Speech for the Minister for Science and Technology

Honourable Prime Minister of Pakistan, Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani,
Ministers, Members of Parliament, Excellencies
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a great honor for me and for my team to welcome you, Mr. Prime Minister and all the distinguished guests, to the Foundation Stone Laying Ceremony of the Ministry of Science & Technology Building Complex. Honorable Prime Minister, I am extremely grateful to you for gracing this occasion despite your busy schedule. Your presence indicates your interest in, and commitment to Science and Technology. I am also grateful to all the distinguished guests for sparing their valuable time to be with us at this happy occasion. The new Ministry of Science & Technology building will be located in the midst of our other S&T Institutions in this place facing the Constitution Avenue. The MoST building, when completed, would accommodate the Ministry as well as some of its organizations that are currently housed in rented buildings. Consequently, we will be saving more than Rs.36 million annually on rental payment as well as enormous precious working time will be saved. Also with PCSIR, PSF, PCST, PAS, already in the same compound or in the vicinity, coordination with its organizations as well as with its important international organizations such as COMSTECH and COMSATS, will be greatly facilitated.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
2. The importance of Science & Technology cannot be over emphasized. While developed countries are currently spending about 2 to 3 percent of their GDP on Research and Development, the developing countries on the average spend about 0.2 % of their GDP for this purpose. We in Pakistan unfortunately lagging considerably behind comparing other brotherly countries such as Turkey, Malaysia, and others because Science & Technology has never been our priority, therefore Sir, I urge you and it is imperative that we must make this our national priority. Because of this neglect the result is that.

3. According to 2007 World Bank report, the GDP of Japan was about 4.4 Trillion US$ whereas some of the biggest and richest Muslim countries including Indonesia, Kuwait, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Malaysia, Algeria and Egypt combined had only half of that of Japan. If we compare the human and natural resources of Muslim countries with Japan, there is no comparison. But in term of economic strength, all these countries together can not compare with Japan alone. Of course we know that the difference lies in the quality of manpower, and the ability to use modern technology for generating and sustaining economic activity. So, the recipe for progress is right before our eyes: Investment in education and scientific Research & Development. This is not a new lesson that we have to learn. The students of history are well aware that Muslim scientists dominated the world scene between 9th and 13th century and laid the foundation of knowledge-societies.

Honourable Prime Minister,
4. After taking charge as the Federal Minister for Science and Technology few months ago, I have visited all the organizations of the Ministry and also held detailed discussions with eminent scientists and engineers. I have realized that these organizations are working in relative isolation. That is why the products and processes developed by them are either obsolete, insignificant, or cost prohibitive, and therefore, are not taken up by the industrial sector. I alongwith my team, decided to embark upon a comprehensive programme of restructuring all our R&D organizations. The main purpose of this exercise is to have close collaboration with all stakeholders keeping in view their needs for national interest.

5. Still we have been able to make some remarkable achievement. You will be pleased to learn that Centre for Applied Molecular Biology (CAMB) based in Lahore has been successful in formulation of interferon drug for the treatment of Hepatitis C. Clinical tests of the drug are to start soon in collaboration with the Ministry of Health. Sir, we have developed moderate scale procedure for the production of interferon at 2 Gram a month which is equivalent to 200,000 3MIU Injections at a cost of 80 Rupees per injection as compared to 450 -1000 per injection. We are waiting for the approval by Ministry of Health.

6. INSHA ALLAH this will cater the entire needs of Prime Minister’s as well as Chief Minister’s programme on the prevention of hepatitis C which will be equal to 50% requirement of interferon in CAMB has also locally developed B.T cotton and B.T rice varieties at different locations in the Country which will enhance our Yield Products from 15% to 30% per Acre. In addition CAMB is the premier laboratory which has the necessary expertise and equipment for DNA testing and is assisting the investigating agencies in different Provinces in fighting serious crime. I would appreciate if during your visit to Lahore you could spare some time to visit this state of the art facility.

7. It is my proud privilege to inform you that NUST is rated among the top 400 universities of the world. CIIT is not lagging behind either. These premier universities, besides imparting purposeful education also provide free / subsidized education to 30% children of the poor and destitute segment of our society. Sir their biggest achievement is also based in this fact that 80% to 90% of Graduating students get jobs before leaving their respective campuses.
8. One of our most recent significant achievement is the preparation of Pakistan’s case for the extension of the limits of its Continental Shelf beyond the 200 nautical mile limit of its Exclusive Economic Zone. The claim, which is based on Bath-y-metric and seismic surveys carried out by the National Institute of Oceanography, one of the organizations of this Ministry, has been submitted to the UN while meeting the legal dead line of May 13, 2009 and Pakistan expects to get sovereign rights on an additional 55,000 sq. km of seabed with all its biological and mineral resources.

9. Sir, Pakistan Council for Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) has completed a network of 92 water reservoirs in the Cholistan desert with a total capacity of 8.35 million cubic metres, which is sufficient to fulfill the requirements of its entire human and animal population for a year even during a full drought. This simple application of rainwater harvesting techniques has also paved the way for developing vegetation around these reservoirs. More recently, PCRWR has provided safe drinking water to the IDPs living in 22 camps in Mardan, Malakand, Charsadda and Swabi. I may also mention here that the organizations of the Ministry are thus engaged in contributing towards human development. Besides its drought mitigation efforts in Cholistan, PCRWR has also developed simple filtration plants that can be used, for example, to remove Arsenic from drinking water, which is a serious problem in southern Punjab and upper Sind. Use of such simple technologies can meet a large part of the national programme of providing safe drinking water to the people of Pakistan. This will not only substantially reduce the cost of the national health programme, but also generate economic activity and health prevention for poor masses of our country.

