ISLAMABAD: China and Pakistan are working to establish a joint research centre on earth sciences at the Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, to ensure climate change mitigation and assist in guiding environmentally-responsible and sustainable development in the country.
Dr Anees Ahmad Bangash, Assistant Professor, Department of Earth Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, told WealthPK that China was collaborating with Pakistan in establishing research centres on earth sciences in different universities of Pakistan.
“The Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Higher Education Commission have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to set up a China-Pakistan Joint Research Centre on Earth Sciences at the Quaid-i-Azam University,” he told media.
Anees Bangash said that China was also helping set up a weather observation centre at the Karakoram International University in Gilgit, the capital city of Gilgit-Baltistan region.
He said that the decision of setting up the weather observation centre was taken during a meeting between Dr Attaullah Shah, Vice-Chancellor of Karakoram International University, and Prof Hong, Director of China-Pakistan Research Centre, Islamabad. Prof Hong said the China-Pakistan Research Centre would provide the Gilgit varsity with modern tools to provide advanced information related to weather patterns.
Dr Safdar Ali Shah, Director General of CPEC Cell at Higher Education Commission, said China would contribute Rs5.4 billion of the total Rs8.4 billion cost to be incurred on construction of the weather observation centre at the Gilgit varsity.
He said the level of collaboration between China and Pakistan in the academic arena was expanding. He stated that the number of Chinese institutions participating in the CPEC Consortium of Universities had increased to 64 in 2022 from only 10 in 2017. “There are as many as 22 universities from Pakistan that are members of the consortium.”
It is also to be noted here that China has launched scholarship programmes for the students of 44 universities of Pakistan, enabling students to participate in a series of trainings in China.
Over 600 faculty members of these 44 universities have already completed their higher studies and research from China. –INP
