Invitation for the 11th Shahjiwana International Debating Championship 2014 Respected Sir/Madam, The University College Association of Debaters (UCAD) cordially invites you to the 11th Shahjiwana International Debating Championship 2014 being held from Thursday, 23rd January, 2014 to Sunday, 26th January, 2014 at the University College Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan. Almost 18 years old and having hosted more than 100 teams consecutively for the past two years (in English and Urdu collectively), Shahjiwana is Pakistan’s biggest and oldest British Parliamentary Style Debating Competition. For the past 11 years the competition has transformed into an international event with teams participating from India, Afghanistan and Srilanka. This year’s event promises to be the best and biggest yet, with special changes to ensure debating of the highest quality and caliber. ADJUDICATION CORE Last year we brought you the strongest adjudication core ever composed for a debating competition in Pakistan, with Sharmila Parmanand (Chief Adjudicator at World Universities Debating Championships 2013 in Berlin), Syed Suhaib Hassan (Winner and Best Speaker ESL World Universities Debating Championships 2007 in Canada) and Umar Mahmood Khan (Winner of South Asian Debating Championship 2005 hosted by the National Law School of India).

This year we have: Umar Mahmood Khan Mr. Umar Mahmood Khan, more commonly known in the domestic circuit as Don, is without a doubt one of the most distinguished and well-renowned debater of the Pakistan Debating Circuit, having won almost every competition in the Pakistani Circuit along with numerous best speaker awards. In 2005, he won the prestigious South Asian Debating Championship hosted by the National Law School of India (NLSIU). He is a leading criminal lawyer and is the lecturer for the International Protection of Human Rights, in addition to being the debating coach at the University College Lahore. He is one of the pioneer members of UCAD and responsible for Shahjiwana’s success over the past several years, making it international during his presidency. Sharmila Parmanand Ms. Sharmila Parmanand recently completed her Masters in Development Studies. She was the Co-Chief Adjudicator at the World Universities Debating Championships 2013 in Berlin. Sharmila has previously judged the Grand Finals at the Koc Worlds 2010 and served as the Deputy Chief Adjudicator at the 2010 and 2011 Australasian Intervarsity Debating Championships, in Auckland and Seoul respectively. As a debater, she won the Asian Universities Debating Championship (AUDC) three times in a row, broke at the WUDC 2006 in Dublin and reached Australasian Intervarsity Debating Championships (Australs) grand final and semi-finals. We are very humbled and honored to have her again this year! Leela Koenig Ms. Leela Koenig was on the adjudication panel of the Grand Final at WUDC 2014 Chennai. She was the Chief Adjudicator of EUDC (Euros) in 2010, also having won the top ESL speaker price at EUDC 2007 and 2008 and at WUDC 2009. She has been the Chief Adjudicator at numerous of tournaments in the UK and continental Europe and judged/coached debating in 28 countries. After completing two Masters in Ethics and Political Theory, Leela is currently a team leader in the Speech and Debate department of the English-Speaking Union, an international educational charity with branches in over 50 countries where she is in charge of various projects in the UK and beyond which aim to spread debating to all layers of society. She

recently organised a debate in the House of Lords Chamber in the UK bringing 200 cadets and veterans together to discuss issues of war, defence and remembrance. Syed Suhaib Hassan Mr. Syed Suhaib Hassan is currently teaching at the University of Kashmir Srinagar and coaching teams in that circuit. He won WUDC Canada in 2007, in the ESL Category, and also won the best speaker in the same category. He won the Australs in 2005 and won the Royals Malaysian Intervarsity Debating Championship in 2007. He has broken at AUDC in 2007 and the Durham IVs as well as reached the final of the Durham IVs. He has judged at RVIT and was a part of the Adjudication Core at VIT Vellore. He was a part of our adjudication core last year. We are very humbled and honored to have her again this year! Fatima Yasmeen Bokhari Ms. Fatima Bokhari holds the distinction of winning the most consecutive best speaker awards in a single debating season (including LUMS IV 2010, GCU 2011, GIKI 2011, LSE 2011). She was ranked the 7th best speaker at NLS Bangalore 2009 which is one of the most competitive debating competitions in the subcontinent. Apart from that she has won or spoken in the final at almost every major debating competition in the circuit. She was the President of UCAD from 2011 to 2012. She is currently the lecturer for Jurisprudence and tutor for Criminal Law at the university. She has been accepted into Harvard Law School and will be leaving for her LLM studies this fall. THE TOURNAMENT Shahjiwana is a British Parliamentary Style Debating Competition. This year we have decided to have seven preliminary rounds with separate breaks for U-19’s and Universities to the Quarter Finals. The aim of having two additional rounds is to firstly ensure that the breaks are fairer and clean and secondly to enable teams to gain as much experience as possible from the international and competitive nature of the event. It goes without saying that due to the strenuous nature of this task all participating teams are strongly and strictly urged to report for the competition on time.

