By Uzma Zafar
ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi on Monday called upon the Islamic countries to catch up the highly fast pace of global technological advancement in order to avoid the alarming scenario of further lag in the field of science.
Addressing the inaugural session of Global Al-Farabi Forum here at Organization of Islamic Cooperation Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH) Secretariat, the President said the Muslim world needed to amplify efforts to fill the widening gap of scientific development. The two-day symposium was held to celebrate the contributions of great Muslim philosopher and scientist Abu Nasr Al-Farabi on his 1150th birth anniversary, jointly organized by the governments of Pakistan and Kazakhstan.
The President stressed that COMSTECH had a big responsibility to motivate the Muslim countries and help them forge ahead in the world of science and technology. “Your strength of intellect, character and ethics must be translated into scientific progress for the benefit of humanity,” the President told the gathering of eminent scholars and scientists from Islamic countries.
President Alvi said it was high time for Muslim Ummah to imbibe the knowledge and humanistic principles as presented by Al-Farabi, who wrote in the fields of political philosophy, metaphysics, ethics and logic. He mentioned that Al-Farabi was instrumental in translating the doctrines of Plato and Aristotle with considerable additions of his own. He said besides mathematics and cosmology, Al-Farabi also wrote about the concept of happiness, in his philosophy of society and religion.
Dr Alvi said a civilized society was based on principles of morality that also focused on ensuring access of education and health to all citizens.
However, he regretted that even the internationals forums like United Nations lacked the concept of morality by remaining silent on the humanitarian issues of Kashmir, Palestine and Rohingya Muslims. He said unfortunately, the world was influenced by the power of money and armaments, forgetting the golden rules of ethics and humanitarian standards. Assistant Secretary General Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Ambassador Askar Mussinov said Islam gives high importance to knowledge and education, adding that Muslim scholars played a significant role in promotion of science and research.
He said COMSTECH was focusing on improving the educational standards of universities in member countries and turning these into centre of excellence.
Earlier, President Dr Arif Alvi on Friday invited businessmen from China and ASEAN countries to come and invest in the special economic zones being setup in Pakistan. “We encourage ASEAN countries as well as Chinese businessmen, to invest in the special economic zones in Pakistan”, he said while addressing through video message at the opening ceremony of 17th China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) opened at Nanning, capital of south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. He said Pakistan’s macro economic policies have changed tremendously and there is a greater ease of doing business in Pakistan despite COVID-19 challenge.
“We have handled COVID pandemic well also. And the far reaching economic and trade reforms and macro economic policies have provided good results in online business”.
“Pakistan has a sectoral dialogue partnership with ASEAN. Our partnership, progress and our cooperation is increasing”, he added. Dr Alvi said that Pakistan, China and ASEAN countries are very reliable, friends. “Pakistan wants to do a feasibility where Pakistan, China and ASEAN triangle can come up, as well as feasibility into Pakistan and ASEAN FTA”, he mentioned.
Pakistan wants to export more textile goods, food products, surgical instruments, meat, vegetables to China and to ASEAN countries.
