In Pakistan, science and technology served as an important part of national politics, practices, and extreme national identities. From 1960s till the present, both science and technology were immediately linked to national ideology and practical functioning of Pakistan, notably the Pakistan Armed Forces. While, science and technology is a growing and flourishing field in Pakistan. Many scientists, who worked in India and United Kingdom (like, e.g. Razi Siddiqui and Salim Siddiqui), migrated to Pakistan and would gave birth to Pakistan science. Since its independence from Great Britain in 1947, the newly-found nation of Pakistan has seen a large influx of scientists, engineers, doctors, and technicians assuming an active role in Pakistan's fields of science and technology. Lyakat Ali-Khan (office: 14 August 1947 – 16 October 1951), the first Prime minister, invited hundreds of scientists from India and made various reforms were initiated for improvement in high education and scientific research.
Marked by highly developed pure sciences and innovation at theoretical level, interpretation and application fell short. Physics (theoretical, nuclear, particle, laser, and Quantum physics), Material science, Metallurgy (Engineering), Biology, Chemistry (Organic), and Mathematics, are the fields that Pakistan citizens excelled. During the 1960s till the present, the Pakistan government made the development and advancement of science a national priority and showered top scientists with honours. With government making efforts to make science as part of national politics, there are several examples of budge cuts in the science funds where corruption remains a vital part of Pakistan politics. In the most notorious case, the government dissolved the Higher Education Commission — an administrative body that supervise the research in science — in 2011. Mega science projects such as Black-Garden Dam, Thar Coal programme, and the Reko Dique gold mine programme were severely undermined by the political forces in Pakistan which contributed in halting the science research in the country.
Pakistan scientists won acclaim in several fields. They were at the cutting edge of science in fields such as mathematics and in several branches of physical science, notably theoretical and nuclear physics, chemistry, and astronomy. Professor Abdus Salam, a theoretical physicist, was the first and remain the only Pakistan citizen to have won the prestigious Nobel Prize in 1979. Pakistan technology is mostly high developed in the fields of nuclear physics and explosives engineering, where the arms race with the India convinced policy makers to set aside sufficient resources for research. Due to a crash programme directed by Munir Ahmad Khan and the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), Pakistan is the seventh nation to developed an atomic bomb, which the global intelligence community believes, Pakistan had developed the device in 1983 (see Kirana-I), nine years after the India (see Pokhran-I). Pakistan first publicly tested its devices (see Chagai-I and Chagai-II) on 28 and 30 May 1998, a mere two weeks after the Republic of India carried its own (See Pokhran-II.[1]Space exploration was hastily well developed: in 1990 Pakistan launched Badr-I followed by Badr-II in 2001. Since 1980s, the space programme dedicated itself to the military technologies (Integrated Missile Progomme and Services Missile System), and maintains a strong programme developed for the military applications.
