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KARACHI, Feb 03 (APP): An investment of around Rs. 900 million by the Federal Ministry of National Food Security and Research (MNFS&R) for the establishment of the National Reference Laboratory of the Department of Plant Protection (NRL-DPP) at the International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), University of Karachi, reflects the institution’s standing as one of the region’s leading research establishments.
Prof. Dr. Atta-ur-Rahman, Professor Emeritus and former Federal Minister for Science and Technology, expressed these views on Tuesday while addressing an “Awareness Seminar on the Newly Established NRL-DPP at the H.E.J. Research Institute of Chemistry for Quality Testing of Export and Import Commodities.”
The seminar was jointly organized by the NRL-DPP and the H.E.J. Research Institute of Chemistry, ICCBS.
Other speakers at the seminar included Yasin Murtaza, Advisor and Director General, Department of Plant Protection, Ministry of National Food Security and Research; Prof. Dr. Muhammad Raza Shah, Director ICCBS; Prof. Dr. Syed Ghulam Musharraf, In-charge NRL-DPP; Prof. Dr. Shahid Mansoor; and Muhammad Hassan Chachar, Deputy Director (P&D), DPP.
Welcoming members of the business community, Prof. Atta-ur-Rahman highlighted how ICCBS, under his patronage, has emerged as Pakistan’s leading research center.
He said that he had established the Jamil-ur-Rahman Centre for Genomics Research in his father’s name, equipped with state-of-the-art gene-editing facilities.
He added that the center is providing forensic services to the Sindh government, increasing the criminal conviction rate in the province from about four percent to over 15 percent.
Prof. Dr. Muhammad Raza Shah told the seminar that the NRL-DPP, recently established at ICCBS, is a cutting-edge facility accredited by the Pakistan National Accreditation Council (PNAC) and funded by the federal government.
He said the laboratory now serves as Pakistan’s regulatory reference laboratory for agro-product testing.
He added that ICCBS stands on par with leading research institutions in the developed world and noted that the center has received 34 civil awards, including one Nishan-e-Imtiaz, five Hilal-e-Imtiaz, 14 Sitara-e-Imtiaz, 14 Tamgha-e-Imtiaz, and Pride of Performance awards.
He further stated that ICCBS has been designated a Centre of Excellence by several international organizations, including WHO and UNESCO.
Delivering an online address, Yasin Murtaza said the federal government selected ICCBS for establishing the NRL-DPP due to the outstanding team of scientists working under Prof. Atta-ur-Rahman.
He described the collaboration as a unique initiative reflecting the international standing of ICCBS and thanked the administration and research team for their tireless efforts in developing the laboratory.
Prof. Syed Ghulam Musharraf gave a detailed presentation on the establishment of the NRL-DPP, while Prof. Shahid Mansoor spoke about innovative techniques to grow multiple generations of cotton in a single year.