Islamabad - A two-day meeting of the scrutiny committee was held here at Higher Education Commission (HEC) to discuss and scrutinise abstracts of research papers to be presented on the ‘3rd International Conference on State and Society of Pakistan: Challenges and Opportunities’ scheduled to be organised by HEC in collaboration with the University of Peshawar from May 13-14, 2015.
The meeting was chaired by Dr Nilofer Sheikh, Vice-Chancellor Preston University, and attended by Dr Adnan Sarwar, dean faculty of social sciences, University of Peshawar, Dr Aliya H Khan, dean faculty of social sciences, Quaid-e-Azam University, Dr Abdul Rauf, department of political science, University of Peshawar, Dr Anoosh Khan, department of gender studies, University of Peshawar, Dr Hussain Sorwardi, department of international relations, University of Peshawar, Saima Razak, department of political science, Gomal University DI Khan, Muhammad Imran, department of international relations, University of Peshawar, Fida Hussain, Director General (Academics) HEC, and Dr Tahir Ali Shah, Deputy Director (Social Sciences) HEC.
The committee selected nine international abstracts and 28 national abstracts out of 150 submitted abstracts. There is equal representation of all regions of Pakistan, 13 from Punjab, five from Sindh, four from ICT, two from Balochistan, four from KP and one from Gilgit-Baltistan.
National and international social scientists will present their research articles on different themes including theories and methods - emerging trends in social sciences; arts, humanities and sciences - blurring boundaries; developing institutional capacity for promoting social sciences; socio-economic development and education in Pakistan; social transformation and conflict in the region, civil society and neo-liberal state; national integration and ethno-linguistic contestations; democratic governance and development, security paradoxes, regional and global power politics; media and cyber space: alternative venues for contesting discourses; and folklore and the quest for identity.
The conference aims to strengthen teaching and research of social sciences in universities and degree awarding institutions.
Dr Nilofer Sheikh, who heads the scrutinizing committee, called on Chairman HEC Dr Mukhtar Ahmed along with Dr Adnan Sarwar Khan and discussed with the desired outcome of the conference.
Dr Mukhtar Ahmed stressed the need for establishment of social sciences research council, holding international conferences on social sciences and humanities for academic and research interaction among researchers and scholars in the field, and proper projection of the role of social sciences in the matters related to state and society.