3rd International Conference on Divine Economics
Hadi foundation Muzaffarabad is striving to produce quality work in academics to produce better and informed outcomes for the society. To achieve this objective, the chairman Hadi foundation take a vow to organize the 3rd International conference on Divine Economics in Muzaffarabad and declared the year 2022-23 as conference year. The Chairman Hadi foundation is former Director Kashmir Institute of Economics, he began his journey of economics since his early education and achieved fellowship in Post-Doc from Harvard University USA and London School of Economics UK. The chairman is not only among the country’s renowned economists but also recognized in international community. The chairman is the Founder Author of Divine Economics. Divine Economics is the study of economics and religion in each other context. It provides a comparative review of the economic assumptions and implications through the lens of values, intelligibility, faith, philosophy and religion. Having on hand, the experience of the two successful international conferences on Divine Economics (2013 & 2020). On June 20th, 2022, the Chairman in consultation with the member of the Hadi foundation announced 3rd International Conference on Divine Economics 2023 in Muzaffarabad. The Conference date was decided as 5-7 May 2023 at Peral Continental Muzaffarabad in collaboration with AJ&K Medical College Muzaffarabad,
State Bank of Pakistan Muzaffarabad, AJ&K Bank, Meezan Bank, Bank Al-Habib, Moon Creations, SAPak, FRPD, The Global Group of Companies, ESTATE313 and the Pakistan’s foremost Applied Economics Research Center (AERC) in Karachi University. Initially, the chairman constituted the two-conference committee comprised of general administrative task and technical review committee. The general tasks include, the preparation of conference project concept note, agenda, conference organizing plan, budget and related issues. Whereas, the technical committee consisted of Dr. Ashar Awan University of Azad Jammu & Kashmir (convener), Dr. Madiha Rehman from The Islamia University of Bahawalpur (Conference Secretary), Dr. Anwar Shah Quaid-i-Azam University were elected to provide the technical review of the abstracts, papers, talks/speeches and presentations that were to be presented during the conference. Moreover, other conference administrative committees were developed during early conference weeks comprised of volunteers from AJ&K university faculty and students, local community and bank. Together with the team of such dedicated volunteers, Hadi foundation achieved its milestone of the successful 3rd conference.
PRE-CONFERENCE INTERACTIVE SESSIONS
Based on the idea floated by one of the members of Hadi foundation, a pre-conference interactive sessions were scheduled both online and physical. Significant number of participants, participated in these sessions. The basic idea of the sessions was to deliver the prior knowledge on Divine Economics to the researchers and scholars for drafting their academic writings, papers and presentations.
TRAINING & CAPACITY BUILDING
For carrying out the conference task, several teams were constituted. The group members were former students at the Kashmir Institute of Economics and Department of Islamic Economy & Banking at University of Azad Jammu & Kashmir. The teams were led by the members of the Hadi foundation. Several meetings and orientation sessions were conducted to enable the teams for smooth working for the preparations of the international conference.
3RD INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON DIVINE ECONOMICS
Divine Economics is a newly developed framework to study religion and economics in each others’ perspective using the scientific process. It analyzes the role of religion, ethics, spirituality and values in economy. The framework derives insights from core economics as well as the Holy Scriptures of Divine and other Religions for developing new economic theories and models which may represent economies of both types; with or without religion. This framework has brought many attractive studies and data sets that have generated interest among economist and researchers of world’s top universities including Harvard and London School of Economics. The capital city of AJK witnessed a momentous event as renowned intellectuals, economists, and scholars from various corners of the globe convened to engage in insightful discussions on the “Role of Religion, Spirituality, Ethics, and Values in Economy and Society.” The third International Divine Economics Conference, organized by the Islamic Social Sciences Forum (ISF) of Hadi Foundation in collaboration with esteemed universities and AJK Medical College, commenced with great enthusiasm on 5-7 May 2023 at PC Hotel Muzaffarabad and with some parallel sessions at AJ&K Medical College Muzaffarabad. The conference aimed at to question traditional economic paradigms and delve into the profound influence of religion, ethics, values, and spirituality on the economy and society. Anticipation ran high as distinguished speakers and participants geared up to challenge established norms and explore novel perspectives on the interplay between economic systems and the realm of faith. The inaugural session, held at a local hotel on Saturday morning, set the tone for the momentous event. Presided over by the Former Chief Justice of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Justice Chaudhary Muhammad Ibrahim Zia, the session featured addresses by notable figures such as Prof. Christopher Hodshire from the United States and Dr. Redek Tadeusz E. Biernacki from Chile, who joined remotely. Renowned economist Dr. Faheem Khan, Chairman of the Hadi Foundation, and Conference Chair Prof. Dr. Nisar Hussain Hamdani,
along with other distinguished guests, also delivered thought-provoking speeches. The gathering witnessed an enlightening address by Prof. Christopher Hodshire from the United States, who discussed Divine economic justice and ongoing collaborations between religious institutions and their impact on poverty at both local and national levels. Prof. Hodshire also highlighted the shortcomings and pitfalls of capitalism and government policies, providing valuable insights for the participants. The conference comprised several parallel sessions on Saturday, each chaired by esteemed individuals in their respective fields. Dr. Tariq Majeed chaired a session dedicated to the theme of well-being, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), and Human Capital, which included engaging discussions on research papers and abstract presentations. Another session, led by Dr. Zafar Siddiqui, explored the subjects of education, human development, and innovation through thought-provoking papers and abstract presentations. Mufti S. Umer Amad ud Din, a distinguished Sharia Scholar and Internal Sharia Audit Expert at Eman (Silk Islamic Bank), chaired a session focused on Islamic Banking and Economy. Co-chaired by Mr. Moghees Shoukat from Oman (Hybrid), this session witnessed stimulating discussions revolving around research papers and abstract presentations pertaining to the theme. Eminent scholars and faculty members from various prestigious universities across Pakistan, including Quaid-i-Azam University, PIDE, International Islamic University, COMSATAS, NUST, NDU, Bahria University, Air University, Karachi University, AERC, Abdul Wali Khan University, Peshawar University, Mardan University, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Punjab University, Fatimah Higher Education System Karachi, and ISRA University Hyderabad, graced the conference with their presence. Heads of departments, faculty members, PhDs, and MPhil scholars from the state universities also joined the event, indicating the widespread interest in exploring new avenues of research in economics and Islamic social sciences.