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Desert converted into Orchard |
Pakistani Achievers - At Home & Abroad
- Thread starter Chak Bamu
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ghazi52
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Today is the anniversary of the renowned son of Pakistan, figure of knowledge and science, student of Einstein, Hafiz of Kalama Iqbal and Ghalib, Vice Chancellor of four universities and great mathematician of the twentieth century, Dr. Razuddin Siddiqui.
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23-year-old Sarah Gill has made the history by becoming the first transgender doctor of Pakistan.
Sara has managed to pass the final examination of MBBS from Karachi University.
In her message she said, “No one can stop you from achieving something if you’re passionate about it. There are difficulties in life,” adding that, “I wanted to make Pakistan famous and my parents have also accepted me after I became a doctor.”
In her message to her community she added, “I want to tell the transgender community to not lose hope. If I can become a doctor then anyone of you can work hard and be successful.”
We're proud of you Sara and we wish you best of luck for your journey.
Sara has managed to pass the final examination of MBBS from Karachi University.
In her message she said, “No one can stop you from achieving something if you’re passionate about it. There are difficulties in life,” adding that, “I wanted to make Pakistan famous and my parents have also accepted me after I became a doctor.”
In her message to her community she added, “I want to tell the transgender community to not lose hope. If I can become a doctor then anyone of you can work hard and be successful.”
We're proud of you Sara and we wish you best of luck for your journey.
ghazi52
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Compere/Commentator/Broadcaster of PTV Prof. Laeeq Ahmed Khan.
The contributions of Prof. Laeeq Ahmed Khan, who passed away 8 year ago, will always be remembered for his invaluable contributions to the field of media, education, communication, family planning and science, among others.
Laeeq Ahmed Khan was the second of five children born to Siddique Ahmed Khan and Ameena Begum on Oct 29, 1933, in Lahore where he spent a considerable part of his early life. He did his BSc Statistics from the Government College, Lahore, and master’s degrees in Physics and Public Administration from the Punjab University.
In 1968, the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission sent him to England for postgraduate training in Nuclear Engineering from the Queen Mary University of London.
Passionate about both science and education, Laeeq Ahmed aimed to disseminate science education to the people of Pakistan in a simpler manner. He produced more than 500 programmes on Television on science related topics along with others including the environment, global issues and current affairs.
Some of these famous programmes include `Science Magazine' and `Kyun aur Kesay. He also conducted a number of talks on various science subjects for Radio Pakistan. As a result of his extraordinary work, Laeeq Ahmed received the PTV Award for the best commentator in 1983 and the PTV Award for the best compere in 1986.
In 1993 he was honored with the "President's Award for Pride of Performance" and the prestigious "Lifetime Achievement Award" in 2001, in recognition of his contributions to PTV, particularly in the field of education.
As a prominent educationist, he worked tirelessly for over 40 years to improve the quality of education in Pakistan, working with both national and international institutions from China, the US and Canada.
Laeeq Ahmed also made efforts to raise awareness about global issues at local level, and in this regard he worked as a member of the `Family Planning Association of Pakistan' to educate the masses about its importance.
During that period, he organized and represented Pakistan in a number of national and international conferences, seminars and workshops on crucial topics like "islam and Family Planning". He locally held lectures and conducted television programmes like `Mas'ala No.1' to raise awareness for the issue.
His efforts were highly acknowledged by Head of States of many Muslim countries around the world. He served in the Ministry of Education from 1980 to 1987, where he proposed and led the establishment of the `Primary and Non-Formal Education Wing', under which he successfully completed various important projects for the development and expansion of Primary education in Pakistan.
In addition, he also introduced many other projects for rural education and served as part of several divisions under the Ministry of Education dealing with scholarships, educational planning and teacher's training programmes.
Before joining the Ministry of Education, he also worked as part of renowned universities like the University of Engineering & Technology (UET), Allama Iqbal Open University and establishments like the National Bank of Pakistan where he also introduced effective educational schemes for the benefit of the people.
The contributions of Prof. Laeeq Ahmed Khan, who passed away 8 year ago, will always be remembered for his invaluable contributions to the field of media, education, communication, family planning and science, among others.
Laeeq Ahmed Khan was the second of five children born to Siddique Ahmed Khan and Ameena Begum on Oct 29, 1933, in Lahore where he spent a considerable part of his early life. He did his BSc Statistics from the Government College, Lahore, and master’s degrees in Physics and Public Administration from the Punjab University.
