Call to promote research activity to meet targets

Having strength of over 53,000 persons classified as scientific researchers, over 85 research organizations and more than 220 research institutes, Pakistan still lacks research which truly fulfills the national needs and goals.

This was stated by Prof Dr S.K. Hasanian, Chairman Department of Physics, Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) at a national seminar on .The Relevance of Scientific Research in the Pakistani Context. organized by Pakistan Mathematics Society.

The well known physicist said that there is a missing link between local industries, manufacturing and local science. He said the only exceptions to this rule seem to be the country.s defense industry that is now a significant player with an export of over Rs. 500 million per annum besides fulfilling the domestic military requirements.

“With an aim to further promote local defense industry the proper support and commitment by the state can be harnessed to fulfill national needs” he added.

Prof Hasnain said that the inability of Pakistani science to make a connection with industry or to make any impact on self reliance and indigenization efforts is rooted in the nature of local entrepreneurship and lack of commitment on the part of the government. “Until an economic relevance of scientific R&D is established, our scientific efforts will continue to be only an activity for intellectual satisfaction or career advancement of scientists and academicians” he stated.

The tendency, via career advancement through multiplication of repetitive and insignificant publications or by the mass production of ill-trained PhD’s, flourishes in an environment where the society makes no demands of scientists to prove their mettle by addressing its needs and finding original solutions to its problems, said Prof. Hasnain