SochBichar

Mr. Hashim J. Bakht, Finance Minister, Govt. of Punjab

Former Ambassador, Asif Durrani, Former Ambassador of Pakistan to UAE and Iran, Senior research fellow at IPRI.

Fahd Husain, Resident Editor & Columnist for DAWN NEWS.

Shehzad Ghias, Comedian & Podcaster

Shehrzade Noor, Comedian & Activist

Mavra Bari. Comedian, Sociologist & Writer

Sehar Tariq. Comedian & Feminist

Comedy is a multi-million dollar industry the world over, with artists selling out arenas such as the TMobile, O2, and MGM Grand on a regular basis – events that hundreds of thousands attend to let loose, share a laugh, and just have a good time. In Pakistan, this phenomenon seems to have slowly been pushed out of the mainstream over the years, particularly after the political turmoil of the 1980s. This webinar aims to initiate a discussion on the potential of comedy as a driver of joy, shaper of culture, and catalyst for socioeconomic prosperity – and to debunk myths surrounding the topic, including the notion that those who engage are fools, misfits, heretics, incompetents, etc. Comedy has historically served crucial purposes, including as a tool for challenging the status quo, for bringing definition to societal values and norms, and for creating a platform upon which a variety of arts – including theater, music, film, and storytelling – can all come together to captivate audiences that can forget about their troubles for a while. How can Pakistan facilitate its comedians, especially in a time of disruptive digital media technologies that are reshaping the landscape?

PIDE Social Media Forums:

www.pide.org.pk

www.facebook.com/PIDEislamabad

www.linkedin.com/PIDEislamabad

www.twitter.com/PIDEpk

www.instagram.com/PIDEislamabad 

Kanwar Muhammad Dilshad, Former Secretary, ECP

Dr. Tariq H. Cheema, Country Representative, Alight Pakistan

Saturday, July 10, 2021 at 09:00 PM

Speakers: 

Moderator: Dr Nadeem Ul Haque, VC, PIDE

Registration Link: https://forms.gle/DBvj5GzMGDd1TWnf9 

In a significant move, the federal cabinet approved amendments in the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Act in the name of central bank autonomy, price stability and accountability. The benefit of central bank independence is well documented in the literature. However, there is a dire need to evaluate several important questions:

• Why is autonomy so important? Should every institution be autonomous?

Moderator: Dr Nadeem ul Haque

Discussant: 

The economic significance of the textile sector in Pakistan is undeniable. The sector contributes around 60% of the export earnings and provides employment opportunities for around 40% of the total labor force. In the textile sector, energy cost is the leading component in terms of conversion cost. Among all the factors that make the textile sector of Pakistan regionally un-competitive, energy tariff is at the core. The recent outshining performance of the textile sector can partially be attributed to the regionally competitive energy tariff (RCET) policy that the government has adopted, since late 2018. The current webinar entails to launch a report prepared by PIDE along with the All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) aims to evaluate how the regionally competitive energy Tariff policy is contributing towards getting the textile sector regionally competitive.

Moderator: 

Dr. Nadeem ul Haque (VC PIDE)

Guest Speaker:

Ayesha Razzaque (Educationist/Researcher/Consultant)

Wednesday, March 24, 2021 at 11:00 AM (PST)

"Ayesha Razzaque has a doctorate and a Masters degree in Educational Administration from the College of Education, Michigan State University (MSU). She holds an undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering from UET Taxila.

Ayesha benefits from 10+ years of experience supporting education development in a variety of social and political contexts, specifically in Pakistan and Afghanistan. She writes, op-ed pieces, regularly for the “The News International” and has been following and writing on the ‘Single National Curriculum’ since 2018."