May 16, 2024, Lahore. The Fatima Jinnah Historical Society of History Department at LCWU in Lahore, the Institute for a Community with Shared Future at Communication University of China (CUC), and PRCCSF hosted a remarkable event to honour the winners of the Essay Competition on “The Historical Connectivity between the Belt and Road Initiative and the Old Silk Route Traditions”. In the ceremony held at Lahore College for Women University (LCWU), prominent guests, recognised teachers, and participants celebrated this milestone in developing communication and understanding between cultures, histories, and nations.
Ms. Malaika Shahid, President of the Fatima Jinnah Historical Society, welcomed the esteemed guests, and audience while emphasising that since their inception in 2011 as being a platform of History Department, the Fatima Jinnah Historical Society has worked towards enhancing awareness about history shaping our present. The event celebrated the essay competition's revitalization of the Silk Route through the Belt and Road Initiative. Ms. Farah, representing the organising committee, stressed the importance of historical interconnection and its impacts on Earth. She thanked PRCCSF for their essential assistance in event planning.
The event featured distinguished speakers Mr. Khalid Taimur Akram, an expert on the Belt and Road Initiative and the Eurasian Region, Professor Mahboob Hussain, Chairman of the University of the Punjab, Department of History & Pakistan Studies, and Dr. Muhammad Afzal, Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences. Dr. Afzal discussed the Belt and Road Initiative's historical relationship to the Silk Route and its economic and scholarly importance. The esteemed Vice Chancellor of Lahore College for Women University, Dr. Shagufta Naz, awarded the competition winners certificates to conclude the programme. Miss Nida Khadim placed first, followed by Miss Malaika Shahid, Minahil Rafique, and Abeeda Ali.
In her vote of thanks, Dr. Noreen expressed her gratitude to the Communication University of China, and Mr. Khalid Taimur Akram from the PRCCSF for their support in making this event a success. She thanked Professor Dr. Shagufta Naz, Professor Dr. Mahboob Hussain, and Professor Dr. M. Afzal for their gracious presence and encouragement.
Dr. Sumaira Noreen, Chairperson History Department of LCWU, expressed that the essay competition showed the Fatima Jinnah Historical Society and its partners’ dedication to historical awareness, cultural interchange for the sake of celebrating our glorious legacies of the past to facilitate an understanding about sustainable futures.