Speak for change Second: ‘Dialogue’ session gives a ray of hope to the youth

The ‘Dialogue’ series aims to bring together the youth of Karachi under one platform

KARACHI: Karachi is a diverse city, not just in terms of sociocultural elements, but in terms of ethnicity too. "Karachi is our city. When we own something, it is our responsibility to take care of it," said Rais Alvi, director of Khadim Ali Shah Bukhari Institute of Technology (Kasbit).

He was speaking at the second 'Dialogue' session, organised by 'I Am Karachi', in collaboration with Express Media Group, at Kasbit on Tuesday. "We have lost our moral values, which is the main cause for the current state of affairs in Karachi," lamented Alvi. "To revive the city, we will have to resuscitate our moral values."

The session was moderated by Ghazi Salahuddin while the panel consisted of Syed Karamatullah Hussainy, Saba Gill and Uzma Azmat. Salahuddin kicked off the session by shedding light on the issues faced by the youth today. "I have grown up in a different time, when things were quite different," he reminisced. "I cannot advise the youth because they are growing up in a different time." He urged the youth, however, to identify the peculiarity of being young in this era. "The gist of youth is fidelity towards your dreams."

Hussainy, the dean of Kasbit, spoke about the role of educationists and their importance in bringing about change. "As an educationist, I believe we have failed to make the youth realise their importance," he said. "On the other hand, we have been successful in teaching our students the art of making money and building palatial towers." He said that instead of blaming circumstances, we must make them right for ourselves.

"There is a cycle of psychological violence that not only affects the youth but also people from other age groups," said Azmat, the president of Takweem-e-Pakistan Welfare Organisation and a social activist. "In order to end this intolerance, we have to learn to be more compassionate."

Gill, a social activist and development officer at 'I Am Karachi', took a cynical stance on the prevalent situation of the city and its youth. "It is not wise to blame the government for each and everything that is wrong around you," she said. "There are platforms that the youth can use to record their concerns about the deteriorating situation in Karachi." She stressed that the youth must learn to question the government in an effective manner for the betterment of Karachi.

At the end of the session, Salahuddin quoted Mohammad Ali Jinnah and explained that religion is not the business of the state. "We must educate ourselves to identify the truth and decide what is appropriate," he said. "Lack of education limits imagination, therefore, education is essential."

The third 'Dialogue' session will take place at Mohammad Ali Jinnah University today. The topic of discussion will be literature.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 15^th, 2015.