Also this year, continuing last year’s rule, we have decided to make the tournament open. This means that any two individuals can potentially make a team and participate at Shahjiwana this year. The reason for this rule is to ensure that there is no institutional bar on any individual in his or her pursuit to participate. This also provides junior debaters a rare opportunity to actively learn by speaking with or against senior debaters. Two important clarifications need to be noted. Firstly, all teams (cross or institution) will be subject to the same rules e.g. registration fee and the n=1 adjudicator rule. Secondly, both members of a team must be 19 years old (or below) in order to qualify for the U-19’s break. If one of the members of a team is more than 19 years old then the team will qualify for the Universities Break. All teams, this year, are to follow the n=1 adjudication rule which means each team in order to participate must have atleast 1 adjudicator. Failure to comply with this rule will result in immediate disqualification from the tournament. Strong and strict emphasis is placed on adherence to this rule as we want to make sure that there are sufficient judges present throughout the tournament for an effective running of the tournament. In addition, all adjudicators will be required to take the adjudication test. No person, except the adjudication core, is exempted from giving this test. Any prior experience adjudicating will not substitute the requirement of giving this test. Once prospective adjudicators have given the test, they will be evaluated by the adjudication core via interviews. Only those adjudicators who have passed the test will be consequently allowed to chair matches during the tournament while others serving as panelists. Shahjiwana made history last year by becoming the first tournament ever to have an adjudication test. The purpose behind this exercise is to ensure a more standardized and objective system of adjudication and to make this common practice in our debating circuit. It is in the best interest of the teams to abide by these strict guidelines. We have decided to continue the practice of having breaks for Adjudicators. Shahjiwana aims at providing judges who have done a good job judging preliminary rounds the opportunity to judge knockout matches. We encourage all other tournaments to adopt this practice. Adjudication is easily one of the most selfless acts one under takes. It is time we reward it. Breaks will be determined by a) adjudicator evaluation forms (to be filled by speakers) b) regularity and punctuality of adjudicators

c) discretion of the adjudication core. The Best Adjudicator will be announced at the closing ceremony. Shahjiwana takes great pride in being one of the only and biggest “Bi-lingual” debating competition. The Urdu Competition will simultaneously transpire with English. The format for Urdu is also British Parliamentary Style. It is open as well, meaning any two individuals can potentially make a team and participate. There will four preliminary rounds in Urdu with a single break for all teams to the Quarters. Urdu teams aren’t required to pay any registration fee. The adjudication rule is the same i.e. n=1. We will also be having an adjudication test for Urdu for the first time. The Urdu Prelims will take place on Thursday and Friday with no rounds on Saturday and the Knockout rounds and the Final on Sunday. We have always encouraged debating in Urdu and hope that more speakers embrace their native language. International teams from Bangladesh and India have always found the Urdu final extremely entertaining and stimulating. EVENTS This year, again, we will be having a debates workshop which will be conducted by our adjudication core. The aim of the workshop is to teach individuals the skill of debating. Anyone can attend the workshop as it will not be restricted to a particular debating format. Make sure to benefit from this rare opportunity of being tutored by some of the most successful and renowned debaters in the world. Furthermore, awareness of the mindset of the adjudication core may prove to be strategically advantageous. The registration fee for the Workshop is Rs. 500 per person and it will take place on Thursday. Also this year, we will be having a Masters Round where you will get to witness a very high quality debate in which, apart from our extremely experienced adjudication core, some of the most renowned speakers of the circuit will be speaking. The Masters Round will take place just before the breaks are announced on Saturday. After the breaks, we have arranged a break night concert where we have lined up a series of brilliant music performances which you’ll get to enjoy while enjoying food from a vast array of stalls. All participants are cordially invited to the watch the Urdu, U-19s and Universities Final on Sunday i.e. 26th January, 2014. The Shahjiwana Final has always been an

