Mubarakmand praises GCU role in Pakistan’s defence

LAHORE Dr Samar Mubarakmand, Pakistani nuclear scientist and chairman of the National Engineering and Science Commission (NESCOM), said on Saturday that students of Government College University (GCU) had contributed a lot to Pakistan’s nuclear programme.

“In the nuclear and missile programmes, no less than 125 Ravians have been given national awards,” Dr Mubarakmand told a function arranged by the GCU to celebrate the Nishan-e-Imtiaz award, Pakistan’s highest civil award, he got.

He said three of them were Dr Abdus Salam, Dr Ishfaq Ahmed and himself, who had all got the awards. “We are producing indigenous missiles in which almost 40 technologies are involved. That’s not just one person’s work; it involves a comprehensive team. There are 1,4000 scientists working for Pakistan’s security.”

Dr Mubarakmand said human resource was the biggest asset the country had because technical manpower trained in the sixties and eighties made Pakistan self-reliant in nuclear and missile technologies. “This self-reliance in strategic defence has helped Pakistan save money on conventional weapons, which ultimately was used to develop other areas,” he added.

Dr Mubarakmand said his Nishan-e-Imtiaz was a collective honour. “Such high honours are not bestowed on people in their individual capacity but are collective honours for hard working and brilliant teams,” he said.

He said that more than 14,000 people in NESCOM shared this honour with him.

“Today the entire NESCOM is present here to symbolise the team effort with which we work,” said Dr Mubarakmand. “We are a nation that cannot pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to its scientists and engineers. We are a nation which cannot give its scientists expensive perks and privileges. But ours is a nation which can bestow immense honour, love and affection on the sons of its soil who contribute significantly to its development and destiny.”

In praise of GCU’s Physics Department, Dr Mubarakmand said its tradition of incessant hard work had helped mould him into the physicist that he is today. “It was the quality of mental toughness and character, the boldness of approach and professionalism in life that is the hallmark of Ravians,” he added.

Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Khalid Aftab congratulated Dr Mubarakmand on being awarded the highest civil award. He said prizes and medals were important in the life of a professional because they were recognition of their work and a source of inspiration.

He said Ravian scientists had achieved what was considered impossible. The explosion of an atomic bomb by Pakistan was a special occasion when Ravian physicists and scientists joined hands to produce something which became a symbol of Pakistan’s will to fight all odds. He praised Dr Mubarakmand for his work, saying the nation is proud of heroes like Dr Mubarakmand, whose great work provided the nation a sense of security and pride.

Dr Mubarakmand was accompanied by other scientists from NESCOM including Dr Mansoor, Dr Irfan Burni, Major General Tariq Mushtaq, Air Vice Marshal Tariq, Dr Nisar and Dr Raza.

Dr Mujataba Ghauri, director of the Centre for Advanced Studies in Physics, said that Dr Mubarakmand’s work on laser applications, fibre optics, nuclear weapons and missile technology had been invaluable. staff report

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