europe (1973) by Hayden White, a historian in the tradition of literary criticism. He is currently professor emeritus at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Ms. Farhana Shamim, Teaching/Research Associate from the department of English, IIUI, was invited as the main discussant. She is currently working on her M.Phil dissertation, titled “Elements of Historiographic Metafiction in Contemporary Pakistani Historical Fiction: An Analytical Study of Selected Works of Tariq Ali.”

10. The tenth session of the Critical Thinking forum was held on March 22, 2012 at Lincoln Corner, Central Library, International Islamic University, Islamabad. The meeting was attended by research students and scholars from different departments of IIUI. Also in attendance was Ms. Mahvish Ahmad from Quaid e Azam University.

The discussion was a continuation of the previous session on Historiography and included the following articles: ““At a Moment of Danger”: Subaltern Studies Historiography as a Critique of the Postcolonial Condition” (2002) by Grant Farred, “Recovering the Subject: Subaltern Studies and Histories of Resistance in Colonial Asia” (1988) by Rosalind O’ Hanlon and “After Orientalism: Culture, Criticism and Politics in the Third World” (1992) by Rosalind O’ Hanlon and David Washbrook.

11. The eleventh meeting of the Critical Thinking forum was held on the 6th of April 2012 at Lincoln Corner, Central library, International Islamic University, Islamabad.

A group of young faculty members, students and researchers from different departments at IIUI and QAU attended the session. Also in attendance was Ms. Mahvish Ahmad from Quaid e Azam University, Islamabad, Mr. Imran Khan from Quaid e Azam University, Islamabad, Mr. Junaid Ahmad from the Lahore University of Management Sciences, Mr. Shams Muzaffar, Iqbal fellow at IRD and Ms. Nicole Taveres from the Media Studies Department, IIUI.

The article under discussion was On the Researcher-Militant translated by Sebastian Touz and the chief speaker was Ms. Mahvish Ahmed. Ms. Sonia Irum from the Department of English, IIUI outlined the concepts of Colectivo Situaciones and research militants and the method of "intellectual emancipation" proposed by Joseph Jacotot, a French teacher and educational philosopher.

12. The twelfth meeting of the Critical Thinking forum was held on 20th of April at IRD, Faisal Masjid Campus, International Islamic University, Islamabad.

This session was also attended by different guests from Lahore University of Management Sciences, Quaid-e- Azam University, Islamabad and King’s College, London.
Mr. Junaid Ahmad opened the forum by welcoming the participants and defined the Arab spring as the chain of politically and socially motivated uprisings in the whole Arab world simultaneously in which people rejected the oppressive, corrupt and traitor rulers. He also mentioned that some of the critics are of the view it should not be called Arab spring but Arab uprising. This uprising started from Lebanon in 2010 and it has spread all over Arab. It continues till today with some ebbs and flows.

Ms. Rouba from Palestine told the forum members that this current Arab uprising is not a new thing; it has been called the third intifada. Referring to the article under discussion she explained that the writer was of the view that this uprising (Arab spring) was not an unusual occurrence, rather the Arab world has an uprising every decade. Ms. Rouba said that this is the third time that such a huge reaction from common masses has been seen in the history that is why it is called third intifada.

13. The thirteenth session of the Critical Thinking forum was held on May 22, 2012 at Lincoln Corner, Central Library, International Islamic University, Islamabad. The meeting was attended by research students and scholars from different departments of IIUI. Also in attendance was Dr. Mumtaz Ahmad, President, IIUI.

This sitting was a special session with Prof. C.M. Naim who is an American scholar of Urdu language and literature. He is the founding editor of both Annual of Urdu Studies and Mahfil (Journal of South Asian Literature), as well as the author of a textbook for Urdu pedagogy in English. He is currently professor emeritus at the University of Chicago.

14. The fourteenth session of Critical Thinking Forum was held on the 10th of August 2012 at the office of the Student Advisor, International Islamic University Islamabad.

