Mauritius president for more collaboration in research, trade with Pakistan

0
160
KARACHI: President of Mauritius Dr. Bibi Ameenah Firdaus Gurib Fakim, laying wreath at the Mazar-e-Quaid during her visit. INP PHOTO

Republic of Mauritius President Dr Bibi Ameenah Firdaus Gurib-Fakim on Tuesday underlined the need for increasing collaboration between her country and Pakistan in trade, tourism, education, health and research fields.

During her visit to Hussain Ebrahim Jamal (HEJ) Institute of Chemistry at University of Karachi, the president of Mauritius praised the quality of Pakistani educational institutions, especially HEJ Institute.

In a dialogue with the faculty members and students at HEJ Institute’s International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), she said there was big potential to enhance bilateral trade.

Pakistan could get access to African region through Mauritius and the latter could reach Central Asia via Pakistan, she added. This would help boost two economies to the benefit of both the nations, she hoped.

She said the Mauritius government had focused on research and increasing knowledge base of the people. The president regretted that less investment was being made in research in the world.

Since its independence 1968, Mauritius was a knowledge-based economy, she informed, adding that the talented individuals were real wealth of a country. Dr Gurib-Fakim has done PhD in chemistry from the United Kingdom and written 26 books of international repute besides many papers on chemistry. She had won many national and international awards.

The Mauritius president said that in 2001 she had joined as a professor in a university in Mauritius and then became vice chancellor before being picked up as head of the state in recognition of her research work and other educational services.

She acknowledged the research work of HEJ Institute of Chemistry and said it was her second visit to it over last three years. “I am a part of HEJ family,” she remarked. She emphasized on promotion of herbal medicine describing it very effective and very much affordable source of treatment. “Where limit of allopathy ends, plant medicine work starts,” she contended.

Dr Gurib-Fakim said she was going to sign memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with HEJ Institute of Chemistry and Greenwich University on joint research and study programmes.