The Pakistan's Ambassador to the United States, Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, will be the key-note speaker at the one-day Pak-Millennium Conference, and the proceedings that start later on Saturday in the Higgins Hall, Boston College.
The conference is envisaged as an annual event and represents a successful tradition of bringing together distinguished thinkers and practitioners from Pakistan.
The subject for the Pak-Millennium Conference - 2004 is: Democracy-Strengthening Civil Society. "We are to look at reforms within the present structure," said the organisers.
It has brought thinkers, authors, journalists, activists, political and government figures, media personalities in Boston to discuss if and how genuine functioning of democracy can be developed in Pakistan. Panelists in four sessions will take stock of the situation in Pakistan and offer ideas for future," said Siraj Khan, founding member and treasurer of the Pak-Millennium conference.
"The topic selected this year, is most relevant it's labour of love to give some fresh ideas."
He said with diehard Pakistanis living outside Pakistan will dilate on the subject, and dwell on various aspects connected with the topic, and offer recommendations.
Siraj said the topic for the next year has been decided to be 'Foreign Policy Reforms,' and will be held at Tuft University.
"Our purpose is to engage younger people, Pakistani-Americans, academia and experts from industry and bring them together", he added.
In response to a question, Siraj said the first Pak-Millennium Conference was held in Boston by the same spirited Pakistani-Americans on October 9, 1999, and the main speakers had included SBP Governor Dr Ishrat Husain and Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz.
The speaker this year will include Sir Barry Hoffman, Sitar-e-Quaid-e-Azam, honoray consul general of Pakistan in Boston.
According to sources, the participants would review recent developments - economic reforms, rise of new satellite channels and Internet, emergence of innovative NGOs, induction of large numbers of women in parliament, the rise of religious parties, restructuring of the bureaucracy at local levels, election of Nazims and assess if Pakistani institutions have become more responsive to citizens' aspirations and less corrupt, and can the civil society be further strengthened, and how?