The session was chaired by Dr. Munazza Yaqoob – the Student Advisor and the chairperson department of English Language and Literature. It was attended by the faculty members and researchers of the different departments of IIUI. The session had as its key speaker, Dr.Tahir Abbas.

Dr. Abbas is currently Professor of Sociology at Fatih University, Istanbul. His recent writing has focused on ideas of integration and multiculturalism, and questions in relation to the radicalization of Muslim minority youth. He also has a special interest in theoretical, philosophical and historical questions in relation to cultural cohesion and the social relations between minorities and majorities in different Western nation-states, in particular Western European societies, and in a historical and contemporary context.

15. The fifteenth session of the Critical Thinking forum was held on October 19, 2012 at Students’ Advisor Office (A-008) Fatima tu Zuhra Block New Campus, IIUI. The meeting was attended by research students and scholars from different departments of IIUI. The text for the discussion was Culture and Imperialism by Edward Said.

16. The sixteenth meeting session of the Critical Thinking Forum IIUI was held in collaboration with IRD at the Lincoln Corner, Central Library, IIUI and had young researchers, faculty members, CTF members and members Human Rights Forum as attendees.

The guest speakers for the session were Rev. Robert Chase and C. Eduardo Vargas of the Intersections International, New York. Robert Chase, an executive director of the Intersections works globally in the field of Cross-cultural dialogue and is a producer and director of such award-winning social justice documentaries as Troubled Waters, Strong Roots, Fragile Farms, and Call Me Malcolm among others. A published author and playwright, he is also a nationally recognized speaker on topics of faith, cross-cultural dialogue and reconciliation, and has been featured on CNN, The New York Times, and Associated Press. C. Eduardo Vargas is the Director of Advocacy and Public Policy and representative to the United Nations for Intersections International. He has expertise in global affairs, particularly around issues of conflict and the Iraqi refugee crises. Vargas is responsible for the development and coordination of advocacy and policy initiatives for Intersections, including UN-NGO initiatives and participating in global forums on cross-cultural dialogue.

17. The seventeenth meeting session of the Critical Thinking Forum of the International Islamic University Islamabad was held in the Students’ Advisor office, Female Campus, IIUI and had a large number of CTF members as well as young students from other departments as attendees.

The guest speaker for the session was Dr. Aziz-ur-Rehman, a faculty member at the department of Shariah and Law. He was invited to discuss the `Global Access to Knowledge Movement’. Currently working as a Legal and Policy Adviser with the Access Campaign, Me`edecins Sans Frontie`res, Geneva Switzerland, Dr. Rehman has a diverse experience in working on patents, access to medicine issues, consumer protection, public health regulation completion law and regulatory reforms and has a large number of publications in international Journals of high Impact Factor.

18. The Critical Thinking Forum of the International Islamic University, Islamabad organized a Discussion Session with Ms. Qaisera Shahraz, a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, an award-winning novelist, playwright, education consultant and a college inspector, at IIUI, Female Campus on February 21, 2013. Ms. Sonia Irum was the moderator of the session while Dr. Munazza Yaqoob, Incharge CTF welcomed and introduced the writer.

19. The nineteenth session of CTF aimed at evaluating the nature of Hamid Dabashi’s Brown Skin White Masks. The session was organized on March 18, 2013 at Students’ Advisor’s Office IIUI.

The participants of the discussion, after a biographical account, shared their view points. They added that Dabashi has exposed the ideological agenda of American Imperial project. They further said that according to him, in this postmodern world colonization is carried out in a new way through the bourgeois Elite which he termed as Native informers or Comprador intellectuals. According to him, Native informers are those who have hugely contributed to the collective criminalization and de-historicization of Islam, Muslims in general and the Arabs in particular. They are the people who presented their own nations as uncultured and unsophisticated. One of the members remarked that Dabashi gives two examples of Comprador intellectuals, namely: Azar Nafisi, the Iranian Writer and Ibn Warraq the controversial commentator. She added that Dabashi has exemplified women’s oppression in his writings by giving an account of certain events at global level.

