Gilani rules out sending reference against CJ | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

Gilani rules out sending reference against CJ

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani on Monday, ruled out sending reference against Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry over alleged bribery scam against Arsalan Iftikhar.

“I think there is no need for sending a reference against Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry for alleged involvement of his son in the bribery scam,“ Gilani stated while responding to reporters here after addressing the inaugural session of two-day Vice Chancellors Forum. Moreover, he said that Arsalan’s case was subjudice so there was no need to make speculative comments on it and so he declined to make comments on the case, stating that media had created unnecessary hype over the issue.

Earlier, while addressing the Vice Chancellors Forum‚ Gilani said that budget allocations for promotion of education had been increased to explore true potential of youth. He said that education sector was at the top priority of the government and would make maximum investment in this sector.

He urged the Muslim countries to invest greatly in the education sector particularly in Science and Technology for the prosperous future of their people.

He pointed out that Muslims constitute one quarter of the world population but their share in the world GDP was less than 12 pc.

He said that the Muslim countries could compete with the developed world only by investing in the human resource development while Muslim countries were facing daunting challenges and ,therefore, it was imperative that we work together to overcome the problems.

While highlighting importance of higher education, Gilani said that it was imperative that maximum efforts should be made to improve it as nation’s prosperous future is directly linked to meaningful investments in science and technology led higher education.

PM said that role of science and technology, in today’s knowledge based global society, had assumed center-stage in the welfare and well being of the people.

The government will have to make increasing investments in education inspite of numerous other competing demands and urged the universities to prepare their students appropriately and equip them with the most relevant skill-sets, suitable for the modern market place, he added.

Congratulating IESCO, Ministry of Science and Technology, Higher Education Commission and the COMSATS Institute of Information Technology for organising wonderful initiative, he said that he really appreciated timely initiative, foresight and extreme hard work in making this event possible.

Gilani observed that he eagerly looked forward to the proceedings of the conference, which would result into sound, specific and practical recommendations, assuring the Forum to share those recommendations and findings with Ministry of Science and Technology as well as governments of other Muslim countries.

“I am confident that the practical proposals will further strengthen our respective higher education systems in general and research and development in science and technology in particular”, he added.

Referring to history of the Nobel Prize Awards, he said that only nine Muslim scientists or researchers could have won Nobel Prize Awards out of total 825 individuals.

He urged the Forum to focus attention on a paradigm shift from being just the users of technologies to become the producers of technologies, goods, and services. For this to happen would really require an all-embracing effort by all the stakeholders responsible for education, research and development, he added.

The Nation