In 1968, the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission sent him to England for postgraduate training in Nuclear Engineering from the Queen Mary University of London.
Passionate about both science and education, Laeeq Ahmed aimed to disseminate science education to the people of Pakistan in a simpler manner. He produced more than 500 programmes on Television on science related topics along with others including the environment, global issues and current affairs.
Some of these famous programmes include `Science Magazine' and `Kyun aur Kesay. He also conducted a number of talks on various science subjects for Radio Pakistan. As a result of his extraordinary work, Laeeq Ahmed received the PTV Award for the best commentator in 1983 and the PTV Award for the best compere in 1986.
In 1993 he was honored with the "President's Award for Pride of Performance" and the prestigious "Lifetime Achievement Award" in 2001, in recognition of his contributions to PTV, particularly in the field of education.
As a prominent educationist, he worked tirelessly for over 40 years to improve the quality of education in Pakistan, working with both national and international institutions from China, the US and Canada.
Laeeq Ahmed also made efforts to raise awareness about global issues at local level, and in this regard he worked as a member of the `Family Planning Association of Pakistan' to educate the masses about its importance.
During that period, he organized and represented Pakistan in a number of national and international conferences, seminars and workshops on crucial topics like "islam and Family Planning". He locally held lectures and conducted television programmes like `Mas'ala No.1' to raise awareness for the issue.
His efforts were highly acknowledged by Head of States of many Muslim countries around the world. He served in the Ministry of Education from 1980 to 1987, where he proposed and led the establishment of the `Primary and Non-Formal Education Wing', under which he successfully completed various important projects for the development and expansion of Primary education in Pakistan.
In addition, he also introduced many other projects for rural education and served as part of several divisions under the Ministry of Education dealing with scholarships, educational planning and teacher's training programmes.
Before joining the Ministry of Education, he also worked as part of renowned universities like the University of Engineering & Technology (UET), Allama Iqbal Open University and establishments like the National Bank of Pakistan where he also introduced effective educational schemes for the benefit of the people.
ghazi52
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Death anniversary of Dr. Annemarie Schimmel
Annemarie Schimmel was born on April 7, 1922 in Erfurt, Germany, as the only child of highly cultured middle-class parents, who raised her in an atmosphere saturated with literature and poetry.
Skipping two grades in secondary school, she began her studies at the University of Berlin in the fall of 1939 at the age of seventeen. Her most influential teacher was the inspiring polymath, Hans Heinrich Schaeder. He suggested that she study the Divan of Jalaluddin Rumi, and the poetry struck her like lightning. She intuitively grasped the ideas embodied in this poetry and never let go of it again.
In October 1941, at 19, she earned her doctorate with a dissertation on late medieval Egypt. Shortly thereafter, she was drafted by the Foreign Office and attached to a decoding unit. She continued to work on scholarly projects in her spare time, and on March 31, 1945 she submitted her Habilitationsschrift. However, the next day her decoding unit was put on trucks and evacuated, destination unknown. On April 20, the convoy encountered the advancing American army somewhere in Saxony; once captured, the whole group was sent to Marburg and interned there on May 8, 1945, the day the war ended. The internees soon founded a “camp university,” and Annemarie gave her first lectures on things Islamic sitting on the top of a double-decker bunk.
Fortunately, Annemarie had brought along a copy of her Habilitationsschrift and was able to do her Habilitation in Marburg. On January 12, 1946, she gave her inaugural lecture on “The Main Representatives of Islamic Mysticism” at the age of 23.
In 1951, she earned a second doctorate in the History of Religions awarded by the Faculty of Protestant Theology in Marburg, with a thesis on mystical love in Islam.
In the early fifties Annemarie made several trips to Turkey. In 1953, while she was in Ankara, she gave her first public lecture in Turkish; soon thereafter the University’s Faculty of Theology offered her the vacant chair of the History of Religion. The fact that she was a woman and a non-Muslim to boot played no role whatsoever. (In her autobiography Annemarie asks if in those years a German faculty of Protestant theology would have appointed a Muslim woman to a professorship!)
