Ahsan highlights importance of advancing space tech for sustainable national development

ISLAMABAD, Oct 10 (APP): Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal on Friday highlighted the importance of advancing in space technology to accelerate Pakistan’s development pace and equip its youth to meet future challenges.
Addressing the closing ceremony of World Space Week at a Model College for Girls, the minister said the government was according special focus to space research as it played a crucial role in national progress, economic growth and global competitiveness.
“You will be happy to know that, by the grace of Allah Almighty, next year Pakistan’s first astronaut will enter space and participate in experiments aboard China’s space station,” he informed the participant.
He further said that Pakistan’s space agency had also been tasked with pursuing a moon mission by 2035.
“Ahsan Iqbal noted that civilizations have historically risen through their commitment to knowledge and scientific exploration, and declined when they neglected them.”
“Whenever Islamic civilization was at its peak – in Baghdad or Muslim Spain – our scholars were the world’s leading astrophysicists,” he remarked. But when we broke our connection with science and research, we began to decline and became dependent on others for knowledge,” he added.
Referring to the current global scenario, he said nations that invested in human resource development and technology had gained influence and control.
“A country of ten million people has dominated two billion Muslims because it invested in education, science and technology,” he observed, calling for renewed focus on research and innovation.
He urged students to rekindle their curiosity and passion for discovery. “If we want our young generation to remain hopeful, creative and capable of leading the nation, we must connect them with space exploration,” he emphasized.
The minister said space research expanded children’s intellectual capacity and inspired a culture of inquiry essential for progress.
“Space sciences now underpin every field – from communication and defense to climate monitoring – and no country can progress without investing in them,” he added.
Earlier, the minister visited a space exhibition, took part in a symbolic space-walk and planted a sapling at the college.