Conference Activities
International Conference on Contemporary Challenges to Democracy (IC3D) Day 1
The International Conference on Contemporary Challenges to Democracy (IC3D) was held over two days, 23rd and 24th April 2025, at the University of Central Punjab (UCP), Lahore. The conference brought together distinguished scholars, diplomats, political analysts, and policymakers to foster informed academic dialogue on the contemporary challenges confronting democratic governance. The conference was inaugurated by welcome speech of Prof. Dr. Khalid Manzoor Butt, Dean, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Central Punjab, who welcomed the distinguished guests and emphasized the importance of scholarly engagement on democracy. The keynote session featured Dr. Hasan Askari Rizvi, renowned political analyst and former Caretaker Chief Minister of Punjab, whose extensive experience and scholarly insight offered valuable perspectives on Pakistan’s political and democratic landscape. His Excellency Per Albert Ilsaas, Ambassador of Norway to Pakistan, enriched the conference with diplomatic and international perspectives, drawing upon Norway’s experience and democratic development. The session was further honored by the chief guest Mr. Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Former Federal Minister and Senator, who delivered an insightful address highlighting contemporary democratic trends and challenges in Pakistan and around the world. The proceedings concluded with remarks by Dr. Hammad Naveed, Pro-Rector, University of Central Punjab, whose leadership and support contributed to the successful organization of the conference. The presence and valuable contributions of these eminent personalities significantly enriched IC3D-2025, creating an intellectually stimulating environment for meaningful discussion, knowledge exchange, and academic collaboration.
Day 1 Scientific sessions
The International Conference on Contemporary Challenges to Democracy (IC3D) was held over two days, 23rd and 24th April 2025, at the University of Central Punjab (UCP), Lahore. The conference brought together scholars, researchers, policymakers, political analysts, journalists, students, and international delegates to examine contemporary challenges to democracy from multiple national, regional, and global perspectives. The first day featured sessions on “Populism: A Challenge to Democracy?” and “Democracy, Security, and Human Rights.” Discussions on populism examined its relationship with democratic institutions, political discourse, social media, authoritarian tendencies, and the changing nature of contemporary politics. Presentations were delivered by scholars including Dr. Bilveer Singh of the National University of Singapore, Mr. Ahmad Nazir Warraich, Dr. Xiaoqing Xie of China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, Dr. Sumeera Imran, Muneeza Mirza, Prof. Dr. Ghulam Akbar Mahesar, Sara Rauf, Dr. Shafiq Qurban, and Muhammad Bilal of UCP, among others. The sessions were chaired by distinguished academics and experts, including Prof. Dr. Iram Khalid, Dean of Social Sciences, University of the Punjab, and Ambassador Nadeem Riaz, former Ambassador of Pakistan to Italy and President, Institute of Regional Studies. The second thematic session of Day One, focusing on Democracy, Security, and Human Rights, addressed issues including women’s political participation, security, terrorism, democratization, authoritarianism, and the protection of human rights, with contributions from national and international researchers.
Day 2 Scientific sessions
The second day, 24th April 2025, expanded the discussion through sessions on “Democratizing Developing States,” “Ethnic Groups and Democracy,” “Electoral Authoritarianism and Democracy,” and “The Role of Traditional and Social Media in Democracies.” The sessions examined democratic development, governance and inclusion, youth participation, peacebuilding in Afghanistan, ethnic and minority representation, structural violence, electoral systems, military influence, economic development, academic freedom, digital authoritarianism, internet shutdowns, surveillance and privacy, political polarization, and women’s political participation in the digital age. Presenters included Dr. Adam Saud, Professor and Dean, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Bahria University, Islamabad, who presented on digital democracy and rural empowerment; Dr. Maria Eleonora Hebisz of the University of Lodz, Poland; Dr. Sadia Rafique; Dr. Muhammad Aslam Faiz; Dr. Lubna Sunawar; Tariq Khan; Muskan Zahra; Maida Khan; Dr. Asma Awan; Dr. Yaqoob Khan Bangash; Dr. Nadia Zaheer Ali; Dr. Lianboi Vaiphei; and Muhammad Azam Khan, among other presenters and participants. Dr. Asma Awan, Head of the Department of Political Science at Kinnaird College for Women, Lahore, chaired the session on Ethnic Groups and Democracy, while Dr. Yaqoob Khan Bangash chaired the session on Traditional and Social Media in Democracies. The conference programme also included a Policy Dialogue Session chaired by Prof. Rasul Bakhsh Rais, with Prof. Dr. Khalid Manzoor Butt serving as Co-Chair and Dr. Muhammad Irfan Ali as Rapporteur. The policy dialogue brought together academics, journalists, international delegates, and policy experts, including Mr. Mujeeb ur Rehman Shah, Prof. Sajjad Naseer, Dr. Yaqoob Khan Bangash, Dr. Maria Eleonora Hebisz, Dr. Xiaoqing Xie, Dr. Bilveer Singh, Ambassador Nadeem Riaz, Prof. Dr. Iram Khalid, Anish Mishra, Muhammad Azam Khan, Dr. Asma Awan, and Dr. Waheed Ahmed Khan, providing a platform for broader discussion on the challenges and future directions of democracy.