Living in Turkey for five years (1954-59) gave her “obsession” with Rumi, whose mausoleum in Konya she frequently visited, a definite boost. But her other favorite subject, the Indo-Muslim thinker and poet Muhammad Iqbal, also emerged in her writings during this time. At the urging of her Turkish friends she produced an annotated translation of Iqbal’s famous spiritual book, the Jawednama. This led to an invitation in 1958 to visit Pakistan that was the starting-point of a new research interest that ultimately brought her to Harvard.
In August of 1965, on her first visit to the US, attending the 11th Congress of the International Association for the History of Religions in Claremont, California, she was approached by Harvard’s Wilfred Cantwell Smith, who told her that substantial funds had been given to Harvard by the inventor of Minute Rice, Mr. Ozai-Durrani, to have two major Urdu poets, Mir and Ghalib, translated into poetic English. Of course, the position would consist of more than just this translation project. Would she be interested in coming to Harvard? She declined, claiming that as a non-specialist in Urdu she was ill prepared to do the job. But Smith and others at Harvard pursued her doggedly and finally convinced her.
In the spring of 1967 she started at Harvard as Lecturer on Indo-Muslim Culture, and in 1970 she was appointed full professor. She taught only in the spring term, but with a double load. Almost every year she traveled to Pakistan in the fall. She attained such legendary status there that a major boulevard was named after her in Lahore. Although she taught only during the spring term, her students were well looked after. They adored her, stood in awe of her, even feared her, as she was very demanding; but they also trusted her and asked for her counsel in personal matters. Her classes on Sufism were always well attended, and one of her courses metamorphosed into her most famous book, Mystical Dimensions of Islam. She was also a much sought-after lecturer, and her style of delivery was famous: she would clasp her purse with both hands, shut her eyes, and speak for exactly the amount of time allotted to her. She maintained that she could lecture without a manuscript in German, English and Turkish, or with a manuscript (and open eyes) in French, Arabic, Persian and Urdu.
During her academic life she was awarded an impressive number of honorary doctorates, as well as numerous prizes and medals. She published more than a hundred books in English and German, many of which were intended for the educated layman. Verse translations of Islamic poetry were her favorite pastime, in which she followed the model of her hero, the late Romantic poet and orientalist, Friedrich Rückert; at least six languages were involved.
In 1992 she retired from Harvard. Back in Bonn her life consisted of almost constant lecturing and writing. On October 15, 1995, she received the prestigious Peace Prize of the German Book-Trade Association to honor her achievements in generating East-West understanding; the President of Germany read the laudatio. This was in a way the ultimate public recognition of her life’s work, which may be subsumed under her favorite among Rückert’s sayings: “World-poetry is world-reconciliation.”
On January 26, 2003, Annemarie died of complications following surgery. She had no immediate living family, but is survived by a well-loved son of a cousin and his family, now in California and New Jersey, as well as a large number of friends, colleagues, students, and many Muslims of all walks of life, who will always remember this singular scholar and interpreter of the Muslim world with fondness and admiration.
Annemarie Schimmel was born on April 7, 1922 in Erfurt, Germany, as the only child of highly cultured middle-class parents, who raised her in an atmosphere saturated with literature and poetry.
Skipping two grades in secondary school, she began her studies at the University of Berlin in the fall of 1939 at the age of seventeen. Her most influential teacher was the inspiring polymath, Hans Heinrich Schaeder. He suggested that she study the Divan of Jalaluddin Rumi, and the poetry struck her like lightning. She intuitively grasped the ideas embodied in this poetry and never let go of it again.
In October 1941, at 19, she earned her doctorate with a dissertation on late medieval Egypt. Shortly thereafter, she was drafted by the Foreign Office and attached to a decoding unit. She continued to work on scholarly projects in her spare time, and on March 31, 1945 she submitted her Habilitationsschrift. However, the next day her decoding unit was put on trucks and evacuated, destination unknown. On April 20, the convoy encountered the advancing American army somewhere in Saxony; once captured, the whole group was sent to Marburg and interned there on May 8, 1945, the day the war ended. The internees soon founded a “camp university,” and Annemarie gave her first lectures on things Islamic sitting on the top of a double-decker bunk.
Fortunately, Annemarie had brought along a copy of her Habilitationsschrift and was able to do her Habilitation in Marburg. On January 12, 1946, she gave her inaugural lecture on “The Main Representatives of Islamic Mysticism” at the age of 23.
