Thoughts on ThinkFest

A few weeks ago, several distinguished academics, thinkers, opinion makers, and others, gathered in Lahore from around the world for the Afkar-e-Taza ThinkFest.

They were joined by thousands of Pakistanis, who despite the freezing weather, came to hear, interact and learn from them. Among the audience were a strong group of university students from across Pakistan – Multan, Bahawalpur, Karachi, Peshawar, Wah and even Lakki Marwat, who especially travelled to Lahore to participate. This one event is therefore bringing disparate parts of the country together, and creating bonds of interaction and dialogue.

ThinkFest has managed to stir a debate which was hitherto not very common in Pakistan. At a time when there is very little interaction between academia and the public, ThinkFest provides a safe and creative space for a cross fertilisation of ideas. Thus, leaving the cursory and the usual cacophony of noise, which is the norm in discussions in Pakistan nowadays, scholars and others at ThinkFest discuss critical issues in a robust yet accessible manner. The fact that over a dozen books were launched at the event exhibits the vibrancy and rigour of public academic debate in Pakistan spearheaded by ThinkFest.

The event has also fostered a culture of inclusivity in Pakistan. There is no separate cordoned-off section for the speakers; everyone sits, eats, and talks at the same public tables. This allows for greater public interaction with the speakers and often leads to discussions more profound and critical than the main talks. An image from last years’ ThinkFest where students from Dera Ghazi Khan interacted with a senior professor from Columbia University over a cup of tea in the Alhamra lawns is etched in my memory as the real success of this endeavour.

Now in its fourth year, ThinkFest has also created a momentum of its own and is fast becoming a place for policy and cordial interaction between the treasury and opposition benches. Several of the talks this year were on policy, ranging from education to national security, bureaucratic reform and fiscal devolution. There were also panels where members of both the government and the opposition sat together – and without a shouting match, discussed matters of national importance. The lack of a ratings game, and the need for a measured, thoughtful and constructive dialogue, led to a discussion seldom present in the mainstream media.

ThinkFest has also now expanded to showcase the best in Pakistan. The exhibition on tourism in Punjab by Asma Chishty showcased the amazing countryside, the creative artists and the bountiful natural resources of the region. The three panels which accompanied the exhibition discussed issues relating to heritage and religious tourism, as well as the major issue of smog and the environment.

The event was founded as a purely academic initiative in 2016 with the Information Technology University, where I teach, providing it major support. Over the years it has become larger, more creative, and dynamic – all due to the open nature of its operation – in terms of speakers, who traverse academic, ideological, cultural and other divides. It has also evolved in terms of governance where a diverse and empowered committee runs it; in terms of audience who come from all parts of Lahore – and even cities and provinces beyond, and represent a cross section of society; and, most importantly, in terms of it functioning as an incubator for newer thoughts and action – the ‘afkar-e-taza’ it strives to promote.

A week ago a person opined that he could not discern who organised the ThinkFest in Lahore which ran from January 11-12, 2020. Even though he knew almost everyone on the organising committee, and had been in conversation with them for years, yet things did not add up in his mind. Apparently it was bizarre, even impossible, for him to accept that there could be a successful non-family run event organised by a diverse committee where everyone had an equal and responsible share. Therefore, his simple mind could only think of ‘official patronage’ and support by a ‘self-effacing body’ as the force behind ThinkFest.

The bewilderment was certainly merited. In Pakistan, families or prominent personalities run most such events. Seldom is a ‘committee’ collectively and equally responsible for an event. But ThinkFest was squarely created to break such a mould. Its repeated success exhibits that its committee with Najam Sethi, Salman Akram Raja, Asma Chishty, Feisal Naqvi, Miftah Ismail, Musadik Malik, Pir Saad Ahsanuddin, Savail Hussain, and myself, can create an event, even a movement, which is for the dissemination of newer ideas and thoughts, without the chains of familial control. Pakistan will only become a creative, thinking and dynamic country when people come together with shared ideals and goals, not just family connections and control.

The Afkar-e-Taza ThinkFest continues to thrive by still shocking people in how it is run and in breaking barriers and newer grounds. Without such efforts, the dream of our founders can never be realised.

The writer is the founder of Afkar-e-Taza ThinkFest.

Email: Yaqoob.bangash@gmail.com

Twitter @BangashYK