Dr Anis
Alam looks into the factors responsible for
the neglect of science and technology in
Pakistan.
In the first 48 years Pakistani universities
produced very few PhDs. In the last 50 years
several hundred thousand students have
graduated in various disciplines. However
the output of PhDs from universities and
research institutions remains very low.
During the first 40 years, all the
universities and research institutions in
Pakistan produced only 128 PhDs in
scientific disciplines. Of these 89 were
produced in 1982-86.
Most of these PhDs were in chemical and
biological sciences. Physics, a subject
essential for developing a nuclear energy
programme, has been a neglected science in
Pakistan. In the first 40 years, Pakistani
universities and research institutions
produced less than a dozen PhDs in this
field. The number has picked up since then,
but is still insignificant compared to
India, whose universities were in those
decades producing over 200 PhDs annually in
physics.
In fact, of the 22 general universities in
Pakistan at the time only the Quaid-i-Azam
University has had a viable PhD programme in
physics. A directory of Pakistani scientists
and technologists with a PhD degree (mostly
from abroad) produced in the late 90s listed
just over 2,000 names. Ten per cent of these
had already retired. The situation has
improved little since then.
The dismal state of S&T has also been
acknowledged at the highest government
level. A Prime Minister's High Level Review
Committee on Science & Technology headed by
the former Chairman of the Pakistan Atomic
Energy Commission, Munir Ahmad Khan, in its
final report on July 30, 1996, noted that
"Science, technology and education in
Pakistan are in a dismal state and our
limited infrastructure is beginning to
crumble." The report further noted that
there is no lack of S&T organizations. In
fact the federal government maintains over
165 such organizations under fourteen
different ministries. However, "barring a
few, they are under-funded, under-staffed,
poorly managed and consequently
non-productive. They spend 95 per cent of
their budget on establishment charges
leaving little or nothing for actual
research". The share of Pakistan in the
total world scientific publications in 1993
was a mere 0.08 per cent compared to 2.1 per
cent for India.
Despite the dismal state of science in
Pakistan, its scientists have successfully
built nuclear bombs, fired guided rockets,
run nuclear plants for decades. However,
these achievements have not changed the
cultural outlook of the Pakistani scientific
community, which remains the most
irrational, retrogressive, conservative and
least objective professional body anywhere.
I make this statement with full
responsibility as a member of this community
for over 35 years. This is especially true
of the physicists responsible for producing
the bomb and missile programmes. I think the
main reasons for this sad state of affairs
are to do with the facts that science in
Pakistan has never been introduced, taught,
promoted, cultivated and practised for
inculcating its critical, rational, liberal
spirit and character.
It has been generally confused with its
scientific and technological artefacts
(atomic bomb, rockets, planes, tanks, jets,
cars, computers, electrical, opto-electric
and electronic gadgetry, diagnostic and
therapeutic medicine, chemicals, films,
computers, satellites based communications,
mobile phones, Internet, etc). The state has
always sought to produce scientists who
could solve scientific and technical
problems while remaining socially and
culturally conservative.
This is corroborated by the fact that
well-qualified life scientists often
publicly deny the theory of evolution.
Physicists often denigrate the cause-effect
relationship (causality). No representative
body of Pakistani scientists and engineers,
for example, the Pakistan Academy of
Sciences, the Pakistan Institute of Physics,
the Pakistan Institute of Engineers, the
Pakistan Association of Scientists and
Scientific Professions, the Pakistan Physics
Society, has ever issued any statement or
adopted a stance that was critical of
government policies, for example, the
Islamization of science or the atomic
policy. Relying entirely on state patronage
for their sustenance and survival they have
almost always operated as spokespersons for
the government in power. As a result the
government has never had any critical input
from professional bodies to their policies
that have shaped Pakistani society, economy,
politics and culture. The government has
always been right in their opinion. There
are notable individual exceptions.
