The four-day international symposium on natural product chemistry commenced at the University of Karachi on Saturday. According to organizers, about 600 delegates from 40 countries are talking part in the moot being organized by the International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), University of Karachi.
The experts at the Symposium said that now the progress of nations in the world is measured with reference to the education, while nations are known for their achievements in education, health and science and technologies.
It was pointed out that around 54 per cent of Pakistanis are below the age of 19, which is the real wealth of the country. Science can bridge the gap between people of different races, languages, countries and regions, as science is beyond boundaries, they said while speaking at an inaugural ceremony of the moot on Saturday.
Vice Chancellor of Karachi University, Prof Dr Muhammad Qaiser, performed the inauguration.
Former Chairman of the Higher Education Commission Prof Dr Atta-ur-Rahman, Director ICCBS Prof Dr Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary, Dean Faculty of Science Prof. Dr. Nusrat Jameel, Managing Trustee Muhammad Hussain Panjwani Memorial Trust, Ms. Nadira Pujwani, Chairman Husein Ebrahim Jamal Foundation, Aziz Latif Jamal, and Dr Ghulam Musharraf, Prof Dr Ahsana Dar addressed the ceremony.
Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, Vice Chancellor of Karachi University said that there is dire need to make our country stronger through science and technology.
“In the today’s world, nations are known for their achievements in education. Development is no more considered to be the development of infrastructure, roads, dams, and bridges. The whole notion of development has been changed. It is now defined and measured with reference to the education, enlightenment, tolerance, self-fulfillment and productivity”.
He said that Karachi University has many finest institutions like ICCBS, which comprises of HEJ Research Institute of Chemistry and Dr Panjwani Centre for Molecular Medicines and Drug Research (PCMD). Prof. Dr. Atta-ur-Rahman said that knowledge is the only key driver to get socio-economic progress in the world.
He said that strong educational and research institutions play a crucial role in the development of any nation by providing world class human resources.
Director ICCBS Prof Dr Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary said ICCBS has become one of the largest and finest institutions in this region. In last two years, we increased our Ph.D. enrolment from 310 to 480, expanded our international collaboration with twenty three new MoUs, welcomed over 180 foreign scholars from some 50 nations, published over 600 international research papers, patented 20 new findings internationally and established several new institutions, he added.
He said that the aim of the symposium was to bring together the leading experts in the field of natural products sciences from around the world and form global partnership for sustainable utilization of natural resources for the common benefits of humanity and rapid development of the countries in the south, he added.
