Third Asma Jahangir Conference on Nov 20-21

LAHORE: The 3rd Asma Jahangir Conference (AJCONF) will be held on November 20-21. The theme this year is Challenges to Human Dignity. The conference could not be held in 2020 due to Covid-19. The purpose of this conference is to highlight important national and international issues.

This year the focus is on the crisis in Afghanistan. Three to four panel discussions have been planned on the Afghan crisis and its impacts. Another important issue the conference will take up is freedom of expression. Journalists in Pakistan who have been put off-air will speak on the occasion while Indian journalists will also speak online.

The AGHS Legal Aid Cell will hold a session on Rights of the Child. Family matters in court and its impacts on children will be discussed. Then there will be sessions on post-conversion issues, impact of extremism on the economy of Pakistan and accountability and victimization. Entry to the conference will be allowed on proof of Covid vaccination and wearing mask is mandatory. Below is the agenda of the conference:

The inaugural session will be on The Role of Judiciary in Protecting Human Rights & Strengthening Democracy. The speakers will be Justice Gulzar Ahmed, chief justice of Pakistan, Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti, chief justice of Lahore High Court, Justice Qazi Faez Isa, judge of Supreme Court of Pakistan, Ahsan Bhoon, president of Supreme Court Bar Association, Khushdil Khan, vice chairman of Pakistan Bar Council, Latif Afridi, former president of Supreme Court Bar Association, Ali Ahmed Kurd, former president of Supreme Court Bar Association, HE Androulla Kaminara, ambassador of the European Union to Pakistan, HE Wouter Plomp, ambassador of the Netherlands to Pakistan, HE Wendy Gilmour, Canadian high commissioner to Pakistan, Dr Philipp Diechmann, deputy of ambassador of Germany to Pakistan, HE Christian Turner, British high commissioner to Pakistan, Dr Agnes Callamard, secretary general of Amnesty International, and Knut Ostby, resident representative of UNDP Pakistan.

The 2nd session will be on Conflict in Kashmir: bypassing Kashmiris. The speakers will be Iftikhar Gilani, Nasim Zehra, host of Nasim Zehra@8 on 24 News HD, Mohammad Rafiq Dar, chief spokesperson of Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), Naila Altaf Kayani, journalist and host of Kashmir Time on AJK Television and Dr Ather Zia.