The Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) conducted the eighteenth two-day PACE Collaborative workshops and debates for university students, on February 27-28, 2021, in Jamshoro. The workshop was held at Mehran University of Engineering and Technology (MUET), Jamshoro. The event was organized under the umbrella of the Pakistan Center of Excellence (PACE), a counter-radicalization and pluralistic values’ focused project, in collaboration with the Dutch Government.
The participants included the students of the MUET, University of Sindh, and Sindh Agriculture University with a total participation of 150 students; 60 female and 90 male students. Director ORIC, Dr. Inam Bhatti opened the session with a thank you note to PACE team and welcomed them in Jamshoro. He said that it is a great opportunity for the students to come together on a platform like this and take part in learning new things and unlearning preconceived notions. The program provides for an environment suitable for critical thinking and being a student you should be confident enough to question your teachers and elders instead of accepting whatever they pass on to you.
Advisor CRSS, Ms. Samina Imtiaz thanked MUET and other universities for their efforts to hold the workshop in Sindh and taking keen interest in the event. She said that PACE believes in constitutionalism and critical thinking; everything that will be discussed at the event will be rooted in the Constitution of 1973 of Pakistan.
A total of five sessions were conducted on different thematic areas. On day 1, Ms. Rosy Ilyas spoke on ‘Leadership and Motivation’; Dr. Aslam Uqeli shared his views on ‘Respect for Diversity, Rights and Opinions’; and Dr. Tauha Hussain Ali delivered a session on ‘Positive Attitude for Youth’. On day 2, Ms. Sameena Imtiaz enlighted students on ‘Increasing Women’s Voices and Visibility’; and Dr. Ali Muhammad Sheikh delivered a session on ‘Journalistic Ethics in a Multicultural Society like Pakistan’. The students attended all the session and appreciated the knowledge imparted during the sessions. They were of the view that such sessions should be conducted more often because it encourages them to come up with the questions they cannot ask or inquire about in normal routine.
A case study video of Ms. Uzma Zeneb Memon and Mr. Ali Raza Khoso (former PACE participants) were also recorded in which they shared their experience of attending the workshops organized by PACE and how it impacted her life. She also shared that after joining teaching, she also tries to share the knowledge with her students acquired during PACE workshops.