20. The Critical Thinking Forum in collaboration with IRD of International Islamic University, Islamabad planned a series of lectures and screening of the documentary “Stories from Women’s Liberation” by Ms. Jennifer H. Lee an eminent film and documentary maker and editor, for the faculty members and students of IIUI and other universities and institutions in twin cities. The first round of the documentary was held at IIUI, Female Campus on April 22, 2013. The members watched the film with other students of the university and sat with Ms. Lee for a special discussion on waves of Feminism in the West. This session of the Critical Thinking forum was arranged at Seminar Room, Faisal Masjid Campus. The meeting was attended by research students and scholars from department of Shariah & Law, English and Islamic Studies, IIUI. Also in attendance were Mr. Rob Raines, Deputy Cultural Attaché U.S. Embassy Islamabad and Mr. Junaid Ahmad, Asst. Prof. LUMS.

Ms. Lee told the members that the documentary is about the women’s liberation movement of mid-20th century i.e. second wave. She told that making of film was actually a quest to explore why feminism; a movement that gave us so much positive change was still a controversial term. She decided to ask feminists themselves about this historic social movement and spent several years, beginning in 2004 traveling the country and interviewing the feminists who made this revolution happen. She told that the film explores the events of the feminist revolution as what really happened.
 

21. The twenty-first session of CTF was a special meeting organized by the Iqbal International Institute for Research & Dialogue (IRD) of the International Islamic University Islamabad and Intersections, International New York, USA. The meeting was a part of the jointly organized two International Conferences, one in Islamabad and the other in Lahore by these institutions.  The Islamabad conference focused on Grassroots Approaches to US – Pakistan Relations and the Lahore part on “The Role of the Grassroots/community Leaders in Building Peace”.  The meeting was held on 24th April in Islamabad at Serena Hotel.
22. The twenty-second session of the Critical Thinking Forum was held on Wednesday, July 10, 2013 at Students’ Advisor Office, Female Campus, IIUI at 10:30 a.m. Guest speaker for the session was Dr. Masood Raja from USA. The meeting was a discussion session on Postmodernism.
23. The twenty-fourth session of the Critical Thinking Forum was held on Friday, November 08, 2013 at Seminar Room, Fatima tu Zuhra Block, Female Campus, IIUI and had young researchers, faculty members, CTF members and members HRF as attendees. The concept, "Refusal of Work" was discussed.
24. The twenty-fifth session of CTF was a special session organized by the Fulbright and Humphrey Alumni Association atthe USEFP Office, Islamabad on Friday, 13 December 2013. The session was a talk on “Border-Crossing Cinema by Women Directors: Pakistan, Bangladesh, India”byDr. Esha Niyogi De, an expert on Media and Communications with focus on Public Service Broadcasting from University of California, Los Angeles, CA. Members discussed with her about transnational cinema, literature, and women and gender studies. Dr. Esha is currently working on women directors and feature films by women of Pakistan, Bangladesh and India.
25. The twenty-sixth session of CTF was a special session organized by the Fulbright and Humphrey Alumni Association at the USEFP Office, Islamabad on Friday, 24 January, 2014. The session was a talk on “Overlooked Mysteries of History – The Ancient Monuments of Hassan Abdal and Wah Gardens” by Dr. Shahid Ahmad Rajput (Fulbright Post Doctoral Fellowship in Islamic Art and Archeology).
26. On an special invitation from the United States Education Foundation Pakistan, members of the  Critical Thinking Forum and working under its rubric The English Reading Forum IIUI attended the launch of Bilal Tanweer`s debut novel The Scatter Here is too Great at the USEFP`s Islamabad Office on February 28, 2014.
