Lahore, Punjab University’s Pakistan Study Centre (PSC) recently hosted a seminar titled ‘Constructing a Historiographic Saga for the National Integration in Pakistan: Problems and Prospects.’ The event featured Prof Dr. Muhammad Shafique Bhatti from Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, as the keynote speaker. It was attended by Director PSC Prof Dr. Naumana Kiran, Associate Professor Dr. Amjad Abbas Khan Magsi, faculty members, and students from various departments.

According to University of the Punjab, the seminar focused on the challenges and opportunities in creating a historiographic narrative to foster national integration in Pakistan. Director PSC, Prof Dr. Naumana Kiran, opened the event by welcoming the guests and participants and highlighting the seminar’s theme.

Keynote speaker Dr. Shafique Bhatti emphasized the necessity for Pakistan as a nation to develop a cohesive narrative to strengthen national integration. He pointed out several issues that act as barriers to this goal, with a particular focus on sectarianism. Dr. Bhatti elaborated on how sectarian divisions and the suppression of diverse sectarian voices pose significant challenges to national unity and integration.

The seminar at Punjab University’s PSC served as a platform for academic discussion and analysis of the historiographical approach to national integration, reflecting the importance of understanding and addressing historical narratives in the context of Pakistan’s societal cohesion.