Education, research termed vital to economy

SWABI: Rehmat Ali Hasnie, president and Chief Executive Officer of the National Bank of Pakistan, said on Thursday that contemporary education and result-oriented research could improve Pakistan’s economy.

He said this in a meeting with Engr Salim Saifullah Khan, president of GIK Institute’s parent body, Society for the Promotion of Engineering Sciences and Technology in Pakistan (SOPREST) Executive Director Shakil Durrani, Rector GIK Institute Prof Dr Fazal Ahmad Khalid, pro-rectors, deans and heads of departments as he visited the Institute here on Thursday.

Hasnie led the NBP delegation, which discussed various options to boost their collaboration with the GIK Institute. Addressing the students, the NBP president said that the Institute produced mature graduates as a contribution to the country.

“We are very interested in cyber security and can work together to find solutions to various problems faced by the country,” he said, adding that the GIK Institute could get huge contributions from the alumni, stressing that there should be linkages of academia with industry.

The solar power project financed by the NBP helped save energy and a big chunk of money, he said, adding that the NBP wanted to be part of ventures launched by the GIK Institute.

“You are the future inventors and the best option for you is to stay in Pakistan and not opt for going abroad,” he said.

He said the NBP had a multilayer partnership with the GIK Institute and it would grow further.On the occasion, Engr Salim Saifullah Khan said the GIK Institute alumni worked across the world in leading multinational companies.

He said the NBP had provided an interest-free loan to GIK Institute.Hasnie endorsed the rector’s proposal that the NBP should provide scholarships to students of various engineering disciplines.

Earlier, the NBP president inaugurated a solar power system project completed in the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and also visited the advanced manufacturing process laboratory

and a newly constructed hostel for the girls.