2015.10.13 Conference Report on Human Resource Development Plan (2015-25) Engineering and Technology Group

Conference report by Rizwan Ahmed Khan on NationalHuman Resource Development Plan 2015-25(Engineering & Technology Group)
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CONFERENCE REPORT
on National Human Resource Development Plan (2015-2025)
Visualizing Socio-Economic Growth of Pakistan
By: Rizwan Ahmed Khan (Engineering & Technology Focus Group)
CONFERENCE SETTINGS
The conference aimed to prioritize the future research environs to make them align to national
needs in line with Vision 2025 for Government of Pakistan and strengthening of China-Pakistan
economic corridor. 12 working groups were formed to conduct this conference for prioritizing the
specialties in following disciplines;
Sr. # Discipline HEC Focal Person
1 Agriculture Mr. Jehanzeb Khan
2 Arts & Humanities Ms. Dur e Shahwar Sadozai
3 Biological Sciences Mr. Azhar Ali Khan
4 Business Education Mr. Murad Shuaib Khan
5 Development Studies Mr. Saeed Muhammad
6 Economics Ms. Shumaila Ishaq
7 Engineering & Technology Mr. Rizwan Ahmed Khan
8 Medical Sciences Ms. Saima Naureen
9 New Higher Education Trends Mr. Waheed Ahmed Mangi
10 Physical Sciences Mr. Rana Shafiq Ahmed
11 Social Sciences Mr. Aamir Hakeem
12 Veterinary Sciences Mr. Fauad Haider
Each working group was headed by a focal person from Higher Education Commission, while
about 150 experts from Academia, Industry & R&D/ Strategic organizations were invited for their expert
opinion and practical input. This pool of experts was the first of its kind in mega conference, organized
by HRD division of HEC. The event provided the best opportunity to identify the needs and demand of
the nation to meet the dream in the shape of vision 2025 by the Government of Pakistan.

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The inauguration session was started at 1000 hrs. with the recitation of Holly Qur’an and lasted
for about an hour. The Chairman, Higher Education Commission, Prof. Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed welcomed
the participants and the guests. He gave an overall purview of the conference and briefed about the
conference aims and objectives. The chief guest Prof. Dr. Ahsan Iqbal, Federal Minister for Planning,
Development & Reforms then addressed the conference and expressed his views. Prof. Dr. G. Raza Bhatti,
Executive Director HEC also elaborated the conference objectives in light of Government of Pakistan’s
vision 2025 and Pak-China Economic Corridor.
After the tea break, working groups were headed to their allocated halls for conference
proceedings in their relevant disciplines. In order to encourage discussion and a more focused exchange
of information all focus groups were given separate space for an interactive sessions. The interactive
sessions continued in two parts from 1130 hrs. to 1630 hrs. with a 45 minutes lunch and prayer break.
During this session participants discussed the subject matter based on some questions and shared
thoughts with each other and with the focal persons from HEC.
After the interactive sessions, one focal person selected among the participants of every group
delivered a 5 to 10 minutes presentation, concluding the particular group’s findings and
recommendations. The conference ended with a vote of thanks from Chairman, Higher Education
Commission to all the respected guests and special appreciation to the HEC teams for successful
organization of subject conference.
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
The conference was structured in a way that helped participants to walk through the issues,
starting from the concept, along with the list of disciplines/ subjects that have to be prioritized i.e., the
importance according to national needs, vision 2025, CPEC and future research environs. The objectives
of the conference included following;
1. Pool in and develop a cadre of human resource as per national needs to drive the development
process through research, innovation and capacities integration.
2. Organize a national level conference of academia, industrialists and scientists for human
resource development.

