As many as 1,000 graduates and postgraduates of Riphah International University were awarded degrees here on Saturday in a simple but dignified ceremony at Jinnah Convention Centre. Over 40 outshining students were given gold medals for obtaining top positions in the examinations and securing distinctions for their best performance in the academic field in various disciplines. Renowned scientist Dr Samar Mubarikmand was the chief guest who congratulated the students in his address.
He said that Pakistan was a country endowed with vast resources but it needed visionary leadership. “We used to make five-year economic plans but didn’t implement them. While acting on our plans, Korea and India made progress and now these countries are known as Asian tigers,” he said and added that despite having local expertise in all technical fields, the Pakistani government opted to assign jobs to foreigners who were being paid out of the loan money taken from Asian Development Bank.
He said, “95 five percent of the wealth of Pakistan lies under its soil in the form of huge deposits of coal, copper, gold silver, iron ore, lead, zinc, chromites and bauxite. Large gas fields and oil deposits are underground awaiting discovery,” he said, adding that while utilizing coal electricity could be produced at Rs 3 per unit.
Dr Samar said; “During his tour to China and Australia, the companies of the two countries showed their interest in investing in Pakistan’s coal gasification project under which Pakistan could generate 100 megawatt electricity. “For this project, we need Rs 8.8 billion for equipment, but the government has released only Rs 1 billon so far.” Dr Samar said, “In a world imminently facing global recession, we may find that the ultimate yardstick for the survival of people will be the availability of sufficient food, clothing, cheap electricity, clean drinking water and raw materials to run the internal economies competitively.”
The nuclear scientist stated: “In order to break the shackles of poverty, we have to divert our brilliant human resources to the fruitful exploitation of our immense mineral wealth.” Addressing the graduates, Riphah University Pro-Chancellor Hassan M Khan said that they were about to embark on their own extraordinary journeys and create their own life adventures. He wished them success in their practical life. Hassan M Khan lauded Dr Samar’s contribution to the country’s nuclear programme. He added now Dr Samar was pioneering an amazing new technology to optimally exploit Thar coal deposits to produce enough electricity to get rid of load shedding in Pakistan forever. In his speech, Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Anis Ahmad said education and, particularly higher education, was linked with the economic development. He said that current trend in higher education is to develop linkage to industry.
Congratulations to all gold medalists graduates!!!
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