Blind student wins first position at Jinnah Inter-School Declamation Competition

A student suffering from blindness, Abid Ali, of the Ida Rieu School won the first position in the Jinnah Inter-School Declamation Competition 2022. Ali was given the ‘Jinnah Trophy’ on Saturday along with a cash prize of Rs50,000, books and a merit certificate.

The event was organised by the management board of the Quaid-e-Azam House Museum Institute of Nation Building constituted as a public-private venture and given a legal cover by the Sindh government's notification in accordance with the Sindh High Court's order dated April 6, 2021.

After over a decade, the annual popular event for students of Karachi schools was resumed by the Quaid-e-Azam House Museum Institute of Nation Building. The final round of the declamation competition was held on Saturday following two rounds for the selection of finalists on March 17 and 18, in which 29 students participated.

Over 65 Karachi-based schools were invited to participate in the competition. Among the 12 finalists were Samia Bint from Mama Parsi School, Abyanuddin Ahmed Ansari from St Michaels Convent School, Abid Ali from Ida Rieu School, Pratik Harani from St Pauls High School, Aliya Zehra from Al Murtuza School, Bakhtawar Jahanzeb from PECHS School, Nawal Abbasi from Aisha Bawany Academy, Sabeen Hameed from Bahria College EABT Majeed Campus, Marium Kapadia from Jaffer Public School, Eman Ali from Bahria College Karsaz, Munazza Fareed from Sindh Madressatul Islam, and Hadiya Iman from Karachi Public School.

The judges were Naseem Liaquat Merchant from The Jinnah Society, Ameena Saiyid from the Lightstone Publishers, Aliya Tayabi, and Dr Huma Baqai. The topics for the final were Jinnah’s Pakistan, and Pakistan and the Muslim world – Interaction and Benefits.

The second position was awarded to Eman Ali from the Bahria College Karsaz who was given the ‘Jinnah Shield’ along with Rs25,000 cash prize and books. The third position went to Bakhtawar Jahanzeb from the PECHS School and was given the ‘Jinnah Cup’ along with Rs15,000 cash prize and books.

All participating students were given certificates of participation while the 12 finalists received certificates of merit. All students present at the venue received complimentary copies of a book on the Quaid-e-Azam, titled ‘Our Quaid’, a brainchild of Liaquat Merchant, Jinnah’s grand nephew, written for primary school pupils by Amina Azfar and published by the Lightstone Publishers with a foreword by Nadira Panjwani from the Panjwani Charitable Foundation & Trust.

Addressing the event, Ameena remarked that speech competitions encouraged students to speak up on the social and public issues. “Highlighting social and public issues and speaking in front of people needs special communication skills. Through such events, we will encourage students to speak on different issues.”

Merchant said the Quaid-e-Azam House Museum Institute of Nation Building would regularly organise such events. He added that they were also planning to hold documentaries competitions.

He said that students wanted to know about Jinnah and the country. This opportunity would not be limited to Karachi only but pupils from across the country would have the chance to speak on such topics, he added.

Ikram Sehgal, a member of the management board, said that the existing building of the Quaid-e-Azam House Museum would not be touched as it was a heritage site. However, a parking space and auditorium would be built underground so that the institute could easily organise events on the premises of the museum.

He added that the chief minister was the chairman of the Quaid-e-Azam House Museum Institute of Nation Building and he was interested in promoting activities at the museum.