KARACHI, March 25: This one is the last moment to save the country from total disaster, said Ghulam Kibria, a noted intellectual and author of several books on the country's development issues, at a meeting here on Wednesday.

Unaware of the fact that his friends at the PILER had arranged the reception to celebrate Mr Kibria's 78th birthday, he had come prepared to speak on technology acquisition in Pakistan, his favourite subject, and of the failed privileged class and about a successful working class.

Among those who spoke on the life and work of the chief guest G.K. included famous architect Arif Hasan, Dr Jaafer Ahmad, Rahat Saeed and some others. Mr Zulfiqar Ali did the compering.

In his discourse, Ghulam Kibria presented the care of indigenous talents- the creative 'mistri' class, who were the backbone of the country's economy even before the partition.

Sixty manufacturers in Lahore at the time of partition provided diesel railway engines to the entire country, he said. Cinema projectors were made and supplied by a technician at Lahore to even foreign buyers and printing machinery and tools were made, but, the talents of those creative persons were never employed, rather discouraged by each and every government in the past.

Speaking further G.K. said that the leaders in Pakistan, the jagirdars, bureaucrats and politician never knew that their country was rich in natural as well as human resources.

He said that cement plants, chemical plants, fertilizer plants and a dozen other plants were being manufactured in the country by local mistries and the orders for such stupendous tasks were coming from the international companies. G.K. quoted some names of these huge establishments.

As if to prove his point further, Ghulam Kibria had brought with him some of those young talented persons along with their sophisticated tools displayed at a corner of the hall. Those young men had made some electronic equipment of high precision like stabilizers and learnt the scientific knowledge through their own effort and genius.

A pickup made locally in Karachi was also kept waiting in the parking lot for a test drive, G.K. informed the audience. He lamented that although the manufacturer had supplied locally made jeep to the army in 70s to the satisfaction of everyone, but the government soon after coming in power cancelled the orders. That was how, the local talents were underrated and discouraged.

Ghulam Kibria, an engineer by profession who had joined a factory in England to gain practical knowledge of engineering, also held the highest post in the government in the yore.

He also did consultancy jobs at the United Nations and found Pakistanis no less talented than any other nation in the world. He severally lashed at the inhuman system of feudalism and the bureaucratic lethargy, which he said were the prime reasons for the backwardness of the country.