HYDERABAD: Seasoned literary figures have stressed the need for students to have complete freedom of expression at their educational institutions in order to encourage critical thinking and help give them a better understanding of society.
They were speaking at the inaugural session of the two-day ‘Ghamnak Hussaini Literary Festival’ at the Sindh Museum on Sunday evening.
The session on the ‘Role of universities in creating critical thinking’ was one of the several features of the festival, held to mark the fourth death anniversary of sufi poet Ghulam Rasool Ghamnak.
The festival was inaugurated by Sindh Culture Minister Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah.
The speakers said that students should be given full freedom at their educational institutions to raise questions over different matters.
Two-day literary festival gets underway at Sindh Museum; senior journalists discuss pitfalls of reporting in war-like conditions
Poet and author Harris Khalique, who is also the Secretary General of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), said that critical thinking enables students to raise questions over different developments and issues. If students are given the freedom to raise questions, this would encourage them to learn so many things.
Critical thinking is very important in educational institutions, Mr Khalique, who was one of the panelists at the session, stressed.
Author Dr Nazir Mahmood, explaining the concept of ‘critique’, said that universities are the places where questions hold special place. Critical thinking is inevitable in social sciences, he said, adding that different conditions, circumstances, personalities and ideologies must be critically evaluated.
He observed that raising questions had become too difficult in universities due to which students’ academic development could not be ensured.
Sindh University Vice Chancellor Dr Fateh Marri said that various matters were presented as if they were decided right from schools to universities. He said that students must have space for research.
Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University Vice Chancellor Dr Madad Ali Shah pointed out that debate and argument used to be strong in the past but today, freedom of expression seems limited.
Ghamnak’s services lauded
Culture Minister Syed Zulfiqar Shah, speaking at the festival’s inauguration ceremony, said that students of Ghamnak are present across the country. He noted that the thinking of sufi poets has dominated Sindh’s thousands-year old history. He advised literati to avoid focusing on characters like dacoits and other criminals in Sindhi drama scripts in order to discourage negative thinking.
He remarked that “Sindhi people are as sweet as mangoes”. He called for more literary festivals to be held in Hyderabad, which is the gateway of Sindh and where Congress Party used to hold its meetings in the past. He urged all VCs to invite students to these festivals.
Imdad Shah Bukhari recalled that besides being a poet, Ghamnak Hussaini had also promoted sports and social activities and encouraged youth to get education, besides taking practical steps in this regard.
Harris Khalique said that men like Ghamnak never believed in tyranny and power. He said that Sindh faces existential, democratic and values crises. He said that a serious debate is needed on the issues of violence and crisis of values.
Session on ‘media in war conditions’
Senior journalists Wusatullah Khan, Owais Tohid and Mazhar Abbas expressed their views on the state of journalism in critical conditions at another session on ‘Media in war conditions’.
Wusatullah Khan said the Vietnam war had witnessed relatively correct reporting and then onwards, journalists’ entry into war zones was restricted. He said that war reporting is still a complicated subject.
Owais Tohid emphasised the need for Pakistani media to make its presence felt at international level. He regretted that journalists in the country do not enjoy life insurance facilities.
Mazhar Abbas said that there was no mechanism in place in the country for proper training of reporting in war conditions. He added that dissemination of information or news becomes very important during wars.
Published in Dawn, June 9th, 2026