Steely framework
Since 1977, the state has wrapped its
education policy in a steely scholastic
framework that has decreed that every school
science textbook compulsorily carries
sections on religion in chapters elucidating
the methodology of science. The message is
unambiguous to the young: study science, but
only as a subject with lots of useful
information disregarding its critical,
rational, objective and sceptical
methodology. Theology ruled as it did
throughout the pre-industrial era. The
kings, queens and nobles ruled through their
armed might and the assistance of the
clergy.
The teaching of science in schools, colleges
and universities is done on the pattern of
religious seminaries imparting knowledge
through rote learning of facts and theories
and developing the ability to recite them at
will. In schools students are hardly
provided opportunities to observe,
experiment and test facts and theories that
are thrown at them by the teachers.
The same practice continues at the
post-school level. Students are again
bombarded with lots of facts and theories
but are provided with little opportunities
to test their validity by applying them to
problems. This is the basic reason that
though a huge number of students graduate
from colleges and universities in science
and technological disciplines, very few of
them go ahead to do research. The
post-graduate education system has not
developed in Pakistan except at a few
departments and institutes.
Science was developed in Europe as a
liberating force in opposition to the
prevalent dominant forces of the clergy and
the feudals. In the developing countries,
Christian missionaries under the protection
of European colonial powers in general had
introduced modern science in the colonies.
In the mind of the public, it came to be
identified as an alien and coercive force
associated with an alien power that had used
it to establish, secure, promote and develop
its own political, cultural and economic
interests.
Even after the departure of the colonial
power and the proclamation of independence,
science is seen only as a collection of
facts and theories to be remembered.
Technology is considered to be useful
gadgetry. Scientific method, its universal
efficacy, its liberating role are generally
neglected. In Pakistan a dangerous trend has
developed over the last fifteen years or so.
Attempts have been made at the state level
to undermine the objectivity and rationality
of science by rekindling the debates long
forgotten in Europe. Throughout the Zia
period, (1977 onwards) a confusing mixture
of science and religion was promoted. Scarce
resources that ought to have been devoted to
the promotion and development of science
were wasted on activities that only promoted
an anti-scientific attitude and values. The
federal ministry of science and technology -
that was created to promote science - was
used to organize an international symposium
on "Science and Islam" in 1980. It was sad
to see the foremost professional bodies of
scientists and engineers in Pakistan getting
on this bandwagon. Three years later the
Pakistan Association of Scientists and
Scientific Professions (PASSP) organized an
international conference on "Science in
Islamic Polity - Its Past, Present and
Future" in collaboration with the government
of Pakistan. Millions were lavishly spent on
the arrangements. Among the participants of
these meetings were almost the entire
hierarchy of Pakistani science, professors,
deans, vice-chancellors, heads of research
organizations, heads of ministries of
science, education, industry and commerce.
In 1986, PASSP organized another
international seminar on "Quran and Science"
attracting luminaries - of the scientific
and educational establishment as in earlier
moots. The 80s were thus wasted in such
frivolous activities. Competent scientists
instead of diffusing their knowledge by
writing books in their area of
specialization spent it to prove that
religion offers a better understanding of
the physical, chemical, biological and
cosmic world than science.
Needless to say, these activities neither
served the cause of religion nor of science.
They only confused the public and allowed
sycophants to play up to the powerful
General Zia. All these state-supported
activities facilitated the Talibanization of
Pakistani society, which ripped it apart by
continuing sectarian conflicts. When
three-quarter of Pakistanis are kept
illiterate and the rest are administered a
dangerous mixture of outmoded customs,
practices, views and blatant lies, the
average person succumbs to the propaganda of
religious bigots. If people are properly
educated so as to fully develop their
critical faculty and their creativity, then
they will be able to penetrate through the
smokescreen of intolerance, hatred,
prejudice and patent falsehood.
Militarization of science
The events of 1971, which culminated in the
secession of the eastern wing, however,
changed the direction and thrust of the
Pakistani nuclear programme. The new man in
power, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, changed the
goals of the Pakistan Atomic Energy
Commission from pursuit of nuclear power for
peaceful purposes to the preparation of
atomic weapons. Due to this change, foreign
suppliers of the Karachi nuclear reactor
suspended the supply of enriched uranium
needed to fuel the reactor. Thus, from the
mid-70s Pakistan tried to develop
self-reliance in nuclear fuel, and PAEC
started an ambitious programme for achieving
self-reliance in basic nuclear technology. A
Centre for Nuclear Sciences (CNS) was
established at PINSTECH to train the
manpower needed for the nuclear programme.
