A two-day international conference on the compatibility between the global English language and local culture began at the Islamia University of Bahawalpur under the auspices of the Department of English Linguistics. Delegates from universities in Pakistan, Turkey and Oman are participating through online channels to discuss how the English language interfaces with regional cultural practices and pedagogies.
Additional Commissioner Coordination Nayyar Mustafa attended the inaugural session as guest of honor and highlighted the value of academic exchange. In a message to participants, Vice Chancellor Professor Dr. Muhammad Kamran stressed that the importance of the English language in the present era is undeniable and urged scholars to explore ways to align global linguistic practices with local identities.
Dr. Riaz Hussain, chairman of the Department of English Linguistics, said the staging of the second international conference reflects high-level teaching and research in English linguistics at the university. He thanked the Vice Chancellor and the Dean Faculty of Arts and Languages, Prof. Dr. Syed Amir Sohail, for their cooperation and patronage in organising the event.
Keynote addresses were delivered by international and domestic scholars including Prof. Dr. Ali Karakas from Mehmet Akif Ersoy University, Burdur, Turkey; Dr. Maria Isabel Maldonado Garcia from the Institute of Language and Linguistics, University of the Punjab; and Dr. Shumaila Memon from Sohar University, Sultanate of Oman. Pakistani speakers included Dr. Muhammad Ajmal of Sheikh Ayaz University Shikarpur, Dr. Zahoor Hussain of the Islamia University Bahawalpur, Dr. Muhammad Kamal Khan of Allama Iqbal Open University Islamabad, and Dr. Saharish Iftikhar of the University of Southern Punjab.
Speakers and participants will examine the global and local importance of the English language and its compatibility with culture, aiming to produce insights that teachers and students can apply in curriculum design. Emphasis was placed on the practical benefits of these academic discussions for preparing teaching materials and classroom strategies, particularly with the support of artificial intelligence in language teaching.
Present at the inaugural session were senior academics including Dean Faculty of Law Prof. Dr. Rao Imran Habib, Dean Faculty of Islamic and Arabic Studies Prof. Dr. Sheikh Shafiq-ur-Rehman, Chairman Department of International Relations Prof. Dr. Muhammad Ijaz Latif, Chairman Department of English Literature Prof. Dr. Muhammad Asif Khan, Chairman Department of Saraiki Dr. Muhammad Mumtaz Khan, and Director Public Relations Dr. Shahzad Ahmed Khalid, underscoring the university-wide support for the conferenceโs exploration of English language and culture.
