KARACHI, April 21: Sindh Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim has said that competition always promotes positive activities leading to the formation of a healthy society.

He was speaking as chief guest at the inaugural ceremony of the 7th All Pakistan Programming and Software Competition Programme-2006 at the FAST National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences, here on Friday.

The chief minister said that if this spirit was imbibed by all the institutions, it could lead us as a superior nation in the world.

Dr Arbab said that only those nations progressed, who proved their mettles in the fields of science and technology.

In today’s advanced era when the world has turned into a global village and everyone is benefiting from the fruits of information technology, we too should follow the path of research in IT and promote the environment of competition, he emphasised.

Dr Arbab said that IT in the world had provided opportunities for becoming economically strong and room existed for advancement in our national economy.

“In this regard we will have to get rid of the policy of ad-hocism related to IT,” he said adding that there is imperative need to have a coordinated policy on permanent basis so that experts of national and international levels are produced in this field.

Dr Arbab exhorted the students to prepare such computer programmes, which may become in great demand at home as well as abroad. By this way we can earn foreign exchange and lead the country to economic stability like India, he added.

He informed that the Sindh government was implementing a programme of computer networking for all of its departments which, he said, would greatly facilitate the government functionaries as well as the common people.

It would create employment opportunities which will help overcome the menace of unemployment, he added.

Such competitions, he observed, could play an important role in promoting IT culture in the country and FAST had taken a revolutionary step.

The chief minister announced to consider FAST’s demand for six acres of land for the varsity.—APP