Gilani urges Comsats countries for investment in Science and Technology

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Gilani urges Comsats countries for investment in Science and Technology

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani has called upon the Comsats countries to make meaningful investments in science and technology-led education and human resource development to achieve a prosperous future for their nations.

“It goes without saying that our nations’ prosperous future is tied to meaningful investments in science and technology-led education and human resource development,” Gilani said while speaking at a dinner hosted in the honour of the delegates of Comsats (Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South) meeting here.

The Prime Minister said, “Indeed, today’s life style is characterized by the modern day technologies, which a few decades back was not even imaginable.

Gilani told the delegates of Comsats meeting that the present democratic government in Pakistan, in spite of all the financial constraints, still has been successful in conceiving, planning and executing a number of scientific and technological projects in accordance with the national priorities, through the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST).

The Prime Minister said the Ministry of Science and Technology has prepared the National Science, Technology & Innovation (ST&I) policy, in consultation with all stakeholders, which has been approved in principle by the Government and the Council for Common Interests (CCI).

The ST&I Policy in line with the new Economic Growth Strategy aims at making science, technology and innovation major vehicles of sustainable progress and development through coordinated actions of S&T organizations, academia and industry, he added.

The Prime Minister said furthermore, the democratic government through the Ministry of Science and Technology and the organizations working under its administrative control, has also performed quite well in establishing on a sustainable basis international co- operation in S&T, human resource development, promotion of research and development (R&D), renewable energy technologies, water sector, to name a few.

The Prime Minister said a hall mark achievement in science and technology field, where Pakistan took the lead, was to establish a ‘Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (Comsats),’ “for whose meeting we have all gathered together here this evening.”

“This ‘Comsats’ is every member’s Comsats. Its ownership truly belongs to all of you,” he added.

The Prime Minister said he has given instructions to the Executive Director to elect a new Chairperson from another member country, “to whom I would gladly pass on the leadership of this office.”

He, however, added, the Comsat’s Headquarters as per the international agreement, will of course continue to remain in Islamabad and the Government of Pakistan will continue to take care of all of its recurring expenses.

“Personally, for me Comsats has an emotional appeal as well, because it was the leader of my Party, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto, who had the foresight and vision to create this platform, so that our country would be able to play a leadership role for the developing countries to help them in their quest to create the needed S&T capacity,” Gilani remarked.

The Prime Minister said it gave him a great deal of satisfaction to see that Comsats has given due attention to promotion of education especially in the newly emerging and economically important fields.

The establishment of the Comsats Institute of Information Technology (CIIT) in 1998 is one such glowing example, he said, adding, recently CIIT, in spite of its young age, has been able to earn for itself the proud privilege of having been placed among the top ten universities of Pakistan, while at the same time also having been ranked as the number one IT institute in the country.

“I would, therefore, urge you to consider sending your students for graduate studies in CIIT as well as in other educational institutions of the country in different fields of science and engineering,” he added.

The Prime Minister acknowledged and appreciated time and effort of the delegates, who have travelled long distances from their home countries to come to Islamabad to participate in the Comsats’ meeting for reviewing its many good initiatives and programs so far completed since its establishment in 1994.