This year, the Debating and Recitations Society at LUMS (DRUMS) began a new tradition - called the LUMS Quarterly Debates. Modeled on the Oxford Union Debates, the LUMS Quarterly Debates hope to propagate a much needed culture of civic discourse on some of the most pressing issues of our time. The idea, very simply, is to promote tolerance of conflicting views in our society and encourage debate and discussion instead of antagonism rooted in ideology and dogma.

The first ever LUMS Quarterly Debate aimed to begin a conversation on Indo-Pak relations, with the motion being "This House Believes that Pakistan should adopt a hardline policy, curbing all engagements with India given recent events."  Ayaz Amir, and Shamshad Ahmad spoke from the proposition bench, while Shahryar Khan and Ayesha Siddiqua spoke from the opposition bench. With both sides presenting strong arguments, the 200+ audience had a hard time deciding the winner; the proposition won by only two votes!

LUMS is proud to have been a pioneer for providing a space for an informed debate on all kinds of issues. The second LUMS Quarterly Debate will be held in early December, and we hope to establish this as a tradition that the LUMS community prides itself on.