They say hindsight is 20-20
“Technology has to be led by professionals not Baboos who will then create the vision for technology based development of Pakistan and the Ummah. COMSTECH is trying to do what PSF and HEC have been doing for decades.”
In the meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) held in Mecca in 1981, it was decided to form a Ministerial Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation called COMSTECH. The headquarters of this organisation are located in Islamabad on the Constitution Avenue. Current Coordinator General is Dr. Shaukat Hameed Khan who retired from Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) in 2005 while Dr. S.T.K. Naim has been a consultant since 2004 after she retired from Pakistan Council for Science and Technology (PCST), both of them are in their seventies now.
Recently (May31 – June 01, 2016) a 2 day General Assembly meeting was held in Islamabad after a lapse of 5 years, it was the 15th session of the Ministerial Committee. Being the only Nuclear Power in the Ummah, Pakistan is considered to be a leader in Science and Technology (S&T). Dr. Atta-ur-Rehman as Coordinator General (1996 – 2012) played a leading role in building this organisation and the overall infra-structural development of the S&T sector in the country. After he left the bureaucratic onslaught led by Secretary Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) who now sits in the Prime Minister Secretariat as Special Assistant (SAPM) dismembered all the reforms. Under the existing control of the Baboos the sector has no future.
As Chairman Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF), I was part of the delegation to the 11th General Assembly meeting held on October 25-27, 2003. As a leading proponent and expert of commercialisation and application of technology, I proposed the formation of a committee to review, identify and then implement technological projects in the Ummah. Iran, Malaysia and Kuwait supported the motion and it was approved on the floor. At the end of the conference the recommendations were published. Just before the closing session the proceedings were distributed. I was expecting the usual; my recommendation for commercialisation was excluded as our top players are totally clueless when it comes to the application of research for socio-economic development. I rushed to the conference secretariat and protested on the glaring omission. They informed me that the high ups had removed it. At this moment Dr. Atta-ur-Rehman the Coordinator General walked in the room, in a loud protesting tone I told him that a recommendation passed on the floor could not be removed without the approval of the delegates. Sensing my rage he ordered issuing of an addendum to include the motion. I then had it distributed to the members.
A few months later COMSTECH published its newsletter in which conference proceedings were included. Once again my hunch came true: the commercialisation and application of technology addendum was missing. I again wrote a protesting letter and was ensured that it will be included. My term as Chairman ended in 2005 and there was a sigh of relief in the S&T sector as they decided to remain clueless on the application of technology the most vital resource of socio-economic development in our times.
“Someone in the ministry who understood commercialisation of technology called me and wanted to nominate me for this position. I knew it will be an impossible task so I decided to educate the minister. I prepared a proposed Job Description (JD) of Coordinator General and emailed it to the minister before the meeting. Perhaps the minister was too green to take on the entrenched Baboos of the ministry.”
Dr. Atta-ur-Rehman’s term as Coordinator General COMSTECH ended in 2012. The government of People’s Party was not interested in his extension though the other member states lobbied for him. Hina Rabbani Khar as Foreign Minister was heading the selection committee. Someone in the ministry who understood commercialisation of technology called me and wanted to nominate me for this position. I knew it will be an impossible task so I decided to educate the minister. I prepared a proposed Job Description (JD) of Coordinator General and emailed it to the minister before the meeting. Perhaps the minister was too green to take on the entrenched Baboos of the ministry. To counter the JD they proposed that the Coordinator General should be of ministerial rank. They then went looking for Ph.Ds with this ranking. Two individuals were indentified; Dr. Ishrat Hussain Ex-Governor State Bank who was an economist by profession and Dr. Sohaib Suddle Ex-Federal Mohatsib a criminologist by profession. Offer was sent to Dr. Ishrat Hussain who turned it down on the basis that he had no background in S & T.
The government changed and Sartaj Aziz Sahib became the Advisor on Foreign Affairs and Zahid Hamid Minister MOST. I did not give up and sent the JD of Coordinator General COMSTECH to both of them. As a leader of the Ummah Pakistan has to lead the technological advancement of the Islamic World for which the Coordinator General can play a major role. Between October 2003 and June 2016 a lot of water has flown under the bridge but COMSTECH is where it was and will remain there unless there is a major change of direction.
According to the performance report presented at the conference, COMSTECH has funded 572 research projects in 37 member states, trained 482 policy makers in 23 member states, it has formulated a 10 year plan of action for development of S&T, it funded the travel of 20 OIC scientist to spend a week with Nobel Laureates, signed MOU with Iran Research Organisation for Science and Technology (IROST), it plans to spend $2.1 billion for promotion of S&T which includes travel grants, literature surveys and awards.
In a world driven by technology this seems to be a big joke. Where is the commercialization and application of technology that leads to wealth generation and socio economic development? A technology leader has to do much beyond academic pursuits of retired scientists and professors. Business plans and marketability has to be linked with research. It is a perfect example of blind leading the old. As a first step the Ministry of Science and Technology has to be led by professionals not Baboos who will then create the vision for technology based development of Pakistan and the Ummah. COMSTECH is trying to do what PSF and HEC have been doing for decades. Research and travel grants are meaningless if there is no application of knowledge. In an ever changing world of technology only the fittest can survive and contribute, there is no room for the obsolete, ignorant, blind and the old, if light of advancement through commercialisation and application of technology is sought by the end of the day.