President Mamnoon Hussain on Tuesday emphasised that co-operation in Science and Technology among the Muslim countries is need of the hour. Pakistan is playing a leading role in surmounting challenges in the field of Science and Technology faced by Muslim Ummah, he added.
The President was chairing a high level meeting to review arrangements for holding of OIC Summit on Science & Technology and COMSTECH General Assembly, to be held in Islamabad in November this year. Several OIC Heads of States and Governments are expected to attend the Summit.
On the occasion, Co-ordinator General, COMSTECH Sectt Dr Shaukat Hameed Khan gave a comprehensive briefing to the President on preparations for holding of Summit. The meeting was attended, among others, by Secretary Science & Technology Kamran Ali Qureshi, Special Secretary Foreign Ministry Amjad Hussain Sial, Acting Chairman CDA and High officials of COMSTECH.
The President said that hosting of OIC Summit on Science & Technology was an honour for Pakistan which would provide an opportunity to Islamic world to deliberate on challenges confronted in this sector and to devise a strategy for making progress in this field. He said that successful holding of the Summit will further boost the confidence of international community in Pakistan as a peaceful and safe country.
The President evinced keen interest in the arrangements for holding the Summit and assured of his full co-operation to COMSTECH and relevant departments for making it a successful event. During the briefing, the President was apprised that the OIC Summit on Science & Technology would have two Sessions in which progress report of COMSTECH would be presented and participants would also be briefed about the implementation status of decisions taken in the last Summit.
One session of the Summit would be presided over by President Mamnoon Hussain, while Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif would be the Chief Guest in the other session. The Summit would review the progress in the field of science & technology and also present recommendations for those areas which require more emphasis.
Important decisions are expected in different fields including Astronomy, Space, Oceanography, Earth Sciences, High Power Computation Centres, Consortia for Lab and Cyber Security for further enhancing collaboration among OIC member countries. The Summit is likely to initiate OIC Awards for Excellence in science & technology and Al Haitham Award for scientific research. President Mamnoon Hussain would also host a banquet in the honour of Heads of States and Governments and other representatives participating in the Summit. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif would host a luncheon in their honour.