Lahore 2019

The 3rd Afkar-e-Taza ThinkFest held on January 12–13, 2019, at Alhamra Lahore, inaugurated by Federal Minister for Education and Literary Heritage Shafqat Mehmood, who praised the festival’s role in fostering free and critical thought. Over two days, more than a hundred scholars and practitioners led 42 panels spanning politics, history, culture, literature, and international relations. Highlights included Professor Christophe Jaffrelot on populism with Feisal Naqvi, Hina Rabbani Khar and Moeed Yusuf on U.S.–Pakistan relations, and Khurshid Kasuri with Dibyesh Anand on India’s elections. Discussions on Kashmir’s self-determination with Anand, jihad in South Asia with Tariq Rahman, and the enduring legacy of Saadat Hasan Manto with Ayesha Jalal underscored the event’s intellectual range. Local governance issues were directly addressed in a lively Punjabi-language session with Aleem Khan and Jugnu Mohsin, engaging union councillors and grassroots activists in frank debate.

Day two extended the focus globally, from Arkady Ostrovosky on Vladimir Putin and Sir Tim Hitchens on Brexit, to Nermeen Shaikh on Western media and Sir Richard Evans on conspiracy theories. The economy and media in Pakistan were also scrutinised by ministers Fawad Chaudhary and Makhdoom Hashim Bakht, while intellectual heavyweights like Akeel Bilgrami and Cemil Aydin explored secularism, identity, and the idea of the Muslim world. Other speakers who enriched the programme included Gauri Viswanathan, Rosie Llewellyn-Jones, Jean-Marie Lafont, and Murad Khan Mumtaz. With its blend of global and local perspectives, ThinkFest 2019 created a space where ideas spilled beyond Alhamra’s halls into gardens, food courts, and the wider public imagination, affirming its role as Pakistan’s foremost forum for dialogue and reflection.