September 14, 2002	Saturday	Rajab 6, 1423

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ISLAMABAD, Sept 13: Brunei Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddanish has expressed his government’s support for the initiative taken by Pakistan to pool up the resources of the OIC member countries in the field of science and technology for common benefit.

According to a press release, issued here on Friday, the assurance to this effect was given to Federal Minister for Science and Technology Prof Atta-ur-Rahman, who met the Sultan at Bandar Seri Begawan.

Prof Atta, who is the coordinator-general of COMSTECH, delivered a letter of President Gen Pervez Musharraf to the Sultan about the proposal to set up a Pan-Islamic Research and Development Fund with contributions of the OIC members.

Badr-ud-Deen, Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Brunei, the Brunei’s minister for development and other senior officers also attended the meeting.

Earlier, receiving the minister, the Sultan expressed his government’s appreciation for the concerns Pakistan had for the Ummah. He said his country valued its friendship with Pakistan.

He also appreciated the idea of setting up a Pan-Islamic fund for research and development under the umbrella of COMSTECH.

Prof Atta discussed with the Sultan the need and modalities of setting up the fund for the promotion of research and development activities in the Muslim world.

He informed the Brunei’s ruler that the research and development fund would be utilized to build centres of excellence in Muslim countries in various fields,including information technology, biotechnology, engineering sciences, petrochemical industry, optronics, pharmaceuticals, water resources, renewable energy, agricultural sciences and basic sciences (physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics), as may be decided.

Prof Atta informed the Sultan that the principal amount of the proposed fund would be held by an established institution, like the Islamic Development Bank, Jeddah. The fund would be administered by a council of ministers of science and technology of the contributing member states of his/her representative.