مسلمانوں کا نیوٹن ۔ ڈاکٹر عبدالسلام — Page 378
368 Again he wrote: "Today the Third World is only slowly waking up to the realization that in the final analysis, creation, mastery and utilization of modern science and technology is basically what distinguishes the South from the North۔On science and technology depend the standards of living of a nation۔The widening gap in economics and influence between the nations of the South and the North is essentially the science and technology gap۔Nothing else neither differing cultural values, nor differing perceptions or religious thoughts, nor differing systems of economics or of governance can explain why the North (to the exclusion of the South) can master this globe of ours and beyond۔" Indeed, scientific knowledge and innovation are becoming leading factors of production and economic development around the world۔There can be no high technology without first-rate science۔Science develops new tools in laboratories for its progress, and trains students and technicians to build them۔These tools find users outside, and some young people become entrepreneurs and launch their own companies, which then grow into large enterprises۔However, such companies grow around big centres of scientific research, for example Silicon Valley around Stanford۔But the Third World countries do not have big centres of research۔So do they have a chance, or have they lost out for ever? I believe the answer lies in linkages with big science centres in developed countries۔A fine example is CERN, where high technology and fundamental science reinforce each other۔Let me end by quoting from a paper by Salam, presented on 11 May 1983 in Bahrain: "We forget that an accelerator like the one at CERN develops sophisticated modern technology at its furthest limit۔I am not advocating that we should build a CERN for Islamic countries۔However, I cannot but feel envious that a relatively poor country like Greece has joined CERN, paying a subscription according to the standard GNP formula۔I cannot rejoice that Turkey, or the Gulf countries, or Iran, or Pakistan seems to show no ambition to join this fount of science and get their men catapulted into the forefront of the latest technological expertise۔Working with CERN accelerators brings at the least this reward to a nation, as Greece has had perception realize۔" Since then, Pakistan and Iran have joined CERN collaborations and, if Salam were alive today, I am sure he would be delighted to see that aspects of his vision are at last being transformed into the Courtesy CERN Courier, April 2003 http://www۔cerncourier۔com/main/article/43/3/18 to reality۔Prof۔Dr Riazuddin, a pupil of Prof Abdus Salam, is head of the National Centre for Physics, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad۔