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3. Prioritizing future areas of research and innovation.
4. Align research and innovation to national needs, which would contribute in the socio-economic
uplift of our country.
5. Strengthen the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) initiative through human resource
development.
This conference was a mere start of voyage towards achievement of the vision and goals.
Group 7, ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY
The Engineering & Technology focus group was the largest group, consisting of 26 participants.
The group had representation from academia, industry, R&D and strategic organizations. Mr. Rizwan
Ahmed Khan (Project Director HRD) was the focal person from HEC for this group. The following
experts participated in this group.
S. # Name of Expert/ Focal Person Designation Organization
01
Mr. Rizwan Ahmed Khan
(Focal Person)
Project Director HRD
Higher Education Commission of Pakistan,
Sector H-9, Islamabad
02 Engr. Muhammad Asghar Rector - NUST, Islamabad
National University of Science & Technology
(NUST), Sector H-12, Islamabad
03 Dr. Mohammad Mohsin Principal Engineer
Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC),
Directorate of Human Resource Development,
Pak Secretariat Near K Block, Islamabad
04 Prof. Dr. M. Akram Shaikh Director General - PASTIC
Pakistan Scientific and Technological
Information Center, Pakistan Science
Foundation, Quaid-i-Azam University Campus,
Islamabad
05
Air Commodore Waqar
Haider
Director Engineering
Services - PAF
Directorate of Engineering Services, Air
Headquarters, Sector E-9, Islamabad
06 Sqdn. Ledr. Talha Hussain
Dy. Director Engineering
Services - PAF
Directorate of Engineering Services, Air
Headquarters, Sector E-9, Islamabad
07 Dr. M. Najam-ul-Islam
Dean - Engineering
Sciences
Bahria University, Shangrilla Road, Sector E-8,
Islamabad
08 Dr. Abher Rasheed
Director ORIC/ AP -
Department of Garment
Manufacturing
National Textile University, Sheikhupura Road,
Faisalabad
09 Dr. Munir Ashraf
Assistant Professor -
Department of Textile
Processing
National Textile University, Sheikhupura Road,
Faisalabad

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10 Mr. Faizan-ul-Haq Mirza
Former E.C Member –
SIMAP
The Surgical Instruments Manufacturers
Association of Pakistan, near Sublime Chowk,
Marala Road, Sialkot-Pakistan
11 Dr. Zulfiqar Ahmad General Manager NESCOM, Islamabad
12 Cap. Retd. Javaid Iqbal Director NESCOM, Islamabad
13 Dr. Sami Uddin
Director Research &
Academia Coordination
NESCOM, Islamabad
14 Dr. Riaz Ahmad Mufti NUST-SMME, Sector H-12, Islamabad
15 Dr. Yasar Ayaz NUST-SMME, Sector H-12, Islamabad
16
Prof. Brig. Retd. Muhammad
Amin (SI)
Vice Chancellor
Balochistan University of Engineering &
Technology, Khuzdar
17 Prof. Dr. Syed Waqar Ali Shah
Chairman – Department of
Electrical Engineering
University of Engineering & Technology,
Peshawar
18 Dr. Ali Muhammad Consultant
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Economic Zones
Development
19 Engr. M. Azhar Parvez Director HR
20 Dr. Asif Raza Pro-Rector
21 Dr. Muhammad Ahmad Ch. University of Engineering & Technology, Taxila
22 Engr. Muhammad Ismail Director QA
23 Dr. Qamar Ul Islam Professor/ HOD Institute of Space Technology, Islamabad
24 Dr. Shahid Khalid Professor
Peshawar
25 Engr. M. H. Khan Engineer
Peshawar
26 Engr. Farid Bakhtiar
Pakistan Council for Science & Technology,
Islamabad
27 Dr. Muhammad Shahid
Pakistan Council for Science & Technology,
Islamabad
A list of about 70 disciplines was distributed among the participants. It was very challenging
session to consolidate the group from diverse technologies as the importance of each discipline was very
warmly highlighted by respective representative. The participants discussed each and every discipline
from various aspects.

