We live in a world where development and research in sciences and technology are essential along with vision of political establishment to appoint specialists at the helm in various fields, as has been done by China, Turkey and Iran, to evaluate and make decisions, instead of a bureaucracy dominated by men who are jack of all trades. The decision on feasibility of Thar Coal project should have vested with a team of relevant specialists, instead of bureaucracy dominated by beneficiaries of kick back and commissions that accrue from imports. Our present predicament is enough to expose incompetence of this bureaucracy.
It is embarrassing to watch in this age of science, our media involving in sensationalising unsubstantiated claims of having invented a water kit capable of producing energy to drive engines. It is unfortunate that leading television anchors are giving exposure to such ridiculous fantasies in these times when the Internet would have revealed that hydrogen can be extracted from water through electrolysis, a fact as old as establishment of chemical composure of water. The media could have sought services of our universities or scientific research institutions, instead of making a monkey of a nation with nuclear capability. It is important to understand that metallurgical composure of engines depends on combustion characteristics of fuels used and the fact that research is underway for manufacture of affordable metallurgy capable to withstand high temperatures of Hydrogen fuel. Perhaps analysis of comparative costs of battery kits installed on imported reconditioned Hybrid cars would elaborate my point. It took South Korea decades of research to acquire metallurgical technology capable of withstanding temperatures to withstand combustion of petroleum fuel. The metallurgical composure of engines by reputed automobile manufacturers is a guarded secret. Pakistan even today has mere capability to assemble motor vehicles with imported engine kits.
Media organisations need to understand, that image of Pakistan as a country with human resources capable for scientific and technological development, suffers when such unsubstantiated fake claims are sensationalised. Living in the 21st century, a nation whose bureaucracy, press and political ruling elite are found displaying such lack of common sense would only further erode our image.
MALIK TARIQ ALI,
Lahore, August 31.