Alumni and guests are invted to join the Northumbrian Cambridge Association for their annual gerneral meeting, followed by a lecture with Dr David Gosling - Clare Hall, Cambridge - entitled ‘Violence and hope on Pakistan’s border: an educational encounter’.

Dr David L. Gosling is well known as both a scientist and a theologian. His work in world religions is of particular interest, especially following the publication of his book, Frontier of Fear: Confronting the Taliban. Between 2006 and 2010 Dr Gosling lived in Peshawar, the provincial capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, where he was principal of Edwardes College, a prestigious higher education college, affiliated with the University of Peshawar. In his book, Gosling describes his time at Edwardes College and the challenges and changes of his tenure. It was already the first co-educational college in the province, and Gosling significantly increased the proportion of female students and staff. The book also describes the early stages of Taliban growth in Afghanistan, its spill-over into the tribal borderlands of Pakistan and how a combination of Pakistan army activity and US drone strikes provoked a furious backlash by Taliban groups against civilian targets in and around Peshawar, including death threats against the author.

Programme

• 6pm - AGM
• 6:30pm - Substantial finger buffet (provided by Epicurus, with wines from Michael Jobling)
• 7:30pm - Lecture given by Dr David Gosling, Clare Hall, Cambridge