Youngsters were once again given a platform to serve the overseas Pakistani community during the Bravo Pakistan Forum Speech and Debate Competition, which was held recently at the Community Hall of the Embassy of Pakistan. The competition is the hallmark of the Bravo tradition. The Bravo Pakistan Forum is a non-governmental and social organization which aspires to build and spread awareness among Pakistanis in Saudi Arabia. Its key focus is to polish Pakistani youngsters and youth who are raw talents and the future of Pakistan. The forum at the jam-packed community hall gave an opportunity for people to learn about the beautiful history of Pakistan. The topic of debate was “Pakistan is a nation or crowd,” whereas the topic for speech was “Pakistani youth and the media.” The chief guest of the function was Deputy Ambassador Khayyam Akber, who was very keen to grace such an event. Pakistan's different political parties were also well represented by well-known members like Mohammed Aziz Khan (MQM), Danish Siddiqui (MQM), Syed Faiz Ahmed Najdi (PPP), Farooq Khattak (JI), Shah Jahan Shirazi (senior member of Pakistan Writers Club), columnist Mubashir Anwar, Zaheer Maqbool, Hajji Abdul Rauf Mughal. The program began with the recitation of Holy Qur'an by 8-year-old Laiba Rashid and Abdullah Mohsen, and Naat (poetry in honor of the Prophet) recitation by Muneeba Habib. The program —divided into Speeches, Debates and Kidz Zone —was hosted by Narjis Asif, Arsalan Baloch, Syed Zeeshan Haider and Wardah Ameer. Speech battles pitted Group A (age 9-14) with Maaz Fazal ul Rehman, Chuadhry Mohammed Usman, Maaz Khalid and Suman Khalique against Group B (age 14-20) with Wardah Ameer, Nida Ahmed, Seema Fazal, Sidiqua Maqsood, Safia Anwar and Zain ul Abdeen. Both sides offered strong arguments and viewpoints, which made the audience listen attentively. The program was hosted by Arsalan Baloch. The Speech Competition winners were: Group A - Khalid (1st Position), Khalique (2nd Position) and ul Rehman (3rd position); Group B - ul Abideen (1st), Anwar (2nd) and Ameer (3rd). The energetic debaters, meanwhile, included students, engineers, bankers and IT professionals: Talha Zaheer, Subhan Shah, Nida Ahmed and Syed Zeeshan Haider; Ameer, Arsalan Baloch, Ammar Baloch and Waseem Sajid. Debate mediators Faiz Najdi and Razi Abbass Shamsi said that today, debate is not only a competition between two parties but also a tool to develop the youth's interest in Pakistan's history, culture and traditions. The Kids Zone segment consisted of quizzes, performances, games and a drawing activity. Bravo Pakistan Forum President Syed Ali Asif Rasheed said he was very thankful to everyone who made the program successful. Khayyam Akbar, the chief guest, thanked Bravo Pakistan Forum for its creativity and innovation to educate the youth via such an event. He said nothing is impossible for today's youth and also congratulated all the debaters before distributing prizes. The gifts were exclusively sponsored by Herfy Manager Mohammad Saleem Khan. __
