British High Commission’s great debate contest comes to capital

Islamabad

The Islamabad semi-final of the British High Commission’s Great Debate competition was held at Quaid-i-Azam University here on Wednesday.

The event was attended by Chevening Scholarship alumni, members of the media and senior officials from the British High Commission. The event was a competition between eight debaters from across universities in Islamabad and Rawalpindi who spoke for and against topics that concern the future of Pakistan including the role of education, business, gender, media and technology in society. At the end of a competitive round of debates the winner was judged to be Sardar Jahanzeb from Quaid-i-Azam University and the runner- up was Maryam Zahid from Fatima Jinnah Women University.

Speaking at the event, the British Deputy High Commissioner Patrick Moody said “I am pleased to see the Great Debate competition taking place at Quaid-i-Azam University, which is the largest university in Islamabad. Young people should know how to debate. Even more, they should be discussing Pakistan’s future, which is their future. I was inspired by their vision and skill. I would like to wish the winner and runner-up the best of luck for the final.”

The Vice Chancellor of Quaid-i-Azam University, Dr Javed Ashraf said “The Great Debate is a fantastic opportunity for young minds to learn about the skill of public speaking. It is an art shared by many key personalities of human history. I am thankful to the British High Commission, Islamabad for arranging this competition and for choosing Quaid-i-Azam University to host this event.”

The winner and the runner-up will proceed into the final of the Great Debate competition which will bring together winners from six cities and will be held in Islamabad. The scholarship money for this year’s Great Debate final winner and runner-up has also been increased to give an even greater incentive to debaters.