The Pioneers

To Late Professor Abdus Salam, periodic bringing together of scientists from developing countries for discussions on their research work was a way of breaking their isolation from the advanced centers of learning. In particular, of forestalling brain drain to the advanced countries. This was the guiding spirit behind the suggestion for holding a summer college.

The idea of organizing a college at Nathiagali one of the hill resorts near Islamabad on regular basis came from the distinguished Noble Laureate, the Late Professor Abdus Salam. He proposed in 1974 that an international forum for scientists from developing countries be organized to break their isolation and provide them with an opportunity to interact with their peers from advanced countries.

When Professor Abdus Salam made his proposal to Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission to organize a Summer College where experts from the industrialized nations and learners from the developing countries get together for a couple of weeks once a year to exchange views of current interest in Physics and allied sciences. Mr. Munir Ahmed Khan, the then Chairman PAEC, not only accepted the idea, but put his heart into it. He took personal interest to make the first college in 1976 a great success, which set a lasting tradition for the times to come.

Professor Riazuddin, the Member Technical PAEC, was in-charge of organizing the college as co-director with Professor Abdus Salam.

The seed sown by Professor Abdus Salam has now blossomed into a lasting institution for bringing together the scientists from advanced countries and the developing nations to discuss topics at the frontiers of knowledge with particular reference to the development needs of the Third World countries. The college has now evolved into an institution and has become a prestigious event in the scientific calendar of this part of the world. This college is perhaps the only one of its kind to be regularly organized in a developing country and, each year, covers a wide range of topics and their applications to the contemporary needs of the society.

Successive chairmen of PAEC Dr. Ishfaq Ahmad, Mr. Parvez Butt, Mr. Anwar Ali and now Dr. Ansar Parvez provided full support for holding of INSCs.

The 22nd College, held in Islamabad from 28th July to 9th August 1997, had a special significance in view of the golden jubilee celebrations of the independence of Pakistan. In this context, the subjects discussed in the College revolved around the developments in various fields of science and engineering over the last fifty years and their projection into the twenty-first century. The relevance to the needs of the developing countries was given special emphasis. Visiting Pakistani scientists also delivered lectures.

The century that came to an end has rightly been termed as the era of physics. The first quarter of this period saw the emergence of two momentous theories-the General theory of relativity and the Quantum Physics. Based on these theories, the last fifty years or so have witnessed some bizarre and stunning new ideas about space and time, mind and matter, nonlocality and quantum information, order and chaos, information and complexity, etc. There have been profound changes in our understanding of fundamental and important aspects of physics.

The revolutionary technological innovations accompanying the outbursts in basic sciences formed the theme for the second week entitled “Fifty years of Technology; Physics and Contemporary Needs”. Developments in the technological renaissance that gathered momentum in the 1990s is exemplified by the fields of information technology, biotechnology and genetic engineering. These subjects have transformed the socioeconomic fabric of our society as well as the philosophical foundation of the success. Linked to the technological revolution is the inevitable demand for more energy and the problems that the human race has inflicted upon the environment. The burning and important issues related to energy , environment and water resources, multiprocessing and Internet, etc., were also taken up.

While the pace of the scientific breakthroughs in the developed nations has been breathtaking, the developing countries like Pakistan have been left far behind in this race. Apart from some isolated cases of success stories, science in Pakistan has been given a low priority. Side by side with the discussions of fifty years of global physics, the College also highlighted the achievements of the nation in science and technology during the last half century. Special sessions were held daily for this purpose. Experts from R&D organizations, universities and the industry discussed developments made in different fields. At the start of the second week, a special presidential session chaired by Mr. Farooq Khan Laghari was held where scientists from abroad discussed global science and technology in Pakistan over the last five decades.