KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said that science and technology can be effectively deployed to solve enduring problems of poverty, food insecurity and climate change in Muslim world.

Speaking at Inaugural Ceremony of ‘24th Scientific Conference of Islamic World Academy of Sciences On ‘Challenges to Promote Science and Technology for Socio-Economic Development in OIC Countries’ organised by Karachi University he said that major science event was an important step forward toward better understanding and conference represented growing interest and commitment of Muslim Ummah towards science and technology for human wellbeing.

Being professional Engineer, CM said that he was very much aware of importance of need for research in science and technology. “It is only through applications of science and technology that we can handle enduring challenges of poverty, climate change, food insecurity and increasing disease burdens.”

Murad Shah said that he was happy to see that our research institution, International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences constantly was striving to upgrade its capacity and human resources for frontier research and graduate training in chemical, biomedical and biochemical sciences.

CM said that his government has placed ICCBS at centre of its science and technology-based initiatives. “Various departments of my government are working closely with ICCBS management to establish research centres, upgrade existing laboratory infrastructure of province as well to conduct some of enduring issues in health and agriculture that province is facing today,” he said and added establishment of Sindh Serology and DNA Forensic lab, upgradation of Chemico-bacterial lab in Karachi and establishment of Traditional Medicine Research Centre were institutions where ICCBS was supporting provincial government.

Establishment of seamless learning platform for universities has been implemented as SIREN (Sindh Innovation, Research, and Education Network) by ICCBS which connects leading universities of Sindh. “My government has also decided to declare five centres of ICCBS as Sindh Health Care Research facilities in fields such as regenerative medicine, disease genomics and pharmaceutical research,” he said.

To question, Shah said that NICVD was performing well. Replying to another question, CM said that director of finance would be appointed in all government universities and institutions for which method was being evolved.

President of World Academy of Sciences Prof. Dr. Adnan Badran, Prof. Dr. Atta-ur-Rahman, Coordinator General COMSTECH Prof. Dr. Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary, Vice Chancellor Karachi University, Patron-in-Chief of International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences Prof. Dr. Khalid Mahmood Iraqi, Chairman Hussein Ebrahim Jamal Foundation Aziz Latif Jamal, Chairperson Dr. Panjwani Memorial Trust Nadira Panjwani and Foreign and local delegates attended.

Published in The Daily National Courier, March, 08 2023

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