In 1951, she earned a second doctorate in the History of Religions awarded by the Faculty of Protestant Theology in Marburg, with a thesis on mystical love in Islam.
In the early fifties Annemarie made several trips to Turkey. In 1953, while she was in Ankara, she gave her first public lecture in Turkish; soon thereafter the University’s Faculty of Theology offered her the vacant chair of the History of Religion. The fact that she was a woman and a non-Muslim to boot played no role whatsoever. (In her autobiography Annemarie asks if in those years a German faculty of Protestant theology would have appointed a Muslim woman to a professorship!)
Living in Turkey for five years (1954-59) gave her “obsession” with Rumi, whose mausoleum in Konya she frequently visited, a definite boost. But her other favorite subject, the Indo-Muslim thinker and poet Muhammad Iqbal, also emerged in her writings during this time. At the urging of her Turkish friends she produced an annotated translation of Iqbal’s famous spiritual book, the Jawednama. This led to an invitation in 1958 to visit Pakistan that was the starting-point of a new research interest that ultimately brought her to Harvard.
In August of 1965, on her first visit to the US, attending the 11th Congress of the International Association for the History of Religions in Claremont, California, she was approached by Harvard’s Wilfred Cantwell Smith, who told her that substantial funds had been given to Harvard by the inventor of Minute Rice, Mr. Ozai-Durrani, to have two major Urdu poets, Mir and Ghalib, translated into poetic English. Of course, the position would consist of more than just this translation project. Would she be interested in coming to Harvard? She declined, claiming that as a non-specialist in Urdu she was ill prepared to do the job. But Smith and others at Harvard pursued her doggedly and finally convinced her.
In the spring of 1967 she started at Harvard as Lecturer on Indo-Muslim Culture, and in 1970 she was appointed full professor. She taught only in the spring term, but with a double load. Almost every year she traveled to Pakistan in the fall. She attained such legendary status there that a major boulevard was named after her in Lahore. Although she taught only during the spring term, her students were well looked after. They adored her, stood in awe of her, even feared her, as she was very demanding; but they also trusted her and asked for her counsel in personal matters. Her classes on Sufism were always well attended, and one of her courses metamorphosed into her most famous book, Mystical Dimensions of Islam. She was also a much sought-after lecturer, and her style of delivery was famous: she would clasp her purse with both hands, shut her eyes, and speak for exactly the amount of time allotted to her. She maintained that she could lecture without a manuscript in German, English and Turkish, or with a manuscript (and open eyes) in French, Arabic, Persian and Urdu.
During her academic life she was awarded an impressive number of honorary doctorates, as well as numerous prizes and medals. She published more than a hundred books in English and German, many of which were intended for the educated layman. Verse translations of Islamic poetry were her favorite pastime, in which she followed the model of her hero, the late Romantic poet and orientalist, Friedrich Rückert; at least six languages were involved.
In 1992 she retired from Harvard. Back in Bonn her life consisted of almost constant lecturing and writing. On October 15, 1995, she received the prestigious Peace Prize of the German Book-Trade Association to honor her achievements in generating East-West understanding; the President of Germany read the laudatio. This was in a way the ultimate public recognition of her life’s work, which may be subsumed under her favorite among Rückert’s sayings: “World-poetry is world-reconciliation.”
On January 26, 2003, Annemarie died of complications following surgery. She had no immediate living family, but is survived by a well-loved son of a cousin and his family, now in California and New Jersey, as well as a large number of friends, colleagues, students, and many Muslims of all walks of life, who will always remember this singular scholar and interpreter of the Muslim world with fondness and admiration.
ghazi52
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ghazi52
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The ZYN “aha” moment occurred during a family trip to Pakistan in November 2016 with our parents. After the long plane ride to Islamabad, our elderly, diabetic father suffered from sudden and severe diabetic nerve pain (neuropathy) in his foot, to the point where he couldn’t walk. Our aunt made a paste with Turmeric powder and olive oil and applied it to our father’s foot. Within an hour, his pain was completely gone. Natural healing has been a part of our Eastern culture for over 5000 years. Our family has used ancient, natural remedies for everything from colds, to indigestion, to reducing inflammation. We decided Turmeric was something that we wanted to share with the world in a tasty format that could be enjoyed by people of all ages.
