ISLAMABAD: Prof Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy on Monday demanded the government that it name the National Centre of Physics (NCP) after the Nobel laureate physicist, late Dr Abdus Salam, in recognition of his service to the country.

Speaking at an event ‘Remembering Abdus Salam’, he said it was unfortunate that a decision made by the prime minister in 2016 to name NCP after the physicist was still not implemented.

The Society for the Promotion of Science (SPS) and Enchanting Horizons of Science (ECHOS) forum organised the 98th birth anniversary of Prof Dr Abdus Salam at the department of physics of Quaid-i-Azam University.

Dr Hoodbhoy, in addition to mentioning the importance of the scientific work of Dr Salam, emphasised that NCP should be named after him as approved by the prime minister and president of Pakistan.

It is relevant to note here that in 2016, the then prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, had decided to name NCP after the said scientist, but that decision was not implemented.

The former prime minister had also approved the grant of five fellowships annually to Pakistani students for PhDs in the field of physics through the Higher Education Commission at reputed international universities. The fellowship programme was named the ‘Professor Abdus Salam Fellowship’.

The late physicist shared the 1979 Nobel Prize in Physics for his contribution in the field of physics.

He was the first Pakistani to receive a Nobel Prize in science and the second from an Islamic country to receive a Nobel Prize. He had served the country as a top-level science advisor to the government of Pakistan from 1960 to 1974, a position from which he played a major and influential role in the development of the country’s science infrastructure. In 1998, following the country’s nuclear tests, the government issued him a commemorative stamp as a part of ‘Scientists of Pakistan’ to honour the services of Dr Salam.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Farhan Saif said that Prof Salam was the son of the soil and always took pride in connecting himself with his roots and Punjab.

He said that it was important for younger generations to understand what made him ‘Salam, the Nobel laureate‘. Quoting Asghar Qadir, “Salam also taught and developed a generation of Pakistani physicists and inspired more generations.”

In this meeting, Dr Shauket Hameed Khan talked about an important event in Salam’s life. Dr Ishfaq Ahmad shed light on his scientific contributions. At the end of the event, Dr Hamid Saleem shared his thoughts and read some poems he wrote about Abdus Salam.

Published in Dawn, January 30th, 2024