Pakistan Center of Excellence (PACE) organized its first National Declamation Contest, on November 13-14, 2019, in Islamabad. For the two-day declamation contest, 47 students were drawn from 14 universities across Pakistan including Air University, Federal Urdu University, University of Sargodha, University of Haripur, Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, University of Sindh, University of Balochistan, Balochistan University of IT, Engineering and Management Sciences, University of Sargodha-Bhakkar Campus, FATA University, Abasyn University, and Kohat University of Science and Technology. There were 22 female and 25 male students who participated in the contest. The participants were divided in groups of 2 and 4 students and were assigned topics to compete for the final round. The topics included:
- Democracy is the best form of government. For or against.
- Religion is the main source of conflict in Pakistan. For or against.
- We are uplifting and helping our minorities. For or against.
- Diversity is a source of strength for nations. For or against.
- Religion as a social subject should include all the major world religions – not only the majority religion in the country concerned. For or against.
- Genders affect employment opportunities. For or against.
- Tolerance is the prerequisite for a humane society. For or against
- Drug use is a mental health issue, not a criminal offense. For or against.
- Justice be only result from rule of law. For or against.
- Torture is justified when used for national security. For or against.
- Elections in Pakistan are free and fair. For or against.
- Social media has a positive role in Pakistan. For or against.
- Is any form of terrorism justified? For or against.
- Cybercrime laws in Pakistan are an infringement of online privacy. For or against.
- Video games cause violence in teenagers. For or against.
- Parents should decide for their children’s career. For or against.
- Women are stronger than men. For or against.
- Modern social media makes people more connected. For or against.
- Excessive technology is harming our future. For or against.
- Cyberbullying is freedom of speech. For or against.
The first phase of the challenge consisted of speeches made by all participants in three rounds, with students selected from each round on the basis of content, strategy, and speaking ability. The judges for the first round were Saqib Tanweer, Tooba Mehmood and Sateah Anoushey Afreedi. The selected 10 finalists went head-to-head in the finals, with a single victor which was “Women empowerment is possible in developing societies”. Prominent journalists Amber Rahim Shamsi, Safiullah Gul, and Zubair Azam were the esteemed judges for the final competition.
The third position of the challenge went to Eshanul Haq, University of Balochistan, who used repetition to make an impassioned case. The second position went to Khawar Khan, University of Haripur, who delivered a strong, fervent speech. The first position went to Rida Zeneb, University of Sargodha, with a fiery speech that drew applause from the audience multiple times.
The objective of the declamation contest was to encourage the youth of Pakistan for critical thinking and weighing the information they receive before making a judgement or sharing it with others. The event was conducted on the principle that the processing of information requires logic and bipartisan dissection of facts to determine the truth from misinformation.