event of itself with highly competitive match ups resulting in interesting results. This will be followed by the Closing Ceremony where we will officially call the event the event to a close. All International Teams are invited to an exclusive dinner on Friday night. Teams will dine in the Old City enjoying delicious Pakistani Cuisines while enjoying the weather and the Mughal architecture in the background. INTERNATIONAL TEAMS Shahjiwana has always been one of the most hospitable events. The Pakistani Debating Circuit is one of the most competitive in South Asia and around the world having gained international recognition and success at several instances over the years. Commonly referred to as the cultural, food, artistic and educational capital of Pakistan, Lahore is perhaps one of the most diverse cities in South East Asia (or even the world), with ancient Mughal Architecture at one end of the city and an urban vibrant commercial hub at the other. It is the capital of the province of Punjab and is the 2nd most populated city of Pakistan. Lahore is the most frequently visited city of Pakistan by travelers and tourists. It is the center of our debating circuit as most of the participating institutes are concentrated here. For detailed information about Lahore such as places to visit, food, security, shopping at weather visit our website. If you are interested in being a part of Shahjiwana as an Independent Adjudicator or observer then contact us at [email protected]. You will not be required to fill any registration form. You will however be required to pay a registration fee as we are not providing any subsidy for adjudicators. Visa Visa applications may take up to a week by the High Commission of Pakistan. We will fully assist you in this process and will try our best to obtain your visas as soon as possible. When you have made your decision regarding the competition in the affirmative, please provide us the following details as soon as possible. From that point onwards, we will be in constant touch with you and we expect the same from you.

Please insure that the following details are forwarded as soon as possible so that the University College Lahore may send back an official invite with the university seal and proof of the participation required for the visa process. These are the details we’ll need from you (in particular order): 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Full Name as on passport Gender Passport Number Date of passport issuance Date of passport expiry

For those individuals who already have a Pakistani Visa, please provide us the details of your visa as soon as possible so we can get the dates changed on the Visa. Here is a summary of how the Visa Process Works: 1. Passport Information for the Visa Letter: You will send to us 2. Official Invite: Proof of Participation (needed for Visa Application): We will send to you 3. Visa Application: You will send to the Pakistan High Commission 4. Visa Application Number: You will send to us Please contact the Pakistan High Commission for the complete visa details required for the visa process since procedures may vary in each country. International delegates are further requested to contact us in case of any problems being faced during or before the visa process. Our email address is [email protected]. Accommodation International Teams will be staying at the Shalimar Tower Hotel. This 4 star hotel is located right next to the canal which will facilitate the mobility of teams greatly. The Hotel provides all basic amenities and beyond. The accommodation will include Breakfast and Dinner during the stay (lunch will be available during the competition at the university). Room Service can be ordered but will have to be paid for by the teams. Your registration fee will cover the cost for the accommodation. Transport from the Hotel to the University will be provided by us.

REGISTRATION To register your team, please fill in the registration form on our website. Make sure you fill the form correctly. If an institute wishes to register more than one team then they must submit a new form for each team that they wish to register. All teams are required to pay a registration fee in order to register their teams for Shahjiwana. The amount varies according to your team status. Once submitted, the registration fee will not be refunded. The purpose of the registration fee is to ensure that teams who have registered don’t cancel at the last moment as that is unfair to those who are on hold or/and who have are unable to register because of the cap limit. Urdu Teams are not required to pay any registration fee. However if there are any Outstation Domestic Teams which wish to participate then they will be required to pay the amount stated below Registration Fee 1. For Domestic Teams:   

PKR 1000/- per team PKR 0/- per adjudicator PKR 0/- per observer

2. For International Teams:    

USD 150/- per speaker USD 150/- per accompanying adjudicator USD 170/- per observer USD 170/- per independent adjudicator

Note: This fee includes Participation Fee, Food and Accommodation for 5 Nights (22nd January to 27th January 2014) 3. For Out-Station Domestic Teams: 

PKR 2000/- per person (speaker, adjudicator or observer)

