Journalists Neerja Chowdhury,Gargi Parsai get Prem Bhatia award

Talking about the challenges of being a political journalist,Chowdhury said,“You have to be scrupulously fair to people you disagree with. The media should distinguish between reporting and editorial. The other things I learnt were to not allow politicians to colour your opinion despite existing in close proximity with them and to always protect the identity of the source.”

Gargi Parsai,senior journalist at The Hindu,warned about the impact of climate change on unforeseen areas. “It has become a global issue that will affect many sectors,but agriculture will be most critical. The rising temperatures all over the world are leading to decrease in foodgrains and pose a threat to the food security.”

The Prem Bhatia Memorial Lecture was delivered by Ayesha Siddiqa,strategic affairs expert from Pakistan and author of Military Inc: Inside Pakistan’s Military Economy.

Siddiqa said,“South Asia is essentially interconnected by years of shared history. Whatever direction independent nation-states may take,we need to be together to move forward. The region is an emotional whole even though it is separated politically.”

Siddiqa also briefly dwelt on the fear that Pakistan would soon be overtaken by radical elements. “There is a general understanding that Islamabad will soon be taken over by Taliban forces. Nothing could be further from the truth. Islamabad remains secure despite the fact that it has seen violence and tension in the past. Surely,the army will see to it that such elements do not take over the capital.”

Siddiqa’s lecture was titled ‘The Lost Continent’ and she advised South Asia to learn to live together. “We are currently going through an extremely volatile period which can only be brought to an end once we understand that we will always be neighbours and relevant for each other. It is better to plan for a common future than conflict and re-imagine ourselves.”