Upon our return to the US, we began to further research Turmeric and discovered its immunity boosting and inflammation reducing healing power comes from a tiny compound called CURCUMIN. We began crafting drinks in our kitchens with CURCUMIN, combining it with PIPERINE to boost absorption. We tested the recipes on ourselves and noticed our everyday aches and pains went away and we felt rejuvenated. We were onto something we felt needed to be shared with the world. So we kept crafting ZYN and introduced the recipes to our family and friends, then to local grocery stores and hospitals, and from there our amaZYN journey has led to nationwide expansion of ZYN.
Shake Well. Be Well.
Asim & Qasim Khan
Brothers and Co-founders
Upon our return to the US, we began to further research Turmeric and discovered its immunity boosting and inflammation reducing healing power comes from a tiny compound called CURCUMIN. We began crafting drinks in our kitchens with CURCUMIN, combining it with PIPERINE to boost absorption. We tested the recipes on ourselves and noticed our everyday aches and pains went away and we felt rejuvenated. We were onto something we felt needed to be shared with the world. So we kept crafting ZYN and introduced the recipes to our family and friends, then to local grocery stores and hospitals, and from there our amaZYN journey has led to nationwide expansion of ZYN.
Shake Well. Be Well.
Asim & Qasim Khan
Brothers and Co-founders
ghazi52
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..
Death anniversary of famous neurosurgeon Dr. Jooma.
Dr. Jooma came to Pakistan in 1951 and set up a unit of neurosurgery in Jinnah Hospital Karachi which was the very first neurosurgical unit in Pakistan.
His wife Mrs. Jooma was an avid social worker and helped Fatima Jinnah set up Khatoon-e-Pakistan Girls College Karachi.
Death anniversary of famous neurosurgeon Dr. Jooma.
Dr. Jooma came to Pakistan in 1951 and set up a unit of neurosurgery in Jinnah Hospital Karachi which was the very first neurosurgical unit in Pakistan.
His wife Mrs. Jooma was an avid social worker and helped Fatima Jinnah set up Khatoon-e-Pakistan Girls College Karachi.
ghazi52
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LIFE LESSONS FROM A TOP SCIENTIST
Muqaddam Khan
February 27, 2022
..
Dr Hussain preparing test samples with a drilling machine in the laboratory Photos courtesy Iftikhar Ahmed
The contributions of scientists and scientific breakthroughs are often cited as having altered our lives. However, Pakistani scientist Dr Ghulam Hussain, who last December made it to Stanford University’s prestigious list of the top two percent most widely cited scientists in different disciplines, believes that it were his parents’ contributions that transformed his life.
“They are a role model for rural parents,” says Dr Hussain. “My father is not educated, but he cultivated my interest in science. Despite meagre resources, he made tremendous sacrifices to provide me a perfect environment to study in. He encouraged me to explore and always boosted my morale.”
The Stanford University ranking draws from a database of more than 8 million active scientists worldwide.
“I am on both the single year and career list,” Hussain points out, smiling. “The former list might be changed after a year. However, the career list signifies lifelong performance.”
For the last seven years, Hussain has been associated with the Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as a professor of mechanical engineering. The son of a retired soldier from Burewala, Punjab, Dr Hussain believes that parents’ interest and guidance are critical in their children’s education, especially in the rural areas, where there is not much of an education culture.
“My FSc days were the toughest, but my mother did her best to make things comfortable for me. I would leave at sunrise by the one bus that came to my village, Chak 483/EB, to reach my college in Burewala city. I used to walk two kilometres, then get on the bus. On the way back in the evening, if the bus were late, I would start studying because I didn’t want to waste time.
“Older people would get seats on the bus, so, even when I was standing, I would mentally revise that day’s work. It is impossible to achieve anything without hard work, and time management is crucial for success.”
In 2009, Dr Hussain did his Masters and PhD in Mechanical Engineering at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (NUAA), China. Prior to this, in 2000, he had graduated in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore.
“When I was doing my FSc, the village elders would ask me what I would do if I didn’t get admission in UET,” shares Dr Hussain, explaining the importance of being totally committed to one’s goal in life. “I would tell them that I would try again and again. Now it’s payback time, and I want to make a welfare centre in Burewala.”
The scientist researching on the flexible manufacturing system
Specialising in advanced manufacturing processes, Dr Hussain has edited three books, and published more than 106 research articles in international journals. A leading researcher in his field since 2014, he was ranked as the sixth top national young researcher in the engineering category by the Pakistan Council for Science and Technology in 2017, and the world’s fourth top researcher in incremental sheet forming in 2022, according to the Scopus database.
