KARACHI, Sept 22: Speakers at the inaugural ceremony of a seminar on Sunday morning heaped praises on the federal minister of science and technology, Prof Atta-ur-Rahman, for his contribution towards science and technology in the country.

According to the invitation card of the inaugural ceremony, the “International seminar on role of science and technology in sustainable development” was held “at the auspicious occasion of the 60th birthday of Prof Atta-ur-Rahman”.

Giving a review of his performance during the past two years, Prof Atta said that in 2000 the budgetary allocation for science and technology had been Rs120 million. “The budgetary allocation for science and technology has now risen to Rs6 billion, thus changing the baseline for science and technology funding.”

He said the 57 Islamic countries had 28 per cent of the world’s population and 70 per cent of energy and natural resources. “In spite of this, the total gross domestic product of the Islamic world is less than that of the developed world. Only those countries which invest in knowledge make headway in the world.”

He regretted that despite the fact that there were 430 universities in the entire Islamic world, only 40 were universities in the exact sense of the word. Others were low- level colleges, he added.

With the help of a computer presentation, the federal minister said that taking advantage of 9/11, the government had contacted expatriate scientists and 57 of them had already returned.

He disclosed that on Dec 1 Pakistan would launch its first satellite with 34 transponders out of which six would be reserved for educational institutions which would be linked with each other this way.

The minister spoke about the “Model University Ordinance”, which has been approved by the cabinet and which would be implemented in Oct. He said: “In this ordinance the salary structure of teachers has been delinked from the salary structure or pay-scale of government employees. Unless the salary structure of teachers does not become attractive, competent people will not opt for this line.”

The vice chancellor of the University of Karachi, Dr Zafar Saied Saify, highlighted the scientific achievements of the federal minister. He said: “Prof Atta-ur-Rahman has not only written at least 500 research articles for internationally recognized journals but has also written or edited some 60 scientific books. He is Pakistan’s ambassador of science and technology in the world.”

Aziz Jamal of the Husein Ebrahim Jamal Foundation said that every year 200 scientists visited the institute. “During the past ten years, $25 million grant has come from Japan, the United Kingdom, the US and France which proves that scientifically the organization is dynamic.”

Prof Wolfgang Voelter of Tubingen University, Germany, was also full of praise for Prof Atta’s work. He said: “About 90 per cent of the world’s scientific output is produced by the developed world because these countries, such as the US, France and Germany, spend a significant amount of their gross domestic product on education.”

Prof M. Iqbal Chaudhry of the HEJ Research Institute of Chemistry, Sindh law minister Abdul Qadir Halepota, special adviser to the president Dr Ishfaq Ahmed and columnist Jamiluddin Aali also spoke.