Says it is playing a central role in Pakistan’s Science diplomacy, in creating & enhancing Pakistan’s soft image Further, we are looking forward to expanding our program in the healthcare sector, especially in pandemic surveillance and virology. We are also initiating a program for climate change because  out of the ten most vulnerable countries of the world, seven are in the OIC Additionally, China is the future of the world, it has been able to take five hundred million people out of poverty in less than three decades Exclusive interview of Professor Dr. M. Iqbal Choudhary, Mustafa Prize (P.B.U.H) Laureate, H.I, S.I, T. I, Coordinator General COMSTECH Question: Firstly, would you like to divulge a few words about COMSTECH and its objectives?

Ans: COMSTECH is an organization that is a window for Pakistan to access fifty-seven countries. So to think of an Organization that gives you access to fifty-seven countries to the level of science, technology, health, and agriculture, a non-political entity that enables us to have a huge impact on the status of Muslim countries in terms of their socio-economic uplift, their food security, poverty alleviation, etc. So primarily in 1981 in the holly city of Makkah tul Mukarma, this initiative was approved by the General Assembly. That was the time when Pakistan had taken a major initiative that it would host only one OIC institution and that would be Science and Technology they did it in a very smart way because they knew they would be able to work with all countries despite ideological differences or others. After all, Science technology health, and education have no bondage. So the primary mandate of COMSTECH is intra-Islamic cooperation and cooperation with other countries and other organizations to promote Science-based socio-economic development in OIC countries as well as in Pakistan. And this has led to many initiatives. COMSTECH has been very very active, it is considered one of the most active organizations in the OIC system. Out of fifty-seven countries, 28 countries are benefiting from the COMSTECH program which makes COMSTECH an Organization with a huge imprint. And that COMSTECH has been trying to build Science and Technology capacity, institutional building, strengthening Universities, and cooperation among them.  So the fruits of Science and Technology eventually benefit the Muslim Ummah.

Question: Considering the substantial number of OIC countries in Africa, challenges in Technology Education, and Health Facilities, what initiatives COMSTECH has undertaken in addressing these issues?

Ans: This is again a very important question because Africa has been a neglected part of the world for so long. Post-colonial Africa has suffered political negligence, it has been considered as a black continent but the fact is that Africa is the future of the world. COMSTECH being an OIC organization is fully aware of the fact that out of fifty-seven countries, 24 OIC member states are in Africa or in the Indian Ocean which are also considered as part of the Afro-Pacific, Afro-Atlantic region. So, based on that COMSTECH right from the beginning launched most of its programs in Africa. I would say that seventy percent of our programAfrica-centeredntered. And this includes COMSTECH’s huge initiatives to provide opportunities to young African students, especially women to get training and to get opportunities for high-quality research, education, graduate programs, and undeundergraduategrams in leading institutions of Pakistan as well as other OIC countries.

This is a huge fellowship program that includes technician training, research training, and research fellowships. COMSTECH has also been working closely with the Islamic Development Bank to build institutions. So, COMSTECH in collaboration with the Islamic Development Bank and the University of Engineering and Technology Lahore has established faculty of a IT, at the University of Gambia. We are in the process of establishing a Hilal product testing laboratory in Uganda. We are ready to complete a very high-quality citrus processing unit in Nigeria in collaboration with ARID Agriculture University Pakistan. Next week we are planning to go to Chad, there is only the University of N’Djamena, we are planning to establish a Faculty of Engineering and strengthen the Faculty of Sciences. The third important program is in the area of healthcare. Health is an important priority and Africa as you know except for COVID-19 which originated from China, most of the pandemics and epidemics from Ebola to Congo Virus and others are largely from Africa.

And the African healthcare system is almost not functional. There are so many tropical diseases, malaria and so many other diseases but the most important among them is eye-related, blindness-related poverty. So have been working closely with the Islamic Development Bank and our high-quality institutions such as LIBT with very experienced doctors who visit many places. We have been to Uganda twice, we have been to Chad, we have been to Niger and we have conducted on the ground lots of complex surgeries including glaucoma surgeries. We have also trained their doctors and helped them to repair their equipment. And we have done it in very difficult situations because even air conditions were not available, surgical tables were not available.

