March 28, 2006	Tuesday	Safar 27, 1427

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ISLAMABAD, March 27: Nobel Laureate Charles Townes told a panel discussion on “science and society” here on Monday that Pakistan must concentrate on developing nuclear energy to meet its power needs beyond 2030.

Prof Townes and two other Nobel laureates, Ivar Giaever and Gerardus’t Hooft, have been invited by the government to interact with Pakistani students and scholars and the panel discussion was the last item on their first day’s engagements.

The question posed to the panel was how best Pakistan could be developed into a prosperous, industrialised and just society keeping in view our resource-constrained economy.

Professors Giaever and Hooft agreed with Prof Townes’ view about nuclear energy in general but stressed that Pakistan should also tap unconventional sources like solar and wind energy.

Prof Giaever reminded that nuclear energy had generated political issues and generally people were scared of nuclear energy plants.

But Prof Turner asserted that nuclear energy could be made safe.

Nuclear physicist and peace activist Prof Pervez Hoodbhoy said Pakistan needed “to go into social questions also such as the distribution of wealth and power in its feudal society”.

Prof N.M. Butt presented the possibilities nano-technology offers. “May be its progress throws up correct remedies within the next 10 to 15 years,” he said hopefully.

“Science is for all”, said the Nobel laureates agreeing with the calls for scientific cooperation and technology transfer for getting rid of poverty. But this to happen demands that a country has developed sound educational base and standards.

Prof Hoof asked for the introduction of scientific culture as well as scientific education among educated women.

Dr Attaur Rahman, the moving spirit behind Pakistan’s efforts to develop educational standards and scientific culture, complained that scientific and technical knowledge was not given freely.

He also insisted on meritocracy in education and on building a critical mass of teachers, high standards and quality universities.

Advice of the three visiting Nobel laureates has been sought in this regard. Pakistan also has established links with 50 high- grade universities in the United Kingdom for this purpose.