The Human Rights Society of Pakistan organised the Fifth Justice Sardar Muhammad Iqbal Memorial Lecture at the Humdard Centre here on Saturday.
Senator SM Zafar and Mehnaz Rafi were the chief guests. Addressing the function, Senator Zafar said, “I am surprised to see the list of Muslim scientists. There was a time when Muslims had knowledge and the world benefited from them. When we had knowledge, we ruled the world.
Punjab University Vice Chancellor Mujahid Kamran said education was important but knowledge was more important. He said it was a realty that no nation could survive without acquiring knowledge. “When the Quran was revealed, the first word was ‘Iqra’ which means ‘read’. More than 750 verses of Quran are about research and learning,” he said.
He said Pakistan was one of the countries which spent very little on education. “We need to spend more on research and development. If we decide that we will vote for the party which spends four percent of the GDP on education, all problems of our country will be solved,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 7th, 2013.