We have recently finalized a program with the Islamic Development Bank to train Ophthalmologists, and specialistsials, and, a batch of 20 is coming in January to get training in some complex problems such as retinal detachment, fixation of eyes, etc. Recently, the Islamic Development Bank approached us again that they are planning to send some more people to get training, so altogether some 200 people will be trained at the postgraduate level. And for that, the PMDC has given its consent.

Food security is another important issue because in Africa there are about one hundred and twenty million people who are malnutrioned so COMSTECH is working with other institutions to promote precession agriculture, GPS-related issues in agricultural productivity, food preservation, etc. So there are a lot of linkages, that COMSTECH has developed which did not before. Now COMSTECH is very closely linked with many African countries and African Institutions. Many Universities are benefiting from our Universities. So University to University linkages have been done. Africans have been trained in the field of virology so that they can monitor pandemics etc.

Question: Please elaborate on the COMSTECH Consortium of Excellence as well as the COMSTECH Fellowship and Scholarship Programmes.

Ans: On the very first day I realized that whatever program we think of implementing; we cannot do that without institutions. For everything you need institutions, without Universities, research organizations, without S&T organizations you cannot do that. So there was an original idea for developing a network of a top class institutions in the OIC region so now we have engaged institutions, Universities, Institutions, and Research Centres from 9 countries in the COMSTECH Consortium of Excellence which is comprised of some of the finest research institutions, finest academic institutions and through this Consortium we are implementing our entire programs. So COMSTECH Consortium of Excellence is primarily our resource for bringing people for training, sending them for training people in other countries and also developing their linkages with others.

So it is mutually beneficial. So right now COMSTECH fellowship programme is the largest in the OIC. No OIC institution has so many fellowships like this. I can give you the number that for Palestinian brothers and sisters we have announced five hundred fellowships, for Yemen we have a special Healthcare Programme, and there are fifty fellowships for them. For Somalia, for Kyrgyzstan and so many, altogether over seven hundred fellowships are available. And also for Muslims in non-OIC countries because Muslims in many countries are a minority like Sri Lanka, Kenya, Tanzania, Madagascar, and Mauritius and they are now engaged with us. COMSTECH has initiated a programme with Mombasa in Kenya which is a Muslim area in Kenya and they have a lot of problems in terms of their health structure and educational structure. So these scholars are now studying in Sialkot, Sargodha, and other places. So these fellowships are primarily meant to give the best gift which is education and skills.

Question: Pakistan is the host country for COMSTECH. Can you throw light on the specific programs and initiatives that COMSTECH has in place in Pakistan?

Ans:  COMSTECH has been playing a central role in Pakistan’s Science diplomacy, in creating Pakistan’s soft image Perception issues, and COMSTECH is the way Pakistan tells the world that this is a country with high-quality institutions, high-quality individuals, and very distinguished scientists, researchers, engineers, and technologists. This is a country where the industry has progressed, a country where high-quality research centers exist.  So, number one Pakistan’s soft image and linking other countries with Pakistan through science and technology cooperation. Secondly, these scholars are coming to Pakistan and of course, these young people are not illiterate, they are already qualified people, and they will come and work with us, this is mutual learning. Of course, they learn from Pakistani Scientists and Researchers but at the same time, they create a culture of mutual learning. So it benefits Pakistan and they become Pakistan’s permanent Ambassadors when they go back. Similarly, COMSTECH has initiated a program called COMSTECH’s Distinguished Scholars in which most of the distinguished scholars are from Pakistan. So Pakistan’s best talent, Pakistan’s top scientists, top engineers, and top technologists are now sent to other countries to display the excellence of this country.  And of course, Pakistani scientists are benefitting from all the schemes that I have mentioned. From fellowships Pakistani scientists are going to Indonesia, Egypt, Russia, and other countries, benefitting from COMSTECH fellowships, awards, and institutional linkages. COMSTECH has established three institutions in Africa and we are in the process of establishing a fourth institution which is through Pakistani institutions which means that this international linkage and the funding that is cominbenefittingtting Pakistani institutions.

Question: You have just concluded your visit to China, what significant developments have taken place about the new initiatives with COMSTECH?

China is now defining the future of our world.