27. Critical Thinking Forum was specially invited to attend an international conference on “Grassroots & Community Initiatives Towards Rebuliding  U.S.- Pakistan Relationship in US-Pakistan Interreligious Consortium on March 14, 2014.
28. On April 21, 2014 CTF had a discussion session with Kristiane Backer, a German television presenter, television journalist and the author of best-selling book, From MTV to Mecca: How Islam Inspired My Life.
29. On April 24, 2014 CTF members invited Dr. Shahid Siddiqui to present on “Women and Literature: Reclaiming Silent Voices”. Dr. Siddiqui opened the discussion by tracing out the link between knowledge and power. Referring to Gramsci and Foucault he said power constructs, validates, and perpetuates certain kind of knowledge that in return justifies the acts of power and serves as a tool of hegemony. He dilated upon the concept as how historically the “dominant groups of a society offer their version of knowledge as standard knowledge which reflects their experiences and promotes their worldview”. He talked about the suppression of the voice of the marginalized groups in a society and how their version of knowledge is denied its space in the main stream knowledge channels.
30. A reading session on The conclusive argument from God by Shah Wali Allah was held on May 09, 2014. Ms. Soumia Aziz, Lecturer, Faculty of Islamic Studies was the main discussant of the session.
31. A discussion session on ‘Recent Trends in Postcolonial Literary Theory’ was held on June 16, 2014. Dr. Masood Raja from North Texas University, USA was invited as the main discussant of the session.
32. On May 20, 2014 CTF arranged a session with Ms. Zainab Nagin Cox, a female NASA engineer on the Mars Rover project. She is on the Women’s Rights board of Human Rights Watch in Los Angeles, California, and she also is on the staff of a women’s self-defense organization.
33. A reading session by CTF was held on the 19thof March 2015 to discuss the recently published book, edited by Dr. Munazza Yaqoob and Ms. Sofia Hussain, entitled Muslim Women Writers of the Subcontinent (1870-1950).
34. A discussion session was arranged by CTF with Ms. Maryam Lodhi, a PhD scholar at IIUI, on 30th May 2015 at the International Islamic University, Islamabad. Ms. Maryam gave a talk on the topic "Madrassa-State Relations: An Analysis of State Policies during General Zia ulHaq and General Pervez Musharraf’s Era."
35. A series of reading sessions (from June-October 2015) were held with Mr. Qaiser Shahzad to discuss modern philosophy. The book selected for the purpose was Phenomenology and Existentialism: An Introduction by Reinchardt Grossmann.
36. 1st Roundtable: “Women in Academia: Role and Challenges in Pakistan”(First Quarter)
    On 15th October 2015, the Critical Thinking Forum (CTF) organized a roundtable discussion titled “Women in Academia: Role and Challenges in Pakistan” with reference to the World Teachers’ Day. It was attended by over 50 participants and focused on women’s participation and empowerment in both public and private domains. The guest speakers for the session wereDr. RiffatHaque (AIOU), Dr Samina Nadeem, Dr. Afshan Huma (AIOU), Ms. Summaira Malik (GVNC), and Ms. Saadia Qamar (NUST). The emphasis was laid on the indigenizing of the challenges faced by women in our society and finding exemplary solutions in our history while also creating a culture of internal networking and mentoring, and simultaneously including men in this model.
37. 2nd Roundtable: “Human Rights’ Awareness in Pakistan: Role of Academia and Civil Society” (First Quarter)
