PESHAWAR, April 25: NWFP Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah has called upon the local scientists and researchers to adopt pragmatic approach and effective strategies aimed at strengthening research activities on modern lines to usher in an industrial revolution.

Addressing the concluding ceremony of the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Pakistan Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) on Friday, he said: “We must get rid of the trend of relying upon others, and need to focus on utilizing our own means and resources.”

Mr Shah said there was no dearth of manpower or financial resources and the need was to put to use all the means on proper scientific lines and make them subservient to the public needs.

In fact, he said, “we have still not touched the level where the present developed world was at the time of the Industrial Revolution.” Keeping this fact in mind, he added, it can easily be judged that “we are far away from our destination.”

Mr Shah said that “we must develop scientific and technological base” to achieve the desired targets. In this struggle, he said, the practice of duplication and repetition and the trend of research for the sake of research must be discouraged.

He said efforts should be focussed on new inventions based on locally available resources.

The importance of social sciences, he said, could not be overlooked, but added that “we must realize that the development and promotion of technology-oriented education is the need of the hour.” He cited the examples of Malaysia, Singapore and Hongkong and said they had achieved the present status only by directing their focus on education and research.

For us, he said, “this is the right time to bring a change in our outlook, otherwise, “we would be left far behind.”

Dr Anwarul Haq, Chairman, PCSIR, said his organization was holding “such a big function” for the first time to create interest among the potential investors and translate its research achievements into reality.