Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on Monday categorically stated that the country''s nuclear capability was purely for peaceful purposes. Addressing the participants of 36th International Nathiagali Summer College on Physics and Contemporary Needs at National Centre of Physics here, Gilani said more civil nuclear power plants would be built to address severe energy deficit.
The country required more electrical energy and in future may have to rely on nuclear power to meet a part of this demand. He said Pakistan had been consistently complying with the requirements of International Atomic Energy Agency''s nuclear safeguard agreements.
Gilani said Pakistan believed in a meaningful coexistence and reconciliation, and would always strive for development and prosperity in our region. He said building and operating nuclear power plants was vital to the country''s interest because of its severe energy deficiency.
Gilani lauded the contributions of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission for basic and applied sciences, adding that the expansion in the country''s Civil Nuclear Power Programme was commendable. The prime minister recalled inaugurating C-2, the second unit at Chashma Nuclear Power Complex, which increased the production of electricity through nuclear power to 625 mega watts.
He said that based upon previous performance, the Atomic Energy Commission was not only poised to achieve the 8800 mega watts Nuclear Power production by 2030, and hoped that it would also plan to look beyond 2030 to build more nuclear power plants.
Gilani said the fate of countries today is determined by their economic competitiveness and stressed the need to understand and appreciate the implications of competition in the global market-driven economy. He said keeping in view the pivotal role science had assumed, the government had allocated appropriate funds for the development of trained and qualified human resource. He said support would be provided to establish research laboratories to provide employment to this trained manpower.
The Prime Minister said the government was fully supportive of such activities and looked forward towards active collaboration with CERN - The European Organisation for Nuclear Research, for innovative research resulting in major scientific breakthroughs.
He hoped that this collaboration would provide increased opportunities for the continuance of research traditions in the country. He acknowledged the contributions of the country''s Noble Laureate late Professor Abdus Salam, who was the founder and a passionate supporter of International Nathiagali Summer College.
Gilani said the Nathiagali Summer College had over the years provided great stimulus to the scientific activities in the region particularly Pakistan. He said such forums have become a prestigious event in the scientific calendar of the developing world and have duly been recognised for discussing most recent trends and results in various fields of physics.
Gilani appreciated the productive efforts of country''s scientists in the fields of agriculture, biotechnology, industry and health, which he said had been largely possible owing to the investment in human resource development. He mentioned that Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto laid the foundations of pursuit of scientific knowledge in the country, which was bearing fruits today.
He stressed for utilising science as an intellectual pursuit to general progress, adding that industrialised nations must actively assist the less developed nations in this regard. Chairman PAEC Dr Ansar Parvez in his welcome address said it was only through science and technology that a nation can find its place in the select group of knowledge based nations. He stressed the need to undertake dedicated efforts to transform the society accordingly. Dr Rolf Heuer, Director General CERN, scientists, scholars and researchers from across the country and abroad were present.