    In celebration of International Human Rights Day, the Critical Thinking Forum(CTF) arranged a roundtable on “Human Rights’ Awareness in Pakistan: Role of Academia and Civil Society” on December 10, 2015. The guest speakers for the session were, Dr Nasim Razi,Dr. Muhammad Zia ulHaq, Mr. Syed Liquat Banori and Ms. Khushboo Ali.The speakers traced out the historical importance of human rights and their practice around the globe and particularly in our part of the world. The discussion was focused on an increased awareness of the need to safeguard the legal and constitutional rights of women in Pakistan and on the need to stop misinterpreting religion in the service of misogynistic agendas. The discussion was followed by the question answer session in the end.
38. 1st Roundtable: “World Press Freedom Day” (Third Quarter)
    The Critical Thinking Forum (CTF) arranged a roundtable session on “World Press Freedom Day” in collaboration with Media and Communication Studies Department (IIUI) on April 29, 2016. The debate centered on the various facets of press freedom in Pakistan, the current trends in media, challenges faced by women in media, and the need to utilize this powerful tool for consciousness-raising and positive social change. The guest speakers for the session were, Prof. Dr. Zafar Iqbal (Chairperson, Department of Media and Communication Studies, IIUI, Prof. Syed Inamur Rahman (Assistant Professor, Department of Media and Communication Studies, IIUI), Ms. Anam Hameed (Producer and Journalist),Ms. ZikreaSaleah (Communication and Advocacy Officer, United Nations Industrial Development), Mr. Salim Sethi and Ms. Humaira from BBC Pakistan.
39. 2nd Roundtable: “World Environment Day” (Third Quarter)
40. Critical Thinking Forum (CTF) organized a one dayseminartitled “Consciousness Raising through Environmental Literary Representation” to celebrate World Environment Day on 20thJune 2016. The guest speakers for the session were Dr. ShaheenaAyub Bhatti (Associate Professor, NUML and Fullbright Post-Doc Scholar) and Ms. Sonia Irum (PhD Candidate, Royal Holloway, University of London and Lecturer at IIUI). The discussion was focused on the literary he representation of the degeneration of the environment because of the industrialization and commercialization. The discussion concluded on stimulating the students to take practical steps to save water resources as well as the trees in their immediate environment and play their role in the conservation of the environment.
41. 1stRoundtable: “International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples” (Fourth Quarter)
    Critical Thinking Forum (CTF) arranged a roundtable session on the “International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples” on 31stAugust 2016. The guest speakers for the session were, Dr. Munazza Yaqoob (Project Director and Associate Professor, Department of English, IIUI),Dr. Rukhsana Tariq (Department of Environmental Sciences, IIUI),Dr. Nazia Iqbal (Department of Psychology, IIUI), Mr. Saleem Sethi, a renowned political scientist/analyst, andMr. Waqas Ahmed (Department of Management Sciences, IIUI). The discussion focused on the fact that the indigenous communities are struggling with their erasure “in the name of development”. All the speakers focused on the fact indigenous communities are being marginalized because the indigenous roots were always treated as a threat to the conflated national identity our State mandates. Participants agreed that the State must safeguard the interests of indigenous communities without compromising its development.
42. 2ndRoundtable: “International Day of Social Justice” (Fourth Quarter)
    With an aim to create awareness about social justice, Critical Thinking Forum (CTF), organized a roundtable discussion session on “International Day of Social Justice” on 27th September 2016. The guest speakers for the session were Dr. Munir from the Department of Sharia & Law, (IIUI) and Dr. M. Akbar from Department of Sharia & Law (IIUI). The discussion was focused on tracing out various social and legal factors that are responsible for spreading social injustice and creating insecurity and depravity among common citizens of Pakistan also highlighting the constitutional safeguards in the system.
43. 1stRoundtable: “World Teachers’ Day” (Fifth Quarter)

