By Neha Deshpande
On Tuesday 17th February 2015, four members of an American delegation with the UMass Donahue Institute Civic Initiative were able to take part in various activities at some of the most important government buildings in Pakistan. Their visits were planned by Pakistani SUSI alumni Daniyal Hassan and Kashif Ali. The American delegation included Tom Fricke and Rebecca Howland from Amherst Regional High School and Ariel Geist and Neha Deshpande from the Civic Initiative.
The four Americans along with Pakistani alumnus Hassan started their day at the Supreme Court building, where they were able to sit in on several hearings. The enormity of the room was impressive, and the cases presented engrossed the group, even though the speakers kept switching between Urdu and English.
There were moments of intense debate and discussion but also those of mild humor, like when the justices were scolding the accountability board and basically telling them how to do their job. After the hearings, the group was able to meet Justice Jawwad Khawaja, thanks to the efforts of Hassan.
The group’s interaction with Justice Khawaja was supposed to be brief, but to their delight he invited them for tea, due to which the discussion lasted for about 45 minutes. The talks ranged from the future of the Pakistani Supreme Court to the books that every member of the delegation was reading, so it was quite an engaging and enjoyable experience for everyone.
After leaving the Supreme Court, alumnus Kashif Ali joined the group at the parliament building, and they received a guided tour of the venue. They were able to see the Senate and the National Assembly chambers as well as various other important halls.
The delegation was in awe of many of the paintings throughout the building, and took the time to read Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s address to the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan from 11th August 1947. The day ended with a photograph with the security officer who had given the tour.
The UMass delegation is grateful to Hassan and Ali for making the visits possible, and it’s clear that both the Americans and the Pakistanis had an amazing experience which they are unlikely to forget.
