JEDDAH – The Pakistan Repatriation Council (PRC) organized a symposium to mark the 17th anniversary of Pakistan's detonation of a nuclear device for the first time on May 28, 1998. Titled “Nuclear technology – our need and obligation”, the symposium held at the VIP hall of Mehran Restaurant on Friday was presided over by renowned intellectual, writer and ex-diplomat Dr. Ali Al-Ghamdi. The function started with the recitation of the Holy Qur'an by Qari Abdul Majeed. A Naat was recited by Sher Afzal conducted by Abdul Qayyum Wasiq. Poets Syed Mohsin Alavi and Abdul Qayyum Wasiq presented poems on Youm-e-Takbeer (Day of Greatness), which is marked on May 28 within the country and by Pakistani communities around the world to commemorate the day Pakistan attained nuclear capability. Al-Ghamdi thanked the PRC for organizing the symposium and said a strong Pakistan will strengthen the whole Muslim world. He said the late President Ayub Khan was the first Pakistani leader to establish a nuclear institute and a power plant in the country with the help of Canada in 1963. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto courageously initiated the strategic defense institute headed by world-renowned nuclear scientist Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan in 1973. Khan and his team developed a nuclear device, which was successfully detonated on May 28, 1998, during Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's rule. “We must express our gratitude to all those leaders and scientists who contributed to this great mission. The country becoming a member of the nuclear club is not a matter of pride for Pakistan alone but for all Muslims states since Pakistan is a leading member of the Islamc world,” Al-Ghamdi said. On the issue of stranded Pakistanis in Bangladesh, Al-Ghamdi said Dr. Abdullah Omar Nasseef along with Dr. Francis Lamand, himself and PRC Chairman Ehteshamuddin Arshad would seek a meeting with Prime Minister Sharif to discuss an action plan for their repatriation and rehabilitation on an urgent basis. He also urged Dhaka to extend basic amenities such as education, health care and employment to the stranded Pakistanis living in Bangladeshi camps. Hamid Islam Khan, deputy convener of PRC, reiterated PRC's stated position that Pakistan “will not be complete without the patriotic Pakistanis in Bangladesh and Kashmir joining it”. Choudhry Riaz Ghumman of Kashmir Committee thanked Al-Ghamdi for attending the symposium on such an important topic. He said Pakistan should have taken persistent steps to utilize nuclear technology for the benefit of the common man. Leader of Pakistan People's Community Shamsuddin Altaf paid rich tribute to Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Abdul Qadeer Khan for the country achieving nuclear capability. PRC Convener Syed Ehsanul Haque thanked Al-Ghamdi, all speakers, journalists, poets guests and attendees for their participation in the symposium. He appealed to Prime Minister Sharif to create a commission to restart the process of repatriation and rehabilitation of the stranded Pakistanis. To overcome the paucity of funds, he suggested that the government implement PRC's proposal for the settlement of stranded Pakistanis on a self-finance basis. Bangladesh should also play its role in solving the issue, said Haq. He also appealed to Sharif to create a university for nuclear research headed by Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan to study the possibilities of using nuclear technology in power generation, agriculture and health care. Well-known Urdu writer Mohammad Amanatullah and noted philanthropist and businessman Sheikh Mohammad Luqman also spoke.
