Rotary International District 3271 organized its annual district conference 2022. The 3 days event titled “Change-Con 2022” was held in Karachi.
The annual district conference is a signature event of the District Governor and was held physically this year after a period of two pandemic ridden years. The host for the conference was Dr Aftab Imam, District Governor. Rotary International President’s Representative was Past District Governor, M. Iqbal Qureshi and the guest of honor was Mrs Valerie K. Wafer, Vice President, Rotary international and her husband Rotarian Mark V. Wafer. They reached Karachi two days before the event and visited local rotary clubs and saw the amazing humanitarian works that Rotarians are doing in the community. The Chief Secretary of Sindh, Dr. Muhammad Sohail Rajput also graced the event as chief guest. The conference chair for the year was Rotarian Shahzad Sabir, conference secretary was Rotarian Farhan Ahmed and conference coordinator, Rotarian Waqar Ahmed Shaikh. The master of ceremony of the event was District Secretary, Rotary International District 3271, Syed Kashif Rafi.
A detailed session was also held on polio moderated by District Governor, Dr. Aftab Imam. This is the first time that no cases of polio were reported in Pakistan over a period of 15 months before 6 cases were reported. This is the closest that the country has gotten on polio eradication.
As per tradition a House of Friendship was also setup which gave small businesses an avenue to setup stalls and showcase their products.
The discussions were interspersed with musical performances by world renowned singer & actor Hadiqa Kiani at the inaugural night and Saleem Javed along with other regional artists on the 2nd and 3rd day of the conference.
The highlight of this annual event was recognizing and rewarding the clubs and Rotarians who have done exemplary work during the year. The prestigious Rotary International “Service Above Self Award” was given to Rotarian Waqar Ahmed Shaikh and “Rotarian of the Year Award” was given to Rotarian Syed Kashif Rafi. The “Best Club Award” was given to Rotary Club of Karachi as well as Rotary Club of Nawabshah. The “Lifetime Achievement award” was conferred upon Rotarian PDG. Col. (R) N. D. Tanwir. There were more than 150 award recipients in various categories of service.
The Rotary Club of Karachi Nexus Received 9 Major Awards in Rotary International DISCON – Change-Con 2022 Program. Assistant Governor RI Districts 3271 Zone 4 & PP Kausar Aslam received the Highest Zone Participation, Outstanding Assistant, and Outstanding Rotarian Awards. RCK Nexus President Muhammad Ali Haider received the Outstanding President, Rotarian, and DISCON Support Awards. Founder & Executive Secretary RCK Nexus Aslam Khaliq received the District Support and DISCON Support Awards. The Rotary Club of Karachi Nexus also received the Outstanding Club Award.
Dr Aftab Imam, District Governor – Rotary international District 3271, commenting on the occasion said, “It was an honor for me and my district team to host fellow Rotarians at the Change con 2022. Rotarians are doing remarkable work for uplift of the communities that we live in. This event gives us the opportunity to recognize some of these services and honor the Rotarians who are out there to make a difference in the lives of people. It was a privilege for me to lead this vibrant and prosperous district as District Governor for the last one year.”