World Teachers’ Day was celebrated by CTF in its traditional enriching manner by arranging a roundtable discussion to honor and acknowledge the contributions of teachers in our lives. The panelists for the session were, Dr. Najeeba Arif (Urdu Department, IIUI), Dr. Shamsa (Education Department, IIUI), and Dr. Munazza Yaqoob (English Department, IIUI).
The speakers lamented on the deterioration of respect for teachers in our youth and they stressed the need to celebrate such days because it serves as a reminder of those forgotten values as well the dire need to cherish them again. It was also asserted that teaching requires a degree of consistent personal introspection and to be effective teachers, we must have check and balance upon ourselves to produce respectful and worthy disciples.

44. 2ndRoundtable “International Day for Tolerance” (Fifth Quarter)
    On 20th October 2016, CTF celebrated the “International Day for Tolerance” by arranging a very focused and profound roundtable discussion which revolved around different religious and socio-political aspects of tolerance. The guest speakers for the session were Dr. Aziz Ibn ul Hasan (Urdu Department) and Dr. Qaiser Shahzad (Islamic Studies Department, IIUI).
    Tolerance is a very significant and grave issue of the contemporary era which is characterized by violent extremism and widening conflicts. Thus, to address this critically important issue, primarily the different forms and causes of increasing intolerance in society were identified. Discrimination and marginalization were stated as the most frequently occurring forms of intolerance. It was suggested that our education system should strive to develop the capacities for critical thinking, ethical reasoning and independent judgment in our young generation so that they can successfully counter all those influences which lead to the fear and exclusion of others.
45. Roundtable: “World Day of Social Justice” (Sixth Quarter)
    A Roundtable was organized by CTF on “World Day for Social Justice” on 29th March 2017. The session focused on the role of religion, media, and society in the implementation and practice of social justice in Pakistani society. The guest speakers for the session were Professor Dr. Muhammad Munir (Vice President Administration (A&F), IIUI), Dr. AmratHaq (Assistant Prof. Media and Communication Studies, IIUI),Dr. Muhammad Siddique (Shariah &Law, IIUI),and Ms. Alishba Yousaf (Child Rights and Youth Empowerment activist). The main issues discussed in the session were the role of media in the society, awareness about women’s rights and the marginalization of the minorities.
46. It was an honor to meet renowned short story writer and critic Aamer Hussein in a CTF’s ‘Meet the Author’session held on 16th December 2017. Aamer Hussein is the author of Another Gulmohar Tree, which was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize Europe and South Asia 2010.The session was an engaging discussion on the dynamics of literature from Pakistan in the Anglophone world today. Participants discussed the themes, ideas and style of Aamer Hussein which make him stand out among all the contemporary writers of his genre. Hussein shared his thought process which works behind all his creations which, as he told, is very much influenced from the Holy Quran and the Eastern tradition of writing. He answered a multitude of questions on the craft of writing, the influences on his writing that his Persian heritage brings out and the inspirations he identifies with. It was a really energetic and warm session with critical questions and his open and reflective answers to them were indeed a refreshing experience for the young and eager minds of CTF.
47. Renowned poet, Professor Waqas Khawja (Ellen Douglas Leyburn Professor of English at Agnes Scott College, Georgia USA) was once again invited to conductone-day poetry writing workshop on 12th September 2017 to provide students with an interactive platform. Participants learnt to see the weaknesses and strengths in each other’s works and discovered channels of a reflective process essential to writing. They learnt to be critical of their work and ways to say what has to be said in newer and more creative ways.
48. M. Hameed Shahid (Urdu writer & critic) was invited as part of CTF’s ‘Meet the Author’ sessions on May 3, 2017 at CTF Seminar Room (A-001), Fatima tu Zahra Block, Female Campus, International Islamic University, Islamabad. He discussed “An Overview of Contemporary Urdu Fiction”.
49. Renowned scholar Dr. Waqas Khwaja (Ellen Douglas Leyburn Professor of English at Agnes Scott College, Georgia USA) was invited as part of CTF’s ‘Meet the Author’ sessions on April 17, 2017 in Lincoln Corner, Central Library, IIUI. Professor Khwaja specializes teaches courses in Creative Writing and has published critical articles on English, Postcolonial, Urdu, and Punjabi writers and edited two anthologies of Pakistani literature, translating fiction and poetry from Urdu and Punjabi into English. Some of his famous works include Hold Your Breath (poetry), Modern Poetry of Pakistan. A selection of poems by 44 poets translated from seven Pakistani languages, No One Waits for the Train, Writers and Landscapes and Mariam’s Lament and Other Poems.Dr. Khwaja talked about postcolonial literature and his new collection of poetry, Hold Your Breath in the session.