Other centres were established for
exploration, mining and refining of uranium
ore, for fabrication of nuclear fuel rods,
for instrumentation and for advanced
computation.
The prime minister was in direct control of
the PAEC. It was not under government audit.
From 1976 the work of PAEC came to be
supplemented by the Kahuta research
laboratories (KRL), which were set up by
Abdul Qadeer Khan, a metallurgist by
training, to produce enriched uranium. By
the mid 80s KRL had been able to produce
enough enriched uranium to make several
atomic bombs. According to Abdul Qadeer
Khan, in twenty years KRL has become a
full-fledged research and industrial
complex. It has around 7,000 skilled and
professional people. Of these more than
2,000 have PhD/MPhil/MSc/BE degrees. The
number of PhD/MPhil is, however, not more
than a few dozens.
It is essential to understand that since the
70s, Pakistan's atomic energy programme has
been basically a programme to acquire
capability to make nuclear bombs. This
programme should be considered as part of
the procurement programme of Pakistan's
armed forces to acquire effective and lethal
weaponry. The atomic bomb for Pakistan's
defence establishment is an extremely
effective weapon like any other weapon, just
more lethal, more effective and far more
destructive. The goal of acquisition of the
capability to build a nuclear bomb has been
pursued with single-mindedness. No obstacle
- administrative, material or financial -
has been allowed to come in the way. Lavish
funds have been provided. Since Pakistan
lacks an industrial and technological
complex, the needed technical and industrial
facilities have been constructed just to
serve the nuclear programme. The success of
the programme was proved by the May 1998
test explosions. S&T in Pakistan has come to
be associated with nuclear capability only.
Total concentration on the nuclear programme
for production of atomic weapons has greatly
harmed Pakistani science, technology and
industry. Even official Pakistani
publications have repeatedly pointed out the
poor state of Pakistani science especially
nuclear physics related sciences i.e. solid
state physics, microelectronics,
metallurgical sciences and various others.
Despite consuming the lion's share of all
allocation for scientific research for the
last decade and a half, the direct benefits
of Pakistan's nuclear programme to the
country are quite limited.
Since its establishment, it has yet to add
one single kilowatt of electricity to the
national grid as no country is willing to
sell Pakistan a nuclear power plant for the
generation of electricity lest it is used to
support the nuclear weapon programme. This
is despite the fact that the manufacturers
of nuclear power plants in the USA and
Europe are desperate to export their plants
because of the stagnant demand in their own
countries. Had the human and financial
resources spent for developing nuclear
capability been allocated to the development
of S&T - directly beneficial to Pakistani
society - this would have raised both the
level of advancement of S&T, as well as the
development of a better economy and society.
Since the mid-70s there has been no
significant programme to train manpower in
the above-mentioned disciplines. In fact the
development has been in the reverse
direction. The standards of science
education and research have deteriorated to
the level that has alarmed all well-wishers
of Pakistan. Without trained manpower,
scientists, engineers, and technicians in
adequate numbers backed by requisite
infrastructure, Pakistan's quest to develop
a sustainable nuclear capability will just
be an idle dream. It may make one or several
crude atomic bombs but it will not have a
viable nuclear power programme.
Pakistan will be able to devote its
considerable potential to overcome its state
of underdevelopment only when it cultivates
knowledge in general and science in
particular in its true critical spirit.
Dr Anis Alam
is a professor of physics at the Punjab
University, Lahore.
Dr Inayatullah is an Islamabad-based
independent researcher.
This is a collection of papers presented at
a seminar organized by the Council of Social
Sciences, Pakistan, in June 2001. The book
examines various aspects of the
under-development of science and technology
in Pakistan. |
|
|