Note: This fee includes Participation Fee, Food and Accommodation for 5 Nights (22nd January to 27th January 2014) Note: Out-Station Domestic Teams that do not belong to Islamabad and Karachi can email us for a waiver. The decision to waive the registration fee will be made upon the circumstances of the team after reviewing their application. The aim behind this is to encourage participation of novice teams and promote debating in across different regions of Pakistan. 4. For the Workshop:  PKR 500/- per person Note: International Teams and Outstation Domestic Teams can attend the workshop for free. Cap The team cap for English is 100 and the team cap for Urdu is 50. For English, teams will be registered on the following basis: 1. First Come First Served 2. A team registration will be complete NOT once you have submitted the registration form but once you have paid the registration fee 3. Each Institution MAY be granted a maximum of 4 teams 4. The cap will be aimed at creating a balance and equal distribution of teams between U-19 and Universities 5. In case we have to reduce the limit of teams granted to an institution, Team A will be given a greater priority than Team B and so on. 6. These rules don’t apply to international teams because of the indecisiveness of their visa status which may lead to pending payments For Urdu, teams will be registered on the following basis: 1. First Come First Served 2. A team registration will be complete once you have submitted the registration form 3. In case we have to reduce the limit of teams granted to an institution, Team A will be given a greater priority than Team B and so on. 4. Each Institution will be granted a maximum of 3 teams

After teams submit their registration forms (and before they make their payments), they will be informed about the respective validity of their registration. Deadlines For Submission of the Team Registration Form: 18th January 2014 For Payment of Team Registration Fee:  Outstation Domestic Teams: 20th January 2014  Domestic Teams: 20th January 2014  International Teams: 15th January 2014 For Payment of the Debates Workshop: 20th January 2014 Mode of Payment 1. Bank Draft, Pay Order, Cheque For: Out Station Domestic Teams, Domestic Teams (Institution or/and Cross), Workshop The Bank Draft, Pay Order or Cheque for the requisite amount should be made in the name of “University College Lahore”. Please remember to mention your name on the back of your payment slip. Once the payment has been made, you must courier the payment slip using the following details: Addressed to: Faizan Raja Address: University College Lahore, 1.5km Raiwind road, Thokar Niaz Baig, Lahore Contact Number of Addressee: 0332-0145969 2. Cash For: Domestic Teams (Institution or/and Cross) and Workshop We understand that payment of the registration fee for some teams through the first method is inconvenient. Whereas Institutional teams may more conveniently side with the first method because of administrative mechanisms, cross teams may wish to choose this method instead. This option, however, is not available to outstation teams. You can submit the amount due as per the registration fee structure to anyone of the following individuals (make sure you get a receipt for your payment):

Faizan Raja (0332-0145969) for Gulberg, Cavalry, Defence Talha Mushtaq (0333-7867711) for Johar Town, Wapda Town, Raiwind Daraab Furqan (0334-9890429) for Faisal Town, Model Town, Township 3. Bank Transfer: For: International Teams Account Details:       

Account Name: UCL (Pvt) Limited Account Number: 0027105866001 Swift Code : Habib American bank, 99 Madison Avenue New York (Swift: HANYUS33), NY 10016 USA for further credit to A/c No 20729857 of KASB bank Limited Pakistan. For onward credit to KASB Bank limited, Gulberg Branch, Lahore (Swift KASB Bank Ltd PLCOPKKA) Bank Name: KASB Bank Branch : Gulberg Lahore Bank Address : 76-B, E-1 Main Boulevard Gulberg III Lahore Bank Telephone Number : +92 42 35790343

Once the amount has been sent to the account, a scanned copy of the proof of payment needs to be emailed to [email protected] SCHEDULE

NOTE: The Schedule for Urdu will be uploaded when it is finalized. Visit our website at www.sidc2014.wordpress.com. To register your team, kindly fill the registration form at http://sidc2014.wordpress.com/how/registration-form/. Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/sidc2014 and also rsvp at our event page on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/events/407780489325099/?ref=22. If you have any queries, email us at [email protected]. We eagerly await your response, hoping to see you at Shahjiwana. Thank You. Faizan Raja Director Registrations 11th Shahjiwana International Debating Championship 2014 [email protected] [email protected] +92-332-0145-969