Professional Technology Publications--A Lack there off

There is so much literature, so many publications published out of Pakistan. However, you wont find many Technology oriented publications other than the Sci-Tech Review DAWN prints each Saturday and Spider Magazine, which is also a DAWN publication. And even these two widely circulated publications aren't something a professional Scientist or Engineer would read. The content of Spider and Sci-Tech is geared for your average non-tech consumer.

These are great publications, no doubt about it but just not something a professional would consider reading or publishing in, other than for his/her personal pleasure.

With little Scientific and Technical publications, how is a country of 166M ever hope to advance itself in the Scientific and technical arena? Even our neighbors like India, China and Iran for crying out loud has a vibrant Scientific culture. What have we to say, other than try and blame government, blame the radicals, blame outside powers---that is all Pakistan's are good it, or it would seem point the finger at others not realizing that reform and progress begins at home.

How much longer will we wait for some boon to fall out of the sky, someone or something to come and say "here I have the solution"? Wake up my dear country folk--wake up and smell the roses, wake up to reality. No one is going yo come and hand us the solution on a silver platter. The solution to Pakistan's Scientific Culture resides within, not without. The solution reside with the Scientific intelligencia, that is with people like you. it is you who will bring change, it is you and you alone who can turn around the despicable situation in the Scientific Culture.

Lets not wait any longer, governments can only do so much---the rest is up to us. It is up to us to make good of the situation, to work with what little infrastructure government has put in place. The government can only provide the tools, it cannot be expected to conduct the cutting edge research and development. Tools, such as funding, University buildings, labs, technology park property, etc is what the what the government can provide. The rest is up to us. We have to take the first steps and boldly venture out into the unknown world of research and entrepreneurship.

So my fellow countrymen and countrywomen, are you ready? Ready for the challenge to boldly go where no Pakistani has gone before? To take the plunge, against all odds, follow your Scientific and Techie passions and make something out of it. [Abdulrahman Rafiq]

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