Professor Dr Attaur Rehman former federal minister of science & technology said that today's world is the world of inventions, discoveries and knowledge-based economy and to pace with the world Pakistan has to prepare its manpower according to the need of the hour.
He was addressing at annual Shaheed Hakim Mohammad Said Memorial Lecture on the topic: "The Wondrous World of Science". The lecture was presided over by Professor Dr Syed Irtefaque Ali, former vice chancellor of Karachi University at the auditorium of Baitul-Hikmah Karachi.
"Our universities must be the centre of researches and discoveries as universities are not the name of beautiful buildings but of creative brains. Without creative brains universities are like vehicles without engines", he asserted. He said that the students should always keep in their minds the example of Hakim Said who worked hard in his whole life, built many institutions of education, health and science and even built a vast city of education, science and culture -Madinatul-Hikmah. "If we would like to summarise his whole life in one single word that would be the "service"- service to humanity", he added.
Highlighting the wondrous world of science, he said that apparently it seemed to be like fictions, but actually they were amazing realities. Researches had been made on the properties of 2100 medicinal plants and among them 14 such useful compound were found that out of them effective medicines for vector-borne diseases can be made. But western companies were reluctant to invest on them, however, we should do that in order to produce useful medicines.
Research is such a wonderful thing that you are doing research to find some particular thing but you will end up with a new thing. Energy would be obtained by splitting water through hydrogen fuel cell, he said, adding that it would give tremendous energy source to human beings. Replying to question he said that primary and higher education both were necessary to be heeding upon and made strong. Sri Lankans gave attention to primary and middle education but ignored higher education as a result though they got 96 per cent literacy but could not make prominent achievements in education, he added.
Professor Dr Syed Irtefaque Ali in his presidential address said that Hakim Said was an extraordinary and great man and today a genius gave lecture on another genius. We could not believe whatever we have listened in the lecture but they were the facts of today's world.
Earlier, Syed Mohammad Yaqub introduced to the main speaker, Professor Dr Attaur Rehman and Professor Dr Syed Irtefaque Ali the audience. Professor Dr Hakim Abdul Hannan, Vice Chancellor, Hamdard University offered vote of thanks. Mrs Sadia Rashid, President, Hamdard Foundation Pakistan presented the shields of Replica of the Holy Prophet (PBUH)'s seal to Professor Dr Attaur Rehman and Professor Dr Syed Irtefaque Ali. Besides Mutawallias Hamdard (Waqf) Dr Maham Munir Ahmed and Fatema Munir Ahmed, educationists, teachers and students in a large number attended the lecture.-PR
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