“I chose mechanical manufacturing for my PhD,” he says, “because it always intrigued me. A strong and vibrant manufacturing sector is essential for high value-added sectors of the economy. Manufacturing and technological breakthroughs are the main drivers of sustained economic growth in the US, Germany, Japan, UK, Malaysia and China — countries that control global bulk production.”
Dr Hussain wants to infuse a spirit of competitiveness in Pakistan’s manufacturing sector, to bring it at par with international standards.
“I want to push indigenisation and establish a research centre, so that scientific knowledge can be used to provide solutions for local industry problems,” he says.
His work on innovative, emerging processes helps reduce pollution and costs, enables conservation of energy, and the use of natural resources. “My research is useful for the local manufacturing sector, especially in automotive, aircraft and aerospace areas,” explains Dr Hussain.
Talking about how his teachers have influenced his life and work ethics, he shared a couple of endearing stories.
Working on the universal testing machine
“I will always remember my ninth class teacher, Mohammed Ayub sahib at the Government High School Chak 455/EB, Burewala, for his unique way of teaching us humility,” shares Dr Hussain.
“We didn’t have desks in our school and we used to sit on a mat. But he would make us sit on the floor or the ground and, when we asked him why he did that, he said he wanted us to be humble. He would say this is the earth, which makes a plant out of a seedling, and it is this earth that we end up going into. When I grew up and thought about it, it made a lot of sense.”
Prof Gao Lin, a Chinese scholar at NUAA also taught Dr Hussain the essential methodology of research. “He motivated me to the core,” he shares. “Lin didn’t approve of people sitting idle and waiting for an opportunity. A scientist never rests, he would say and that, without hard work, you cannot achieve anything.”
Dr Hussain feels that Pakistan lags behind in science and technology because of our insensitivity towards science. “Unfortunately, administrative fields and powerful, bureaucratic positions are glamorised, and appeal more to young people.”
He believes several factors have deterred scientific progress in Pakistan. “A feeble economy, lack of resources, dearth of determination, and a perpetually perturbed environment are serious challenges to our country and scientific progress,” says Hussain.
“Our dilemma is that we give more importance to personal interest instead of the interests of the state.”
Dr Hussain says there is no dearth of talent in Pakistan, but we lack a mechanism to utilise our skilled and talented professionals. “We need a research culture, transparency in the recruitment process, and employment opportunities,” he elaborates.
“Unfortunately, successive governments have utterly failed to create a conducive environment and red-tape has damaged the intellectual prowess of qualified professionals, leading to brain drain, and depriving the country of brilliant intellectuals. The Higher Education Commission should increase funds and support researchers in developing indigenous technology.”
Pakistan needs research that can enable the faculty and students to play their role in its economic growth.
“Quality education and research are keys to unlock many locks,” he says. “If we fail in doing so today, there will be a bleak future ahead.”
The writer is a KP-based journalist. His areas of interest are South Asian affairs and Afghanistan
Published in Dawn, EOS, February 27th, 2022
Muqaddam Khan
February 27, 2022
..
Dr Hussain preparing test samples with a drilling machine in the laboratory Photos courtesy Iftikhar Ahmed
The contributions of scientists and scientific breakthroughs are often cited as having altered our lives. However, Pakistani scientist Dr Ghulam Hussain, who last December made it to Stanford University’s prestigious list of the top two percent most widely cited scientists in different disciplines, believes that it were his parents’ contributions that transformed his life.
“They are a role model for rural parents,” says Dr Hussain. “My father is not educated, but he cultivated my interest in science. Despite meagre resources, he made tremendous sacrifices to provide me a perfect environment to study in. He encouraged me to explore and always boosted my morale.”
The Stanford University ranking draws from a database of more than 8 million active scientists worldwide.
“I am on both the single year and career list,” Hussain points out, smiling. “The former list might be changed after a year. However, the career list signifies lifelong performance.”
For the last seven years, Hussain has been associated with the Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as a professor of mechanical engineering. The son of a retired soldier from Burewala, Punjab, Dr Hussain believes that parents’ interest and guidance are critical in their children’s education, especially in the rural areas, where there is not much of an education culture.
