The oath-taking ceremony of the new Executive Council of Pakistan Nuclear Society (PNS) was held in Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) Rest House, on 24th Dec. 2020.
In a simple but dignified function held under strict Corona virus SOPs, the Chairman PAEC, Mr. Muhammad Naeem (H.I,S.I) administered the oath of office to 9 members of the Council.
Congratulating Dr. Imtinan Elahi Qureshi on being elected as the new President of the Society for a period of two years and other members of the Council, the Chairman advised the Society to play an active role in creating public awareness about the peaceful applications of nuclear technology and contributions of PAEC in this regard. He expressed satisfaction on the operations of 4 nuclear power plants at Chashma (C1,C2,C3, and C4), and two power plants to be commissioned next year in Karachi (K2 and K3), which will take the total nuclear power production in Pakistan to the level of 3500 MW. He informed that a fully indigenous research reactor (PARR-3) is nearing completion Islamabad, while PARR-1 is now being loaded with indigenous fuel bundles.
Dr. Qureshi has previously rendered meritorious services in Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission as a research scientist in the field of nuclear physics and was awarded Tamgha-i-Imtiaz in 2003. He also served as the Executive Director of COMSATS for eight years following his assignment in Geneva, as Minister (Technical) in the Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the United Nations.
In his address to the audience comprising of an elite group of scientists from PAEC and other strategic organization, Dr. Qureshi expressed his determination to work for the optimum utilization of intellectual resources available to the Society in the form of more than one thousand scientists, engineers, geologists and medical doctors, as its life-time members. He said that creating awareness in general public about safe utilization of nuclear technology and its benefits in the sectors of health, agriculture, industry, environmental studies and water resources, will be the main focus of PNS programmes in the form of lectures, webinars, video tutorials, visits of science students to PAEC facilities, publications of popular science articles, and web-based educational material. He noted that PNS is well placed to conduct Science Diplomacy owing to the role played by its members in international scientific ventures such as CERN and IIASA, and inter-governmental organizations such as COMSATS and COMSTECH.
Dr. Qureshi has been a contributing author of Technology Times.