Chenab College Jhang has won the overall championship at the 32nd All Pakistan Bilingual Declamation Contest, held at Cadet College Petaro, after its speakers impressed judges across both the English and Urdu categories.
The national competition, held on Saturday, brought together students from 25 leading educational institutions from across Pakistan. Speakers competed in English and Urdu, testing their command of language, their research and their ability to argue a case before an audience. At the end of the contest, Chenab College Jhang was declared the overall champion, while the Pakistan Naval Academy, Karachi, finished as runners-up.
In the English category, Rayyan Mubashar of Bahria College Karsaz took first position. Cadet M. Saeed Anwar of Cadet College Jafferabad stood second, and Asif Ishtiaque of Cadet College Khairpur obtained third position.
Chenab College’s own success in the Urdu category helped seal the overall title. M. Abbas of Chenab College Jhang won first position in Urdu, followed by Officer Cadet Ahmed Hassan of the Pakistan Naval Academy in second place and Khalil Ahmed of Cadet College Ghotki in third.
The chief guest at the contest was Nadeem Rehman Memon, Secretary Colleges for the Government of Sindh, who was returning to Cadet College Petaro as an old student. Addressing the closing ceremony, he told the young speakers that institutions should produce people of character, not only successful professionals, and that discipline, integrity and compassion mattered more than titles or wealth. He urged students to embrace new technology, including artificial intelligence, while keeping their own judgment and curiosity intact, and to prepare themselves to compete internationally.
The principal of Cadet College Petaro, Commodore Faisal Iqbal Qazi, welcomed the chief guest, the judges and the visiting delegations, and said the college had always given co-curricular activities the same importance as academic work, because they build confidence, discipline and teamwork.
Prizes were distributed among the position holders at the closing ceremony, and shields were presented to the judges. Commodore Qazi presented Mr Memon with a traditional Sindhi ajrak and a commemorative shield.
For Chenab College Jhang, the championship is a notable result on a national stage, won against some of the country’s best-known cadet colleges and schools. The win adds to the college’s record in public speaking, and it comes in a contest that has run for more than three decades at Petaro.
The contest has been held at Petaro for 32 years, and it remains one of the country’s longest-running school and college debating events. For the students who took part, it offered a rare chance to measure themselves against speakers from across Pakistan — and for Jhang’s winners, a result to carry back to their college.
Source: Daily Karachi Times, “Petaro must produce leaders of character, not merely successful professionals, says Sindh colleges secretary”, published 7 November 2026.