“My FSc days were the toughest, but my mother did her best to make things comfortable for me. I would leave at sunrise by the one bus that came to my village, Chak 483/EB, to reach my college in Burewala city. I used to walk two kilometres, then get on the bus. On the way back in the evening, if the bus were late, I would start studying because I didn’t want to waste time.
“Older people would get seats on the bus, so, even when I was standing, I would mentally revise that day’s work. It is impossible to achieve anything without hard work, and time management is crucial for success.”
In 2009, Dr Hussain did his Masters and PhD in Mechanical Engineering at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (NUAA), China. Prior to this, in 2000, he had graduated in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore.
“When I was doing my FSc, the village elders would ask me what I would do if I didn’t get admission in UET,” shares Dr Hussain, explaining the importance of being totally committed to one’s goal in life. “I would tell them that I would try again and again. Now it’s payback time, and I want to make a welfare centre in Burewala.”
The scientist researching on the flexible manufacturing system
Specialising in advanced manufacturing processes, Dr Hussain has edited three books, and published more than 106 research articles in international journals. A leading researcher in his field since 2014, he was ranked as the sixth top national young researcher in the engineering category by the Pakistan Council for Science and Technology in 2017, and the world’s fourth top researcher in incremental sheet forming in 2022, according to the Scopus database.
“I chose mechanical manufacturing for my PhD,” he says, “because it always intrigued me. A strong and vibrant manufacturing sector is essential for high value-added sectors of the economy. Manufacturing and technological breakthroughs are the main drivers of sustained economic growth in the US, Germany, Japan, UK, Malaysia and China — countries that control global bulk production.”
Dr Hussain wants to infuse a spirit of competitiveness in Pakistan’s manufacturing sector, to bring it at par with international standards.
“I want to push indigenisation and establish a research centre, so that scientific knowledge can be used to provide solutions for local industry problems,” he says.
His work on innovative, emerging processes helps reduce pollution and costs, enables conservation of energy, and the use of natural resources. “My research is useful for the local manufacturing sector, especially in automotive, aircraft and aerospace areas,” explains Dr Hussain.
Talking about how his teachers have influenced his life and work ethics, he shared a couple of endearing stories.
Working on the universal testing machine
“I will always remember my ninth class teacher, Mohammed Ayub sahib at the Government High School Chak 455/EB, Burewala, for his unique way of teaching us humility,” shares Dr Hussain.
“We didn’t have desks in our school and we used to sit on a mat. But he would make us sit on the floor or the ground and, when we asked him why he did that, he said he wanted us to be humble. He would say this is the earth, which makes a plant out of a seedling, and it is this earth that we end up going into. When I grew up and thought about it, it made a lot of sense.”
Prof Gao Lin, a Chinese scholar at NUAA also taught Dr Hussain the essential methodology of research. “He motivated me to the core,” he shares. “Lin didn’t approve of people sitting idle and waiting for an opportunity. A scientist never rests, he would say and that, without hard work, you cannot achieve anything.”
Dr Hussain feels that Pakistan lags behind in science and technology because of our insensitivity towards science. “Unfortunately, administrative fields and powerful, bureaucratic positions are glamorised, and appeal more to young people.”
He believes several factors have deterred scientific progress in Pakistan. “A feeble economy, lack of resources, dearth of determination, and a perpetually perturbed environment are serious challenges to our country and scientific progress,” says Hussain.
“Our dilemma is that we give more importance to personal interest instead of the interests of the state.”
Dr Hussain says there is no dearth of talent in Pakistan, but we lack a mechanism to utilise our skilled and talented professionals. “We need a research culture, transparency in the recruitment process, and employment opportunities,” he elaborates.
“Unfortunately, successive governments have utterly failed to create a conducive environment and red-tape has damaged the intellectual prowess of qualified professionals, leading to brain drain, and depriving the country of brilliant intellectuals. The Higher Education Commission should increase funds and support researchers in developing indigenous technology.”
Pakistan needs research that can enable the faculty and students to play their role in its economic growth.
“Quality education and research are keys to unlock many locks,” he says. “If we fail in doing so today, there will be a bleak future ahead.”