50. A talk of Prof. Dr. Abdul Jabbar (Prof. of English, City College of San Francisco) was arranged on October 16, 2015 at IIUI. He is a Fulbright scholar and recipient of two National Endowment for the Humanities awards. He is serving as Professor Emeritus, Interdisciplinary Studies and Social Sciences since 2004 at CCSU.
    He talked about the role of critical thinking in literary and film studies. He highlighted the importance of critical thinking in today’s world that how works of art not only give aesthetic pleasure but also involve us into critical thinking and how literature or social sciences, humanities are more important in today’s world.
51. On 2ndNovember 2017, a reading session on Muneeza Shamsie’s Hybrid Tapestries: The Development of Pakistani Literature in English was arranged by CTF. The discussion revolved around the magnanimity of the task that she undertakes in the text which took its form in a decade. It was brought to attention in the light of the introduction that the Western Literature cannot essentially be seen as a distinct entity from Orient as in the history we see the consistent intermingling of both the East and West. The influences of both the cultures misunderstood and transformed each other. The author sees the progression of history in the light of the developments within the two literary paradigms; tracing it up to the colonial rule, the representation of subcontinent in Anglo-Indian Literature, and later, the development of Anglophone Literature. It was discussedhow the work asserts that English is not a language alien to the expression of the identity cultures and ideas pertinent to the Pakistani writers and audience. The session was concluded on the note that such debates must be reflected upon in order to receptively demarcate the territory of Pakistani Literature in contemporary times.
52. On December 18, 2017 CTF organized a reading session with Uxi Mufti as part of ‘Meet the Author’ series. Members of the forum discussed Pakistani cultural heritage with the author with reference to his book Pakistani Saqafat,which is based on his experiences accumulated over a lifetime of travel and work. The book is not only rich in content and wisdom, but it is also written in the language of the common man so that it can be widely read and understood.The session was one of a kind. It was an intense learning and lifting experience. He talked about some of the issues which he highlighted in his book which involved the relationship between economy and culture, the synthesis of religious ideology and cultural geography, the fusion of political nationalism and cultural pluralism and the dire need to establish the science and discipline of folklore in universities.He also touched upon the issue of globalization and the need to learn the art of management of change. He delineated the fact that we need to learn to be ourselves, to be aware of who we are, and value and preserve our cultural heritage.
53. On 20th March 2017, a reading session titled ‘Approaching Derrida’ was held in CTF Seminar Room IIUI. The session was chaired by Dr. Qaiser Shahzad. Dr. Shahzad is the Chairman, Department of Comparative Religions, IIUI and is a meticulous researcher and translator. The texts used in the discussion were some excerpts of Derrida’s interviews and his discussions. The focus of the meeting was a Derridean critique of logocentrism. This debate then led to his concept of presence vs absence, openness vs. closure. It was a very engaging and thought-provoking session at multiple levels and brought forth several interesting perspectives on Deconstruction.
54. A reading session of CTF, held on the 13th of March 2017 focused on the critical discussion of Mushtaq Bilal’s book Writing Pakistan: Conversations on Identity, Nationhood and Fiction. The session commenced with Dr. Munazza sharing a critical review of the book which led to the opening of the debate. The questions which the debate revolved around included the notion of representation, identity and the choice of language. The discussion served as a catalyst for all of us, propelling us to think along these lines and question the discursive complex of power-knowledge-truth.
55. A reading session was held on the 19th October 2014 in the Lincoln Corner of the Central Library, International Islamic University, Islamabad. The topic under discussion was Urban Political Ecology based on two research papers, “Urban Political Ecology” by Anna Zimmer and “Urban Political Ecology: Environmental Imaginary, Governance and the Non-Human” by Nate Gabriel. The meeting was chaired by Dr. Munazza Yaqoob. The discussion aimed to draw the attention of public to the serious environmental issues which are unfortunately not considered as problems and issues at all. There was a critique on the attainment of the ideal (The urban) which is in reality delusional and politicized. It was agreed that construction of such ideals is a way to govern and categorize people and to have a social control of people in the name of ecological welfare schemes. Participants argued that urban political ecology is a critique of this urban development which in fact is the agenda of capitalism.