Briefly, I can say that China will drive the future development of this planet because of Chinese socio-economic development, unprecedented in human history, they have been able to take five hundred million people out of poverty in less than three decades. Their science and technology are at per the Western countries and the pace of development is phenomenal. No country in the world would have witnessed that kind of development, you know they built a ten-story hospital in two weeks or less.  A lot of amazing things happening in China but I think the most important part is China’s willingness to engage with the world because China is also eager to contribute to global development as an emerging power.  Chinese are trying to prove to the world that business is not the only thing, they want they are established in education, in culture,  etc. They want to link and help other countries in science and technology.  As well Pakistan once again in history has helped China to connect with OIC countries. When the Council of Foreign Ministers meeting was held in 2022, ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan invited the Foreign Minister of China to be the Chief Guest of the event and that was a defining moment. This was an extremely important moment in the history of OIC because through this China was directly linked with the 57 countries. China has appointed a permanent representative in OIC. China has signed an MoU with OIC and China has also extended financial support.

Now COMSTECH's objective is to link Chinese institutions, universities, research centers, and industry to the Muslim world and one of the key aims of my recent visit was that I am a visiting Professor in China and they keep inviting me to lecturers,  and it was also to explore the possibility of linking Chinese institutions with COMSTECH countries.  I am very pleased to say that several institutions including Hunan University of  Chinese Medicines, Xinjiang Medical Univesity, China Nutrition Society, and China Science and Technology Exchange Centre etc.  Many of them offered lots of fellowships, the establishment of the B, elt and Road Initiative, Joint Research Centres in OIC countries, etc.  I am looking forward to implementing these programs for the benefit of the Muslim Ummah.

I feel that this collaboration which we have now initiated with China will almost double the impact and programmes of COMSTECH. This is very important because we are very eagerly looking forward to expanding our program in the healthcare sector, especially in pandemic surveillance and virology. We are also initiating the program on climate change because out of the ten most vulnerable countries of the world, 06 are in the OIC, including Pakistan, Indonesia,  Bangladesh, and Mozambique. We are in the process of expanding our existing programs, and of course, initiating new programs, all relevant to the needs of the Muslim Ummah.

One initiative that we are launching with the Chinese counterparts is a two hundred science-based business program. It means that 200 startups and entrepreneurs of the Muslim world will be linked with the Chinese companies so that they can improve their technological basis and this would have a direct impact in terms of economic benefits of science and technology for the Muslim world. So at the end of the day, COMSTECH is promoting intra-Islamic cooperation. We understand that many countries are strengthening their science and technology capacity but our mission is to motivate them to allocate more funds and more resources to intra-Islamic cooperation.3

Question: Keeping in view the sorrowful situation in Palestine what COMSTECH has done for the scientists and students and what future initiatives are being taken in this regard?

Ans: What is happening in Gaza is extremely heartbreaking. It is a question mark on human morality. We consider it a complete demise of human civilization, where we see thousands of children dying. I still remember a very famous quote that twenty-one Arab countries, fifty-seven Muslim countries, and 1.9 billion Muslims were not able to take one bottle of water into Gaza. This is the state of affairs which depicts our weakness. We are weak because we are weak in knowledge. As Prof. Abdus Salam used to say the difference between the developed world and the developing world is not the money or resources is knowledge. We are weak because we do not know. We are so dependent on Western Eastern for our defense etc. So Palestine and Gaza is unfortunately a great epic story of humanity’s failure to stop massacre. And of course, Muslims fail to do anything meaningful for our brothers and sisters. COMSTECH has initiated a program for Palestinians. Some so many Palestinian students are benefiting from it. Of course, Gaza is the largest open jail in the world. It is a very unusual situation. I don’t think that science and technology education at this stage is important, saving lives is more important. But once the situation improves COMSTECH  has every intention to bring them back to their life with complete sincerity.

Question: Don’t you think that media collaboration can also play a significant role in the subject?

Ans: Absolutely, I would like to brief you that COMSTECH has launched a Science Communication program in close coordination with the media. We are starting a new journal, Science Diplomacy and Communication. We are also engaging media in science communication. We fully understand that without the engagement of media, the benefits of Science and Technology cannot be disseminated. At the same, the capacity of media has to be developed because the media personnel are good at writing but of course, Science is a very specialized field so we are now arranging many events in which we intend to update the information of media personnel on Science and Technology.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)