Policy Dialogue
The Policy Dialogue Session brought together a distinguished panel of senior academics, policy experts, journalists, diplomats, and international scholars to engage in an interdisciplinary discussion on contemporary challenges to democracy and governance. The session was chaired by Prof. Rasul Bakhsh Rais, Professor Emeritus at Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad, and former Dean of LUMS, with Prof. Dr. Khalid Manzoor Butt, Dean, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and Chief Organizer, serving as Co-Chair. Dr. Muhammad Irfan Ali, In-Charge of the Department of Political Science & International Relations, served as Rapporteur. The session featured prominent Principal Discussants, including Mr. Mujeeb ur Rehman Shah, Senior Journalist/Analyst and Editor of Daily Pakistan, Lahore; Prof. Sajjad Naseer (Tamgha-e-Imtiaz), Professor at Lahore School of Economics and former Head of Department at the University of the Punjab; Dr. Yaqoob Khan Bangash, Dean at Information Technology University, Lahore; Dr. Maria Eleonora Hebisz of the University of Lodz, Poland; Dr. Xiaoqing Xie, Director of the CPEC Center at China University of Geosciences, Wuhan; Dr. Bilveer Singh of the National University of Singapore; Amb. Nadeem Riaz, former Ambassador of Pakistan to Italy and President of the Institute of Regional Studies; Prof. Dr. Iram Khalid, Dean of Social Sciences, University of the Punjab; Anish Mishra of Heidelberg University, Germany; Muhammad Azam Khan, Senior Fellow at Pakistan Navy War College, Lahore; Dr. Asma Awan, Head of the Department of Political Science at Kinnaird College for Women, Lahore; and Dr. Waheed Ahmed Khan, Associate Professor at UCP. The diversity of expertise represented in the session facilitated a broad exchange of perspectives on democratic institutions, governance, political participation, international relations, media, and contemporary political challenges. The participation of scholars from Pakistan and international institutions, alongside practitioners from journalism, diplomacy, and public policy, enriched the dialogue and provided an opportunity to connect academic research with practical and policy-oriented perspectives.
Closing ceremony
The conference concluded with a formal Closing Ceremony, with Honourable Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan, Speaker of the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab, serving as the Chief Guest. A distinguished parliamentarian and legal practitioner with more than two decades of experience in law and public service. He holds an LL.B. (Hons.) from the University of Buckingham, United Kingdom, and has served in significant parliamentary and governmental positions, including Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs, Punjab, and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister. His parliamentary career has also involved participation in important legislative and parliamentary committees.
In his address at the IC3D 2025 closing ceremony, Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan highlighted the importance of democratic evolution and inclusive governance in Pakistan, providing a valuable practitioner and parliamentary perspective to the academic discussions that had taken place throughout the two-day conference. His participation brought together the conference’s scholarly deliberations on populism, democratic governance, human rights, political participation, authoritarianism, electoral processes, and digital democracy with the practical realities of parliamentary and public governance. His address was followed by the conference summary and concluding remarks, while Prof. Dr. Khalid Manzoor Butt, Dean, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and Chief Organizer, formally summarized the proceedings. Dr. Hammad Naveed, Pro-Rector, UCP, subsequently delivered the closing remarks and participated in the distribution of souvenirs to presenters and members of the organizing team.
