LAHORE: The fourth edition of the ThinkFest is scheduled to be held on Jan 11 and 12, 2020 at Alhamra, The Mall, as announced on Saturday by the festival’s managing committee.

Unveiling the plans, ThinkFest Pakistan Chairman Najam Sethi noted: “The country is in dire need of openness and dialogue, and by bringing the world’s intellectual leaders to the country, the ThinkFest is creating a lasting bridge for thought and action,” a press release quoted him as saying.

Unveiling two of the keynotes at the upcoming event, Dr Yaqoob Khan Bangash, the founder of ThinkFest, said: “As with earlier years, our keynotes are world leaders in their fields and everyone in Pakistan should come listen to and engage with them.”

The Lahore edition in January will feature acclaimed Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, Sir Venki Ramakrishnan, who won the award in 2009 for helping explain the genome, and is also currently the president of the Royal Society, the premier science organisation in the UK.

Another keynote speaker scheduled to attend the festival is Sir Mark Lyall Grant, who was earlier the British high commissioner to Pakistan. Later, Sir Grant became the UK ambassador to the UN and then the national security adviser to the UK government.

The upcoming edition of ThinkFest will bring over a hundred speakers from across the world for two days of creative thought and discussion. A dozen books will be launched, including a riveting biography of Buddhist nun Freda Bedi written by Andrew Whitehead -- formerly of the BBC; the Camel Merchant of Philadelphia based on stories from the court of Maharaja Ranjit Singh by Sarbpreet Singh; a book on shrines and setting up of the auqaf department by Umber Ibad from Forman Christian College; a book on Shia Islam in Pakistan and Iran by Simon Fuchs from Germany; and many others.

Special among the book launches will be the debut novel, 99 Days in Logar, by Jamil Jan Kochai, which has been shortlisted for the DSC Prize in Literature.

Other distinguished speakers include University of California Berkeley Chancellor Prof Nicholas Dirks, former South Asia correspondent for the BBC Sir Mark Tully, Portuguese minister Dr Bruno Maceas, Ziauddin Sardar of the Muslim Institute, and Sadanand Dhume of the Wall Street Journal.

The ThinkFest will again feature a ‘Speakers Corner’ where members of the public can speak their mind on any subject. It will also have a ‘Speakers Lounge’ where speakers will be able to mingle and interact with the audience.

Published in Dawn, December 22nd, 2019