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DISCIPLINES UNDER ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY
Initially, the group members re-organized the list of disciplines. The participants were of the view
that a list of about 70 disciplines is too much to prioritize, therefore the disciplines must be first divided
into main categories and then sub-distributed/ prioritized accordingly in order to make the discussion
easier and fruitful. After a long debate, the house unanimously agreed to divide Engineering and
Technology into 25 major disciplines. Similar, disciplines were grouped together to make the list smaller.
After that, each discipline was discussed in detail by the relevant expert, keeping in view Vision
2025, national needs and CPEC. The house unanimously agreed that Engineering and Technology is the
most important sector to contribute towards socio-economic development of Pakistan. Special focus must
be given to the Engineering and Technology sector keeping in view its importance. The participants were
of the view that the development in E&T sector will push the economy towards industrialization. As a
result, more jobs will be produced which will ultimately improve the social and economic status of the
country.
25 disciplines were prioritized with respect to their expected impact on the economy of the
Pakistan. Energy Engineering, Textile Engineering and Manufacturing Engineering were ranked on top,
respectively. Further the house also added about 36 diverse sub-disciplines to the existing list. The new
prioritized list of disciplines during the conference, including 103 subjects is presented below.
PRIORITIZATION FOR ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY RELATED DISCIPLINES
Sr. # Main Disciplines Sub Disciplines
1 Energy Engineering
Energy Efficiency
Energy Services
Facilities Management
Plants Engineering
Alternative Energy Technologies
Environmental Compliance
2 Textile Engineering
Protective Textiles
Agro Textiles
Sports Textiles
Medical Textiles
3 Manufacturing Engineering
Process Engineering
Machines and Tools Engineering
Chips Design
Sports Manufacturing Engineering
Systems Engineering
4 Civil Engineering
Civil Engineering
Environmental Engineering

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Hydraulic Engineering
Water Resource Engineering
Structural Engineering
Construction Engineering & Management
River Engineering
Transportation Engineering (Traffic, Highways, Railways)
Architectural Engineering
Urban & Regional Planning Management
Earthquake Engineering (Active & Passive)
Highway engineering
Clean Water & Environment Engineering
Land development engineering
Landscape engineering (Landscape Architecture)
5 Mining Engineering
Mining Engineering
Minerals Engineering
6 Agriculture Engineering
Agricultural Engineering
Form Power and Machinery Engineering
Biological Materials Process Engineering
Food Engineering/ Food Process Engineering
Natural Resources Management
7 Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical engineering
Acoustical Engineering
Applied Mechanics
Thermal Engineering
Power Plants Engineering
Automotive engineering (Automotive Systems Engineering)
8 Petroleum & Gas Engineering
Drilling Engineering
Reservoir Engineering
Production Engineering
Petroleum & Gas Engineering
9 Aeronautics & Astronautics Engineering
Aircraft Design Engineering
Space Craft Design Engineering
Aerospace Engineering
Aerospace Sensors and Instrumentation
Aerospace Martials
Elect optics/Digital Signal Processing
Modeling & Simulation
Avionics Commination
Wireless Communication and Signals
Aeronautics & Astronautics
Aviation
Ground Control Systems
10 Environmental Engineering Climate engineering

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Ecological engineering
11 Industrial Engineering
Industrial Engineering
Engineering Economy
Engineering Management
12 Marine Engineering Marine Engineering
13 Maritime Engineering Maritime Engineering
14 Electrical Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Electronics Engineering
Power Engineering
Applied Optics
Electric Control Engineering
Microwave & Millimeter Wave Studies
Plasma Engineering
Acoustical Engineering
Photonics
15 Bio Engineering
Bio Engineering
Biochemical Engineering
Biological Engineering
Biomaterials Engineering
Forensic Engineering
Genetic Engineering
Human Genetic Engineering
Biomedical Engineering
16 Telecom Engineering Telecom and Wireless Engineering
17 Nuclear Engineering Nuclear Engineering
18 Chemical Engineering Chemical Engineering
19 Metallurgy & Materials Engineering
Metallurgy
Composite Materials
Forensic Materials Engineering
Advanced Materials Engineering
Nano Materials/ Nano Technology
20 Meteorological Engineering Engineering Meteorology
21 Geological Engineering
Geological Engineering
Geomatics Engineering
Engineering Geology
Geophysical Engineering
22 Computer Engineering Computer Engineering
23 Robotics Engineering
Mechatronics
Robotics
24 Software Engineering
Software Engineering
Networks Engineering
Cloud Computing & Manufacturing
25 Engineering Education Engineering Education & Research/ Innovation