10. Under the Industrial Linkage Programme of the PCSIR, 20 laboratories have been accredited under ISO 17025 to provide internationally acceptable testing, analytical and certification facilities that are very important for exporters to meet the requirements of the WTO regime.
11. Sir, it also gives me great pleasure to inform you that recently Pakistan National Accreditation Council (PNAC) has become a signatory to the Mutual Recognition Arrangement of the Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (APLAC) and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC), two relevant regional and international apex bodies. With this status, accreditation of laboratories by PNAC will have the same validity as the accreditation by National Accreditation bodies of the industrialized countries and their test reports and certificates will be widely accepted all over the world. This would enable our exporters, importers, regulators and industry to save time, money and foreign exchange in meeting the requirements for overcoming the technical barriers to trade.
12. PCSIR is a premier R & D Organization in the country which is working in different disciplines. It has attained significant success in many fields and is assisting the local industries in the development of products and processes and analytical testing of their products. 12 of its laboratories have achieved international accreditation and their results are accepted world-wide. The PCSIR’s Scientists and Technicians have worked in different development phases of SAINDAK Project in Balochistan and the basic analytical testing for mineral development was carried out at PCSIR Labs. They have also developed laboratory scale coal gasification facilities using Lakhra Coal, and are now working to do the same for Thar Coal which is one of the largest Coal reserves in the World. Sir, allow me to emphasize the importance of this project. GOD ALMIGHTY has given you a historical opportunity to get the country out of the energy crises. God willing we can overcome the energy crisis by starting this project on a war footing. The PCSIR has also been assisting the Defence Sector in provision of a number of strategic chemicals. PCSIR Labs. have also developed Orthopedic implants of high quality at a low price, which are undergoing clinical Trails in some hospitals in Lahore with a good feedback. These are some of the humble achievements of the Scientists and Technicians of PCSIR. It would be our privilege if you could spare some time and visit these labs. either at Lahore or Karachi, and see for yourself the work that is being done. Your visit would be a source of great encouragement for all of us.

13. Similarly, Pakistan Council for Renewable Energy Technologies has to date established more than 400 microhydel plants in the northern areas, providing electricity to 56,000 homes in remote locations. It has also installed over 3,500 biogas plants in rural areas providing 14,600 cubic metres of gas per day for cooking and illumination purposes. It is now also focusing on wind and solar energy – 155 wind energy demonstration units have been installed to provide electricity to 1500 houses and 240 solar PV units are providing electricity to 240 houses. Sir, Pakistan has a huge potential of hydropower. If given sufficient resources PCRET can harness this potential subject to availability of funds. Another 100-150 MHP sites can be made operational with an input of approx.Rs.200-300 million in 03 years.


Ladies and Gentlemen,
14. The Ministry of Science & Technology is also working on the review and revision of the National S&T Policy. As Pakistan is committed to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, this Policy would focus on (i) development of indigenous technological capability and (ii) its use in the social and economic uplift of the people of Pakistan. The first draft is currently under review in the Ministry, after which there will be a round of consultations with other Ministries, Provincial Governments and relevant government agencies to formulate an integrated National Science, Technology and Innovation Policy. Sir, hopefully, we should be able to present this draft to your good-self by the end of this year.
15. Mr. Prime Minister now I would like to draw your attention to the resource constraint being faced by this Ministry which is hindering its working progress. The PSDP allocation for the 2008-09 which was Rs.3.01 Billion was revised to Rs.1.51 Billion and unfortunately the actual release by 30th June 2009 was only Rs.770 million i.e. 35% of the actual amount. Rs. Now, 3.265 Billion have been allocated for the development schemes for the current financial year 2009-10. We are aware of the financial constraint faced by the government, but we request that the amount allocated to this Ministry should be released because without resources for research, scientists would remain idle. The allocated amount also includes Rs.130 Million for the 04 development projects which were taken up under your directive in one of our meetings to improve the I.T. infrastructure of 04 universities namely, Baha-ud-Din Zakria University Multan, Gomal University D.I. Khan, The Hazara University, Mansehra and Bannu University.

16. I would also like to take this opportunity to invite your kind attention to a very serious problem being faced by the Ministry and its organizations, namely, the shortage of highly qualified technical manpower. Due to better pay packages available in the universities and the strategic research organizations, it is not possible to attract and retain technically qualified people on the Basic Pay Scale. They either do not join, or if they do join, they leave within 6 months for better pay in universities or research organizations such as PAEC, NESCOM, KRL, PARC etc. or go abroad. I have already discussed this matter with Mr. Shaukat Tarin, Adviser Finance and his team, and I appreciate their sympathetic response. The Adviser was kind to agree in principle to enhancing the salaries of scientists, technicians, researchers etc. on the pattern of Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) and Kahuta Research Laboratory (KRL) etc. Our proposal also visualizes the setting up of a Market Equalization Fund (MEF) based on self generated earnings of the R&D Organizations. This would provide an incentive to the scientists and technicians to work hard and also reverse the brain drain of our nation. However, we need your blessing and support on this issue so that our research organizations can work on full capacity to contribute towards the national development and prosperity.


17. In the end Mr. Prime Minister let me assure you that under your guidance, generous support and optimum utilization of our limited resources, we can achieve considerable successes and goals set by your Government.

Thank you again.
Pakistan Paindabad!