State controlled Science
Unlike its neighbor country India and the some Western countries, majority of the research programmes are conducted not at the institutions (such as universities) but at the specially set up research facilities and institutes.[2] These institutes are performed under the government Ministry of Science that overlooks the development and promotion of science in the country, while others are performed under Pakistan Academy of Sciences or other specialized academies or even the the research arms of various government ministries.[2] At first, the core of fundamental science was the Pakistan Academy of Sciences, originally set up in 1953 and moved from Karachi to Islamabad in 1964.[3] The Pakistan Academy of Sciences consists are large percentage of researchers in natural sciences, particularly physics.[3] Since 1947 until 1971, the research was being conducted independently with no government influence.[3] The High Tension Laboratories (HTL) at the GCU was established by R.M. Chaudhrie with funds received by British Government in 1950s.[4] In 1967, Abdus Salam led the foundation of Institute of Physics at the Quaid-e-Azam University, and the also led establishment of Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology and the Centre for Nuclear Studies, all were independently established by Pakistan's academic scientists with financial assistance provided by European countries.[4] However, after Zulfikar Ali Bhutto became President later Prime minister, the Zulfikar Ali Bhutto took over the control of science research in 1972 as part of his intensified socialist reforms and policies.[4] With advice taken from dr. Mubascher Hassan, Bhutto established the Ministry of Science with Ishrat Hussain Usmani, a bureacrat with a doctorate in atomic physics.[4][2]
During 1950s and 1960s, both West-Pakistan and East-Pakistan had their own academies of science, with the East-Pakistan economically relying on West-Pakistan to allot the funds.[2] Medical research is coordinated and funded by the Health Ministry[5] and agriculture research is led by Agriculture Ministry[6] and the research on environmental sciences are taken care by the Environment Ministry.[7][4]
As an aftermath of 1971 Indo-Pakistan Winter War, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto funded around more than 200% funding of science, dedicated to the military research and development. Bhutto, with the help of his Science Adviser Dr. Salam, gathered hundreds of scientists working abroad to developed what becomes an atom bomb. This crash programme was directed at first by dr. Abdus Salam until 1974 and then directed and led by Munir Ahmad Khan from 1974 until 1991. For the first time an effort was built by government when Pakistan's citizens made pure advancement in nuclear physics, theoretical physics and mathematics. In 1980s, General Zia-ul-Haq radicalized the science with enforcing pseudoscience by his Muslim fundamentalists as adminisrators, in Pakistan's schools and universities. One of the premiers were Mazhar Mahmood Qurashi, a physicist educated in United Kingdom, and a Sultan Bashiruddin Mahmood, a nuclear engineer also educated in United Kingdom, played a major role in radicalizing the science in Pakistan. General Zia-ul-Haq later promoted dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan to export the sensitive industrial (military) technologies to Lybia, Iran, and North Korea. Because of the government control, the academic research remains highly classified and unknown to the international scientific community. There has been several failed attempts made by Foreign powers to infiltrate into the research facilities to acquire how much research advanced and clandestine knowledge gained by Pakistan's scientific community.[8] One of the notable case was in 1970s, when Libyan intelligence made an unsuccessful attempt to gained knowledge on critical aspects of nuclear physics, and crucial mathematicalcalculations in theoretical physics, but was twarted by ISI Directorate for Joint Intelligence Technical (JIT).[8] Onwards 1980s, both Russian intelligence and the Central Intelligence Agency made several foiled and failed attempt in Pakistan's research facilities but because of ISI, they were unable to gain any information.[8] From the period 1980 to 2004, the research in science fell short until General Pervez Mushrraf established the Higher Education Commission (HEC) which heightened the contribution of science and technology in Pakistan. Major research was undertaken by Pakistan's institutes in the field of natural sciences.[2] However, with the present situation, the research fell short and declined. In 2011, the Government dissolved the HEC and control of education was undertaken under the control of the governmental ministries.[2]
Scientific Research Institutions (SRI)
A large part of research is conducted by science research institutes with semi-controlled by the Government.
Riazuddin — winner of Einstein Award (2000) for his contribution in theoretical physics, notably the contribution in neutrinos. Riazuddin, pupil student of Salam, remains the most state decorated scientist of Pakistan with receiving state honors and international prizes, second to Abdus Salam.
Mujahid Kamran — winner of Einstein Award (2001) for the leading research in quantum mechanics.
Order of Excellence
Scientists who are awarded the highest hierarchy of Pakistan, the Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Order of Excellence).
Rafi Muhammad Chaudhry — honored in 1998 for his contribution in the advancement of nuclear physics.
Abdus Salam — honored in 1979 for outstanding contribution in developing the Pakistan science.
Ishfaq Ahmad — honored with Nishan-e-Imtiaz (1998) for his contribution in nuclear physics.
Abdul Qadeer Khan — honored twice (1996 and 1999) for developing the gas-centrifuge programme.
Riazuddin — awarded and honored (1998) for his contribution to theoretical physics.
Atta ur Rahman — honored in 2002 for his edge leading research in Natural product chemistry.
Samar Mubarakmand — honored in 2003 for the contribution in space programme and nuclear physics.
Salimuzzaman Siddiqui — honored in 1980 for his leading research in medical chemistry.