The writer is a KP-based journalist. His areas of interest are South Asian affairs and Afghanistan
Published in Dawn, EOS, February 27th, 2022
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ghazi52
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Web Desk
WASHINGTON – United States President Joe Biden has named Pakistani-origin Lina Khan, a Big Tech critic, as the Commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
Reports in international media cited that the 32-year-old was sworn in as the FTC Chair hours after being confirmed by the Senate as one of the five members of the governing body while surpassing other nominees.
The role of Khan is a hugely potent one, which protects consumers from bad business practices and companies from unfair rivalry. Lina is a law professor at Columbia University who is an anti-trust icon on the monopolistic practices of big tech companies.
She also holds the title of being the youngest chair in the history of the federal antitrust watchdog.
Expressing gratitude over the appointment, the Pakistani origin American took to her official handle where she wrote ‘It’s a tremendous honor to have been selected by President Biden to lead the Federal Trade Commission, I look forward to upholding this mission with vigor and serving the American public’.
US Senator Elizabeth Warren also complimented Lina on her appointment to the high chair. Lina brings vast knowledge and expertise to this role and will be a fearless champion for consumers, she remarked while discussing the ongoing crackdowns on tech giants in the United States.
American legal scholar was born in London to Pakistani parents who later migrated to the US when she was only eleven. She completed her schooling in the US and brought a lot of attention to the antitrust game with her exceptional achievements for working on the ‘Amazon’s Antitrust Paradox’ as a law student at Yale University in 2017. She later joined Columbia University Law School as a professor.
Khan helped to lay the infrastructure for a new means of practicing the antitrust laws while working as counsel to a House Judiciary antitrust panel. She also contributed to the probe of the market power of tech giants that had caused numerous problems for the American government.
Pakistani origin Lina Khan named top federal regulator by Joe Biden
https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/author/web-deskWeb Desk
WASHINGTON – United States President Joe Biden has named Pakistani-origin Lina Khan, a Big Tech critic, as the Commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
Reports in international media cited that the 32-year-old was sworn in as the FTC Chair hours after being confirmed by the Senate as one of the five members of the governing body while surpassing other nominees.
The role of Khan is a hugely potent one, which protects consumers from bad business practices and companies from unfair rivalry. Lina is a law professor at Columbia University who is an anti-trust icon on the monopolistic practices of big tech companies.
She also holds the title of being the youngest chair in the history of the federal antitrust watchdog.
Expressing gratitude over the appointment, the Pakistani origin American took to her official handle where she wrote ‘It’s a tremendous honor to have been selected by President Biden to lead the Federal Trade Commission, I look forward to upholding this mission with vigor and serving the American public’.
US Senator Elizabeth Warren also complimented Lina on her appointment to the high chair. Lina brings vast knowledge and expertise to this role and will be a fearless champion for consumers, she remarked while discussing the ongoing crackdowns on tech giants in the United States.
American legal scholar was born in London to Pakistani parents who later migrated to the US when she was only eleven. She completed her schooling in the US and brought a lot of attention to the antitrust game with her exceptional achievements for working on the ‘Amazon’s Antitrust Paradox’ as a law student at Yale University in 2017. She later joined Columbia University Law School as a professor.
Khan helped to lay the infrastructure for a new means of practicing the antitrust laws while working as counsel to a House Judiciary antitrust panel. She also contributed to the probe of the market power of tech giants that had caused numerous problems for the American government.
ghazi52
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08:01 PM | 11 Mar, 2022
Source: IBSF
ISLAMABAD – Pakistan’s Ahsan Ramzan has won the final of the International Billiards and Snooker Federation, beating Iran’s Amir Sarkosh in Qatari capital on Friday.
The Pakistani prodigy claimed the feat after defeating Sarkosh with 5-6 and becomes the third-youngest player to win the World Snooker Championship.
Ramzan,16, earlier defeated defending champion Muhammad Asif in the semi-finals after a thrilling contest.
........
Pakistani teen cueist Ahsan Ramzan wins IBSF World Snooker Championship in Doha
Web Desk08:01 PM | 11 Mar, 2022
Source: IBSF
ISLAMABAD – Pakistan’s Ahsan Ramzan has won the final of the International Billiards and Snooker Federation, beating Iran’s Amir Sarkosh in Qatari capital on Friday.
The Pakistani prodigy claimed the feat after defeating Sarkosh with 5-6 and becomes the third-youngest player to win the World Snooker Championship.
Ramzan,16, earlier defeated defending champion Muhammad Asif in the semi-finals after a thrilling contest.
........
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