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KARACHI, April 14: Terming the responsibility of heading the country's nuclear programme bestowed upon him by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto a 'miracle' and 'landmark', renowned nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan on Thursday disclosed that Pakistan had achieved nuclear capability in 1994 but its tests were delayed till May 1998 owing to the international conditions.
Dr A.Q. Khan, who made his public appearance first time in several years in the city after remaining confined to his Islamabad residence under strict surveillance especially during former president Pervez Musharraf's tenure, was given a standing ovation by a mammoth gathering at the convocation of Mohammad Ali Jinnah University at PAF Museum's lush green lawns.“By becoming a nuclear power, our country's defence has been strengthened and now no one can dare to cast an evil eye upon us,” he said.
However, he deplored over the deteriorating standards of education in the country, advising this government and those in the future to focus on the education sector if they wanted this country to excel and progress in all spheres of life.
He said once this country was made invincible by making technological advancements, but successive governments paid no heed to it.
Recalling his days at D.J. Science College, Dr Khan said he was shocked to note that the quality of education which he received from the college was much better than what it was today.
Felicitating the fresh graduates, he urged them not to concentrate only on their subjects but also read about different subjects so that they would not lag behind in this competitive world.
He expressed hope that the graduates of the university under the leadership of Dr Abdul Wahab, who had earlier brought fame and name to the Institute of Business Administration because of his sheer dedication to the cause of education, would definitely have good jobs as the Mohammad Ali Jinnah University was not only enjoying a good reputation in the country but was also popular abroad.
He congratulated the graduates and their parents and also lauded the efforts of the university's teachers in imparting quality education to their students.
Dr Abdul Wahab urged the students to seek inspiration from great personalities such as Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan and set high goals in life. He felicitated the fresh graduates and said, “While readers are leaders and knowledge is power, one must also remember that little knowledge is dangerous thing and, as such, they must keep themselves abreast of latest studies.”
Earlier, 450 fresh graduates of the university's MBA, MS, BBA and BS (both morning and evening) programmes were awarded degrees and the position-holders were presented gold medals.
Around 10 faculty members of the university were also given a pride of performance award on the occasion.