National Prizes
The most prestigious government prize awarded for achievements in science and technology is Nishan-e-Imtiaz (or in English Order of Excellence). While Hilal-i-Imtiaz, Sitara-i-Imtiaz, and Tamgha-e-Imtiaz occupies a unique role and importance in Pakistan's civil society.
Mindstorm studios a lahore based company has developed a game called Cricket Revolution which also won the Cricket gaming awards 2010 - runner-up award
Golden age of Science
Pakistan is the home of Dr. Abdus Salam who became the first Pakistan winner of Nobel Prize in Physics in 1979. Abdus Salam was the father of scientific research in Pakistan.[9] Under the watchful direction of Salam, mathematicians and physicists tackled the greatest and outstanding problems in physics and mathematics.[9] From 1960 to 1974, Salam was responsible for leading the research at its maximum point. This prompted the international recognition of Pakistanimathematicians and physicists, that resulted the for the Pakistani scientists and mathematicians to conduct their research at CERN.[9] This period is often regarded as the Golden age of Physics in Pakistan, where physicists, particularly from Pakistan, had shared and applied an effort to the advancement of physics and mathematics. Abdus Salam and his students (Riazuddin, Fayyazuddin and others) revolutionized the particle and theoretical physics, are thought to be modern pioneers of particle physics at all aspect of it. A pure research was taken in Quantum electrodynamics, Quantum field theory, protonic decay and major fields in physics, were pioneered by Pakistan's scientists. With the establishment of nuclear and neutron institutes in the country, Pakistan's mathematicians introduced complex mathematical applications to study and examine the behaviors of elements during the fission process. Salimuzzaman Siddiqui is the pioneering personality for studying the isolation of unique chemical compounds from the Neem (Azadirachta indica), Rauwolfia, and various other flora.
The 1960s and the 1970s period is regarded as the rise of Pakistan's science, which gained an international reputation in the different science communities of the world.[9] During this period, scientists contributed to the fields of, particularly, Theoretical, Particle, Mathematical, and the Nuclear physics, and other major and sub fields of Physics.[9] The research was preceded by such key physicists as Riazuddin, Ishfaq Ahmad, Pervez Hoodbhoy and Samar Mubarakmand, among others.
Pakistan has been known internationally for some of its major achievements in science and technology such as successful development of media and military technologies and a growing base of doctors and engineers, as well as a fair amount of its new influx of software engineers who have been actively contributing to Pakistan's potential in the Information Technology industry. However due to present situation in Pakistan, around 3,000 Pakistani doctors emigrate to Western economies in search of suitable employment opportunities and hence contribute intellectually to the health sector of developed countries.
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Despite its declined and fall, Science in Pakistan is still a powerful proponent in Pakistan's bureaucracy. Science in Pakistan served as an extreme level national pride and from junior scientists to top scientists are bestowed with national prizes and honors each year. However, these honors are not roughly restricted to Pakistan's academic scientists. Foreign scientists are also bestowed with these honors and publicly televised their achievements. The word "Professor" occupies a unique role in Pakistan's society and its roughly equivalent to General rank in the society. Each and every year, the Government of Pakistan delegated and invited scientists from all over the world, by issuing special visas, to attend seven day long International Nathiagali Summer College on Physics where scientists are visited in specially designated hotels especially made for scientists by the government. Despite its strained and trouble relations with India, Government of Pakistan issues special visas to Indian scientists, of which P. K. Iyengar, a nuclear weapon designer, went to serve as Professor of Nuclear Physics in Government College University of Pakistan.[14]
^ abcPAS, Pakistan Academy of Science (Updated). "Introduction"(HTML). PAS Press Directorate. Directorate for the Information and Public Press of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences (PAS). ((cite web)): Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
^(MH), Ministry of Health (Pakistan). "Ministry of Health". Government of Pakistan and the Ministry of Health of Pakistan. Directorate for the Electronic Government (DEG) and the Directorate for the Health Research and Public Research and Development (HERPURD). ((cite web)): Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