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Energy Engineering was ranked at number one because, the country is facing severe crisis of
energy right now. This crisis has affected almost every sector i.e. textile, agriculture, manufacturing etc.
The house unanimously agreed that the Govt. should focus on human resource development in the
energy sector. They proposed that the special focus should be on energy generation from renewable
sources, energy conservation and efficient use of the energy. As the energy crisis has hit every sector, the
improvement in present situation of energy would greatly affect the exports of the country.
Textile found its place at number two. Textile sector is contributing more than 50% in the total
exports of the country from last many years. In addition to that a considerable number of the employment
is provided by this sector. Further, by providing clothing and other products to a huge local market, it is
considered as the backbone of the country's economy. Textile policy 2014-2019 describes that the Govt.
wants to double the exports of the country till 2019. Considering abundant availability of raw material,
GSP plus status, existing infrastructure and experience an advantage, a little more efforts in this sector
may result in dramatic increase in the exports of the country. Focus on this sector will also raise the social
standards by providing more jobs to the people. Ultimate result would be better economy, better (soft)
image of the country, uplift of the social standards and increase in per capita income.
Manufacturing engineering was the 3rd priority chosen by the participants. The experts were of
the view that development of more efficient manufacturing processes would result into the reduced cost
of production which will ultimately make our products compatible in the international market. This will
encourage the investors to invest in Pakistan and more jobs are expected to be produced. The
representatives from Surgical Instruments Manufacturers Association of Pakistan has urged to develop
the industrial linkages with academia for expertise in Hi-tech instruments manufacturing including;
a.) Development of Dental Implant Projects
b.) Manufacturing of Laparoscopic Instruments Projects
c.) Usage of composite materials for manufacturing of Instruments.
The other disciplines were also discussed in detail and were very well defended by the respective
representatives. However the subjects’ priority list was to be finalized keeping in view the following
agenda.

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THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC NEEDS
The group members identified following socio-economic needs of the country which could be
addressed through E&T sector;
1. Increase in exports
2. Reduction in imports
3. Employment generation
4. Solutions to local problems
5. Indigenization of technology
6. Self-reliance and self-sufficiency
The disciplines were prioritized on the basis of above six points. First and foremost was to
increase the exports which will earn the country more foreign exchange. The second point is also linked
with the first point. Both the actions will improve the trade balance of the country. The third priority was
the employment generation. This factor is extremely important to upgrade the living standard of the
common man. After that, indigenization was the focus. It will make us self-sufficient and it will provide
local solutions. These solutions will be cheaper, easily accessible and rapidly available.
DETERMINANTS
The policies formulated, keeping in view the given proposals, will result in good image building
of the country in the international community. Right now, we are being portrayed for bad impressions
like terrorism, corruption etc. Such policies will help us improve our GDP and quality of life of the
common man. The baseline is that we should move from low tech to medium tech. Keeping in view the
present situation, it is almost impossible to shift from low tech to high tech quickly. Therefore, the
participants suggested that we should move to medium tech first. After achieving this goal, we can
formulate another plan to reach to high tech.

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PROPOSED DIRECTORS FOR SOLUTION
Following suggestions were given by the expert forum.
 Establishing Linkages between Academia & Industry
 Establishing Research & Technology Parts in Industry
 Encouraging Commercialization of Indigenous Research
 Enhancing technology development to improve environment
 Encouraging provision of solutions to the Industry
 Establishing New Academic Departments in Universities
It was proposed by the house that a more practical approach is to be embraced for launching
strong academia industry linkages. Active measures like industries outreach, participation in summits,
conferences, workshops, seminars, symposiums and exhibitions are to be fortified for interacting with
the prospective industry to meet the objective of commercialization of the market viable products /
technologies and to obtain the industry sponsored and collaborative projects. The house also floated the
idea of Business Incubation Centers and Industrial Liaison Offices at the universities. Such efforts may
result in development of technology architypes, directions for making business plans & market feasibility
reports etc. Industries can thus approach via such offices for technologically advanced commercialization
of their products/ services and once the confidence level is built up, more complex problems can be
resolved with similar techniques.
The conference, in general gave a good imprint and understanding of the many perspectives that
can and should be taken into account, regarding prioritizing the future academic research environs to
make them align to national needs. The feedback confirmed that the conference was very much
appreciated as well as that there is a persistent need for more practical approaches and opportunities to
discuss this mega issue of national importance.
Rizwan Ahmed Khan
Project Director HRD
Higher Education Commission of Pakistan
 Support Team (E&T Group):
Mr. Syed Hassan Raza Rizvi (Assistant Director- HRD)
Ms. Afsheen Akhter (Project Manager- HRD)
Mr. Muhammad Shahid Iqbal (Superintendent- HRD)

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GROUP PHOTO (Engineering & Technology)

2015.10.13 Conference Report on Human Resource Development Plan (2015-25) Engineering and Technology Group

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